Back in the day, people were closer to the sky. Distances were not yet being measured in astronomical units or light years or parsecs. People had every reason to believe that they could get closer to the stars by climbing a mound or temple or ziggurat.
In these days, we still build our observatories high in the mountains of Arizona, Hawaii, Chile, and South Africa. They are no closer to the stars, but they are above much of the atmosphere that scatters and distorts the starlight. I remember spending a few nights on one such mountaintop, Kitt Peak west of Tucson, and thinking how much like a monastery it was with astronomers quietly contemplating the heavens. Even better than a mountaintop is to put our telescopes outside our atmosphere as we’ve done with the Hubble Space Telescope.
A spectacular high place here in the Driftless Area is Frank’s Hill just a few miles northwest of Muscoda. It gives a dramatic view of the Lower Wisconsin River Valley. Along the top of the ridge are several effigy mounds constructed a millenium ago. They include one identified as Corn Woman as well as a water serpent, a beaver, a bison, and a coyote. On the ridge just to the west are a series of conical mounds.
The public is invited to gather on the hill to celebrate the 2015 Vernal Equinox on March 20. This year, the equinox coincides with a New Moon, so we should have a great view of the Milky Way as the sky darkens, Three planets will also be visible: Mars low in the west, Venus a little higher and much brighter in the west, and Jupiter high in the south. On March 21, look for Mars just one degree (the width of your little finger) to the right of a smiling crescent moon. Mars and the moon will set just one hour after the sun. On the following night, watch for Venus just two fingers to the right of a waxing crescent moon. Venus and the moon will set two hours after the sun. Frank’s Hill, or any other ridgetop, provides the perfect spot to enjoy these pairings.
From 1998 to his death in 2013, Frank Shadewald was the owner and keeper of the mounds. What I admired most about Frank is how he welcomed people of so many different traditions to the ridgetop to enjoy the sight of the valley below and the sky above. Here we can experience not only the deep time of the mound builders, but we also rediscover our home in the cosmos.
John Heasley is an astronomy educator and stargazer who enjoys connecting people with the cosmos. He volunteers with NASA/JPL as a Solar System Ambassador. For more information about stargazing in southwest WI, see Driftless Stargaziing LLC on Facebook, Iowa County Astronomers Facebook group, and Iowa County Astronomers website.
“Driftless Dark Skies” appears monthly in the Voice of the River Valley