Our Dusty Solar System

guests arrive for dinner -- the room appears aglow with the stuff.

Well, the same is true in our part of the solar system. Whoever’s in charge is apparently no neater than I, because the entire inner solar system is littered with a thick, dusty disk. And, while this interplanetary cloud is composed of different material than that blanketing the coffee table, the principles for seeing it are rather similar.

Since this dusty disk lies mostly in the plane of our solar system along the band of constellations we know as the zodiac,

International Organization for Migration a 501(c) 3 Corporation OR: Donate to Ukranian Project: that’s where it appears if the lighting is just right. And springtime is one of those times; during March and early April this softly glowing pyramid of interplanetary dust ascends almost vertically from the western horizon at dusk. We call it the “zodiacal light.”

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.) and in 2022 has earned his National Association of Realtors “Green Industry designation for eco-friendly construction. He will provide you with “free” regular updates of sold and new homes in your town via the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (MLSLI) or go to https://WWW. Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” `15 minute consultation, as well as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached. He can also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and our Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

You can email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your request or ideas, suggestions or interview you for a specific topic and a Q & A for a future column with your name, email and cell number. He will email or call you back and respond to your request ASAP as long as he has your complete name, cell, email and/or full home or business address. Again, for a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, he can also be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.Com to answer any of your questions and concerns in selling, investing, purchasing, or leasing residential or commercial property.

Stargazers who have never seen this phenomenon tend to expect a much smaller or brighter glow. It appears to ascend to one-third or even halfway up in the western sky. Its base typically appears to be some 15 degrees wide, and the cone tapers to only about five degrees wide at the top.

To see it you’ll need to head outdoors after sunset to a place where you’ll have a clear view to the west and no moonlight or glow of city lights in that direction. During twilight, let your eyes adjust to the darkness and then, about 90 minutes or so after sunset, begin looking for a tall, softly glowing pyramid rising out of the western horizon and reaching its top near the tiny Pleiades star cluster high in the west. Remember, any light pollution, haze or moonlight anywhere

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As I neared the corner of Underhill Avenue ready to cross the street, I heard what can only be described as a hue and cry: “Tommy, Tommy, you won, you won!”

Younger children, all of whom I recognized, came bounding up Sterling Place trying to outshout each other, full of excitement about a prize that I had won. As they surrounded me with their beaming smiles, I had no idea what they were talking about.

When I got to the corner and looked up Underhill Avenue, I noticed a small group of people, adults, teenagers, and younger kids, all clustered around Mr. and Mrs. Luchow, Herman’s pleasant owners, who, upon becoming notified that I was on my way home from Easter Sunday Mass, had both come outside with Mrs. Luchow carrying the coveted chocolate egg while smiling in her pleasant manner. Some of the customers apparently had followed her outside, still holding their sodas as they then gave the appearance of being a festive group of revelers.

Herman’s was midway up the small commercial block, and all the other stores were closed. I recall making a real effort not to run, but I did walk quickly as everyone began to cheer in a good natured manner like it was a big deal, which in many respects it was. I realized right away that the kids must have been told not to tell me what I had won, but in their excitement they couldn’t contain themselves; they had compromised with the arrangement by saying that I had won something.

Almost until the very last moment when the transfer of the egg was officially made with Mrs. Luchow in her friendly outgoing manner saying, “Congratulations, Tommy,” I still was not sure that all of this ceremony was for me.

I had remained cautious, maybe even wary, not daring to believe that I had actually won something so coveted by the entire neighborhood as the Herman’s Chocolate Easter Egg.

I could become self-conscious with the best of ten year olds but the euphoria of the moment quenched that feeling, and I think I put on my best “golly, gosh” attitude of acceptance even as I had no recollection whatsoever of taking a chance. Spending a quarter on a chance is something I would never do; quarters did not come easy. If I went into a store with a quarter in my hand, I had to eat something, drink something, or hold onto something that I could walk out with and later use.

I immediately suspected my mother of taking a chance for me, or better yet I hoped, perhaps some hidden benefactor, who I imagined, may have even more such pleasant surprises for me in the near future, an Orphan Annie’s Daddy