The rain of stars of the Líridas arrives: Schedule and the best time to see them
The Moon, Mars and the Lyrid Meteor Shower
April is being a particularly interesting month for fans of astronomy. The conjunction of Mars with the edge of the crescent Moon, which could be seen with the naked eye last weekend, is now joined by a shooting star show that will last until Sunday, April 25, approximately. It is
the Lyrid rain, a consequence of the remaining dust particles from comet C / 1861 G1 Tatcher, which will have its peak on the night of April 21-22
, when about 20 meteorites per hour can be observed. Experts advise observing the phenomenon shortly before dawn, when the Moon has set, and in places away from light pollution.
One of these "experts" and a
great fan of astronomy is the writer Javier Sierra
, winner of the Planeta Novel Prize for his work
El fuego invisible
(2017). He has recently published
Stairs to Heaven. Cosmic route of the Community of Madrid
, an author tourism guide for the region that has been published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In it, Sierra, which is also defined as a great follower of archaeoastronomy, the history of astronomy and its mythology, proposes a series of tours to discover the lunar rocks that the Community houses, the monuments and symbols that establish a connection between the earth and the firmament, where are the ceilings and astronomical paintings in Madrid, the phenomena that occur in the Madrid skies, the stellar legends and, of course, which are the
stairs
that bring the stars closer to each other.
Hand in hand with the writer, we approach
some of these most unknown watchtowers to fully enjoy the Lyrid rain
, selected, according to him, "for having a legend, a story or an image behind that reminds me of Jacob's vision. recounted in the Old Testament, in which the patriarch stumbles upon a ladder of light through which he sees angels ascending and descending from heaven. This image evokes the existence of places where one can
rise
towards the transcendent. And that is what I wanted to propose to the user of the guide. These kinds of places exist and they are not very far. "
The Magisterial Cathedral of Saints Justo and Pastor (Alcalá de Henares)
La Magistral (Alcala de Henares).
One of the sections most frequented by Madrid pilgrims of the two great routes from the Community of Madrid to Santiago de Compostela (less known) starts from this Elizabethan Gothic style temple from 1514.
The route, of about 100 km until entering Segovia, is also called the Way of the Stars, because the ancient pilgrims used the stars of the night sky and their sense of orientation so as not to get lost on their journey.
The Cerro Garabitas
View of Madrid from Cerro Garabitas.
The promontory, the highest in the Casa de Campo, at 677 meters high, is a peculiar "stairway to heaven" with a legend included: it is said that the dead from Madrid come there to ascend to heaven.
In addition, during the Spanish Civil War it housed the artillery batteries that bombed the capital and also preserves an archaeological site nearby that dates from Roman times.
Today it is located on a hiking trail and has a forest watchtower, from where you can enjoy spectacular views of the city.
Chair of Felipe II (San Lorenzo de El Escorial)
Chair of Felipe II.
At the top of a mountain above the Herrería forest, there is a set of stepped granite stone platforms that receives the name of the Chair of Felipe II, named after the widespread belief that the monarch who raised El Escorial came there to contemplate a panoramic view of the works of the monastery.
Legend also says that this privileged place for stargazing was a sacrificial altar of Veton origin.
According to Sierra, a recent hypothesis (1999) links the site to a variant of the Roman god Mars and, therefore, has some astronomical connection.
Cerro de Los Angeles (Getafe)
Sculptural complex of Cerro de los Ángeles (Getafe).
The sculptural complex of Cerro de los Ángeles, on the esplanade located at the top of the promontory at an altitude of 666 meters at 10 from Madrid, includes the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Angels, from the 14th century, and the Monument to the Sacred Heart (1919 ) inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII. According to Sierra, the monument hides a curious "ascending secret". In addition to being the geodesic center of the Iberian Peninsula, the great statue of the Sacred Heart was placed there as a kind of "talismanic protection" for the country. On the stairs leading to the monolith that holds his famous Christ, you can find stone portraits of important figures in the history of Spain "walking" towards the heights (Colón, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Isabel la Católica, Hernán Cortes, Don Pelayo ...).
The Written Stone of Ashen
Written stone (Ashen).
In a rural area of Cenicientos, a town bordering Toledo and Ávila, stands this huge granite stone with three sculpted figures in the center.
According to the latest archaeological interpretations, it is an improvised sanctuary to the goddess Diana, a kind of altar to connect the prayers of the faithful with their heavenly gods.
Perhaps it is the oldest oratory in Madrid (dated between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD) and, therefore, the oldest "door to heaven" in our territory.
Technological watchtowers
In addition to these
stairs to heaven
, the author mentions other "technological watchtowers" in his guide, such as
the NASA monitoring station
in Robledo de Chavela or
the ESA European Space Astronomy Center
in Villanueva de la Cañada. "They are windows that bring us closer to the mysteries of the universe and they are right next door. They deserve to be better known."
And where else would he go to see the Meteor Shower in Madrid?
"To
the Jarosa reservoir
(Guadarrama), in the western Sierra of Madrid. It is a hollow that protects you from light pollution and lets you see the sky very well," says the writer.
"The wooded area that surrounds it is wonderful; I discovered it in my years as a university student and I return there every so often," he concludes.
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