The shortest day of what has seemingly been the longest year was marked by a Heavenly celestial event. The December 21, 2020, ‘Christmas Star’ was the closest conjunction between the planets Saturn and Jupiter seen in approximately 800 years. It was the perfect scene to witness from the Llano canyons!
The annual state-sponsored youth draw hunt was underway in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which always renders the best portions of the canyon closed to the public- during the Holiday Season none-the-less! So, the best option to photograph the conjunction from a dramatic west Texas canyon landscape was Caprock Canyons State Park. As I made the drive from Oklahoma into the Texas Panhandle, the familiar silhouette of the Llano’s Caprock Escarpment, or “Palisades (stacked) Plains” graced the western horizon like a distant rising tide. I never tire of the scene when it emerges in the distance. Seeing it reminds me of growing up in the shadow of the Caprock- where this obscure geological feature first captured my fascination.
Upon reaching the canyonated escarpment and entering the park, I met long-time hiking partner, Barry, for the evening’s hike into the South Prong Canyon of the Little Red River. We began at a familiar spot along a familiar trail, the Upper Canyon Trail. I have always loved the view from the trailhead parking area as the “Cathedral of the Canyon” stands guard over the entrance to South Prong. It is a classic Caprock view.
Our target was a little known landmark of this canyon, the South Prong Mitten. The Mitten is a massive sandstone pinnacle that stands south of the trail about a mile out from the trailhead. While the formation is large and prominent from certain vantage points, it is generally obscured from view from the casual hiker by thick brush. Like the Mittens at Monument Valley, the Mitten once had “finger” and “thumb” mini-spires that protruded from it, but the South Prong Mitten has proven to be very fragile in the years since I have been hiking in Caprock Canyons. Each time I photograph the formation, further erosion has left its mark.
As we first made our way up to the Mitten, the sun was still casting a light upon the time of the Quartermaster Sandstone. The scene made for a dramatic contrasted view of the warm glow against a cool cobalt sky and half moon.
While we managed to capture a mere few minutes of glow in a low sun angle, unfortunately, we arrived about a half hour late to catch the Mitten in a full radiant glow. Although that was not the primary intend for our photoshoot, it was a little disappointing to know that was a photo opportunity just missed! Instead, we spent the final moments of sunlight casting alpenglow on the opposing north wall of the canyon scrambling to achieve unique shots from various angles. One of my favorite shots was taken from just above the base of the Mitten and shows the behemoth sandstone monolith towering above the valley floor, just as the last rays of sun kissed the north canyon rim.
Blue hour was spent hoping that the expected ‘Christmas star’ conjunction would be high enough to view above the south canyon wall from our position. The thicket surrounding the Mitten made repositioning difficult, but finally with some persistence and bushwhacking by headlight, we were able to see the apparition in its glory!
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matthew 2:10
While this blog is neither an astronomical nor biblical theology forum, it seems prudent to review some quick facts and/or theories on the actual Star of Bethlehem in relation. Researchers say that a similar (but more widely spaced) conjunction occurred in 7 B.C. Others report that either a comet or supernova were likely reported as the star that marked Jesus’ birth in 5 A.D. Regardless, the visual brightness of the 2020 ‘Christmas star’ far exceeded our expectations as viewed from the backcountry of Caprock Canyons State Park. It was truly a highlight of this rather melancholy year to witness the spectacle from the place where I feel so much at home and so at peace- the canyons of the Llano Estacado.
The Caprock Canyoneer 