Although Rabbi Jacobs’ article alludes to numerous other examples of scientific knowledge, let me conclude by examining a broader area which might be termed practical or applied astronomy.
I hope you got a chance to see the moon nuzzled up to Venus on Feb. 1, and perhaps even checked out the pair through binoculars. Now, with the moon gone ...
On Feb. 24, from west to east, you can see Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars, all spanning 117.5°, plus Earth under your feet—all eight known planets of our solar system!