Father's Day trifecta
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press Ray Tekverk, a retired science teacher, points to planets in the sky, something he can accurately do using the compass rose he built in his front yard two years ago. The compass rose's north point, where Tekverk is standing on in this photograph, points to a perfect true north.</p>
<p>JAKE PARRISH/Press Ray Tekverk stands on a concrete compass rose in his front yard he designed two years ago. The compass rose orients the sky quickly to someone using it, allowing planets and stars to be easily found.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE — Today is not just a day to celebrate all the dads in your life.
It's a perfect day to gaze at the night sky as well.
"I love the fact that it's Father's Day, the Summer Solstice, and the Strawberry Moon," said Ray Tekverk, a recently retired science teacher. "It's a rare occurrence. We're just lucky this year and it's going to be good."
Although he is technically retired, Tekverk jokingly told The Press that, in reality, his retirement only lasted about 3 hours. With a love for science that is contagious, Tekverk said he has naturally become the go-to source for information whenever friends and even strangers are curious.
"Wherever I go people seem to ask me, 'What's going on in the night sky?'" he said, adding he always is happy to provide answers. "I am absolutely an endurable science educator. I can't help myself. It's some sort of odd compulsion."
Neighbors often approach Tekverk and his wife, Jan, at their Coeur d'Alene home to ask which planets are visible in the night sky. Tekverk usually responds, he said, by showing them where to view the celestial bodies by using a large compass rose — a circle that shows principal directions — he installed in his front yard.
Tekverk broke down the importance of each of today's events while standing next to the compass rose. Tonight is Midsummer's Eve, a holiday that celebrates the arrival of the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
"It's pretty much the world's oldest continuously operated party. People have been celebrating summer solstice for at least 5,000 years," Tekverk said. "The actual moment of solstice is at 3:34 p.m. on Monday afternoon, which makes Midsummer's Eve Father's Day night. It's Midsummer's Eve that everybody writes about and rhapsodizes and celebrates."
The word solstice itself is also fascinating to Tekverk. Most people understand that "Sol" stands for sun, he said, but few know the origins of the remainder of the word.
"A stice comes from stitium, which is Latin and means a stoppage. And it does, the sun stops," Tekverk said. "The sun has been climbing, climbing, climbing. Then it takes a break. On solstice it stops and there's no change for two or three days. Then it will start to change again and slowly get lower as the days get shorter."
In addition to Midsummer's Eve, Tekverk said tonight will be the best time to view the full moon, which in June is referred to as the Strawberry Moon. Tekverk said American Indian tribes coined the term because the full moon signaled it was time to begin gathering ripening fruit.
"Some people call it the honey moon because the hives are just starting to run with honey," Tekverk added. "Some parts of Europe call it the Rose Moon, not because of the plant but because it often has a sort of pinkish color. But Strawberry is the one to go with."
Tekverk encouraged fathers and their children to take advantage of the confluence of astrological events today by looking at the sky following a Father's Day barbecue.
"We got them all going on Sunday night and it's fantastic," Tekverk said. "Jan and I would wish all the fathers out there a very Happy Father's Day and also encourage them to enjoy a magical Midsummer's Night and revel in the light of the Strawberry Moon."