Twin Peaks Prop – Stars & Outer Space Made Easy

In Episode 2021, Agent Cooper hypothesizes that “if the door to the Black Lodge does exist, it probably exists at a point in time.” Symbols from the Owl Cave petroglyph and a pocket book on planets lead him to conclude that the gateway opens when Jupiter and Saturn meet. This is known in astronomy as the “Great Conjunction” and it will next occur tonight, December 21, 2020. When this takes place, the two planets align and appear as one bright point in the night sky. Tonight’s conjunction will be the closest the two planets have come to one another in nearly 400 years.

IDENTIFYING THE STARS AND OUTER SPACE MADE EASY BOOK IN TWIN PEAKS

Twin Peaks Prop - Stars & Outer Space Made Easy

Back in Twin Peaks, Cooper uses a small book to decipher symbols that Andy mistakes as relating to the 4-H club. 

“Stars & Outer Space Made Easy” is a beginner’s guide to the field of astronomy written by longtime San Francisco State professor Carlos S. Mundt.

Twin Peaks Prop - Stars & Outer Space Made Easy

Though the book was originally published in 1963, Cooper’s cover matches the 1974 revised edition. Both the front and back covers are visible, confirming a match.

STARS AND OUTER SPACE BOOK IN THE TWIN PEAKS EPISODE

Deputy Andy and Agent Cooper
2021

Cooper appears to have gleaned from the book that “when Jupiter and Saturn are conjunct, there are enormous shifts in power and fortune. Jupiter being expansive in its influence, Saturn contractive.”

Deputy Andy and Agent Cooper
2021

He continues, “Conjunction suggests a state of intensification, concentration. What this indicates to me is the potential for explosive change, good and bad.”

Deputy Andy and Agent Cooper
2021

However, these concepts relate to astrology, not astronomy. No similar information can be found within this book.

STAR MAP

Sheriff Truman and Agent Cooper
2021

Another interesting detail is that when Cooper opens to pages 44 and 45, the star maps appear to be slightly altered by production.

Twin Peaks Prop - Stars & Outer Space Made Easy
2021

Though the pairing of maps on the two pages is the only such spread in the book, some minor details appear different onscreen. Perhaps they did not have clearance to feature this copyrighted material.

Twin Peaks Prop - Stars and Outer Space Made Easy

Thankfully, these discrepancies lead me to believe we won’t have to worry about any doppelgängers escaping the Black Lodge during our own “Great Conjunction.”

Author

  • Vinnie Guidera wearing a party hat, sunglasses and a Twin Peaks t-shirt.

    Vinnie Guidera is an artist, writer, and David Lynch fanatic from Sacramento, CA. In addition to Twin Peaks Blog, he has written articles for The Blue Rose Magazine, WelcomeToTwinPeaks.com, and 25YearsLaterSite.com. He identifies props and logs his collection on Instagram under the handle @twelverainbowtrout.

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