My brother had a telescope when we were little, along with circular star charts in folds of rectangular paper, an oblong hole cut into it to mimic the odd shape of the sky at night. I would play with it, spinning the star chart through the hole, watching the sky change on the paper before me, never making the connection to the actual night sky.
I loved stargazing, never cared much for finding constellations, enjoyed watching the Pleiades meteor shower with friends. I took an astronomy class to become closer to the sky, like I might study colors to understand da Vinci. I learned that telescopes use two lenses, and I was able to see the rings of a tiny, tiny Jupiter through them.
The sky is constant, in that it is always changing, but will always come back to what it was. I'm not the first to notice this and not the last to romanticize it, but there is comfort there, knowing that someone can change and still be the same at the end of it all.
With the sky, there is no way for me to accidentally step into its territory and frighten it, or disturb its habitat beyond repair. No one complains about space garbage or makes me feel guilty for not conserving the stardust.
The night sky is a study in extremes--planets cooking in the day, planets freezing at night, stars so far away we don't even have numbers to represent the distance, but moons so small they can fit between two pinched fingers.
I like the sky because it is up there. I can see it, and it can be beautiful, but it cannot directly interact with me and I cannot change it. It is inevitable and no amount of effort or lack thereof on my part will stop it. There is no pressure on me. There is nothing and no one compelling me to do anything and the sky doesn't ask me to participate. There's a lot of possibility out there, but it isn't possibility I have to act on or take hold of or grab before it disappears.
I find the few touchstones I know--Orion, the Moon, maybe a Dipper if I'm desperate--and that is all that is required of me. The sky doesn't care that I cannot name all of the stars. They'll burn without all that.
Beth,
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about the sky...we share the observation that it is constant in its everchanging...
I enjoy your perspective about the sky...for you, it seems more remote, and independent. Indifferent. "I find the few touchstones I know--Orion, the Moon, maybe a Dipper if I'm desperate--and that is all that is required of me." It is something familiar, but not something you feel responsible for...
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Beth,
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. This sentence grabbed my attention: "I'm not the first to notice this and not the last to romanticize it, but there is comfort there, knowing that someone can change and still be the same at the end of it all." That concept of changing and staying the same is very poignant for humans and I wonder just why that is. It some how speaks to a contradiction in ourselves that has us simultaneously wanting to move forward, and yet stay exactly where we are (and have always been).
I also really liked your meditation about the lack of action necessary on your part in regards to your involvement in the sky. It asks nothing of you, you have no impact on it--you are only a spectator in its goings on. That is a powerful realization, I think. Often times we don't really want to have anything to do with something if there is no real exchange of impact or action. I liked how you noticed this is a form of respite for you.
Beth,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun memory! I enjoyed how you used that as a springboard, and the foundation, for your later love of stars.
"The sky is constant, in that it is always changing, but will always come back to what it was." What an interesting concept, one I've never thought about. The only reason it changes is because the earth moves, the stars will be there long after we've gone. Great observation!
Thanks everyone! :)
ReplyDeleteA very thoughtful post. It's such a compelling thing to write about; one of my essays considers the same sort of things you're meditating on here, particularly how the constancy is one of the most alluring things about the night sky.
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