The Stargazers

Posted byRebecca BuddPosted inScienceTags:,

Stargazers

“The true joy of a moonlit night is something we no longer understand. Only the men of old, when there were no lights, could understand the true joy of a moonlit night.” 
Yasunari Kawabata, Palm-of-the-Hand Stories

We were born on our earth and took our first steps on solid ground.   Our world gave us air to breathe, water to drink, grains and fruits to consume.  Even with all these gifts, our eyes look upwards to gaze at the immense and unfathomable heavens.  We are no different from the ancients who contemplated the night sky to determine the best moon for hunting or identify the best time to plant crops.

Astronomy has been alive since the very earliest days of humankind.  Astronomers were held in high esteem and often given the status of high priest.  Monuments such as the pyramids and Stonehenge have important links to the heavens.

This week will focus on the ancient stargazers, the scientists who gave us a theory of the infinite, the topographical universe, the idea of the void between the stars.

 

“It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.”

Plato

 

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

23 thoughts on “The Stargazers”

  1. once, my brother in law and I rode horse back 1/2 a day from our cabin, and hiked up to the wilderness area and were planning to overnight just above a glacier. About dusk I asked, do you have the mosquito repellent. No, you have it…. To make a long story short we hiked out that night to moonlight. Never was I so glad for the moon and stars. It was a pretty good hike, although crossing little-goose creek ( glacier fed, waist deep ) was a bit traumatic.

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    1. You have the most amazing adventures! Reminds me of tracking over the the mountains covering the mines of Moria….just a little traumatic!

      Have you ever noticed that the moments you remember with clarity come by happenstance. Aren’t you glad that you forgot the repellent and that it happened to be a moonlit night!!!?

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    1. The best advice of all! I read one of his book via audio book. I spent most of my time rewinding so that I could understand what he was saying. I think I understood about 30% of what I read. But even that was enough to make my heart soar with amazement. Thank for your wonderful presence!!

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  3. What a wonderful picture and what a great theme. There is so much light pollution that it can be hard to see those starfilled nights but every so often you do!!! Our Brittany cottage is in the middle of the countryside and sometimes, on a clear night, the night sky is breathtaking. I love the way the stars pull the spirit upward and looking up widens our perspective immediately.

    Thanks Rebecca

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    1. You are so right about light. When I visited my grandparent’s farm, I never knew that the night could be so dark. And that the stars could be so close….

      I can only imagine how beautiful it must be at your Brittany cottage! Thank you for stopping by!!!

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  5. Great image Rebecca! 🙂

    Great cannot wait!

    I often think we fall into two types of people, people who look down at the ground and People who look at everything.

    To spend at least some of your life looking at the heavens is to know our true place as people in this universe!

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    1. Well said, indeed! When we look up, we remember that we are active participants in the miracle of the cosmos. These are the very heavens of the ancients.

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  8. Great post! Great comments! Too bad we can’t see the heavens just like the “wise men” of old. However, even with all the city lights and all pollution the heavens still call to us. I value the look from my balcony at the moon and the few stars as one of my happiest moments.

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    1. I agree – there is something about the stars that gives us hope for continuation.

      “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
      ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments!!! You have given me courage to continue with my photography. One of my favourite Ansel Adams quotes is –

      “You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

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