The Sky

I have always been impressed and interested by the night sky. I think Professor Goulding is right about how overwhelming and grand the stars can be for us and how they must have been every night for the ancient philosophers and scientists. Unfortunately, very few people get to experience the stars in this sense because so few of us can get far away enough from city lights. Two experiences with the night sky stand out in my memory. One, was several years ago when I saw the aurora borealis (which I originally thought was a forest fire). This was truly awe-inspiring but less applicable to this conversation because it is a rather uncommon phenomenon. My second experience was actually just this summer. I was in a tiny town in southern Argentina where they are miles and miles away from any city lights. The stars, with or without the moon, were so bright that you could literally go hiking or walking just by their light. Naturally, I took advantage of this and on one of my many outings to appreciate the abundance and close proximity of nature in this area, one of the locals began to give me a small history lesson on the stars of the southern hemisphere (it is truly striking how different their night sky is). We talked about the southern cross which was used for centuries in navigation. There was something about being in that underdeveloped town and seeing that night sky which was overwhelmingly big and full of stars that caused me to face the extent and grandeur of the cosmos. I realized that the stars were both a catalyst for philosophical discussion and a necessary tool for human survival.