Aldebaran peeking out from beyond the Moon.
Credit: Roger Hutchinson
Sky & Telescope
Copyright © 2024
by Ralph F. Couey
Written Content Only
Visitors to this blog sometimes leave notes and comments, for which I am always grateful. Feedback is absolutely vital for any writer, whether good or...otherwise because it makes for a better writer from a technical standpoint, but also provides a space to be more aware and sensitive of the impact of my words.
I often write about things in nature, both here on this planet, but also throughout the universe. People have remarked on my "sense of wonder," and for that I plead guilty as charged. A recent post concerned an encounter I experienced with a preying mantis. I remember that day, and how I couldn't resist looking at it from very close range. I'm sure I made that poor critter nervous, especially when I carefully petted it. But all boys have a fascination with such things, and perhaps that part of me hasn't quite yet grown up.
I spend some evenings looking at the sky, toward those bright, enigmatic points of light in the sky. I marvel that many of those lights are stars that are tens of thousands of light years distant, and yet beyond my limited vision are billions of others stretching out billions of light years across a universe that continues to expand. The true size of our universe may be ultimately incalculable and beyond comprehension. The sheer vastness of it all remains an immense fascination for me, from the exquisitely micro to the eternally macro.
Renovations to our home were recently completed, one of which involved the creation of a new master suite. Our former bedroom is on the east side of the house, and just feet away lies our neighbor's abode. Now, we live on the west side of the house, facing the Waianae Mountains, actually the walls of an enormous and ancient volcano. The land slopes away from that side and we have a wide open view of the sky, and the gift of glorious sunsets every day.
One night, I was just drifting off to sleep when I saw a bright red-orange light appear from behind a drifting cloud. That I was able to see it sans spectacles was in itself remarkable. At first I assumed it was the giant planet Jupiter, a bright enough beacon in any sky. I put my specs back on and pulled up an astronomy app on my phone and aimed it in that direction. Turns out, Jupiter was still below the horizon and after some careful study, the light gained an identity. The star Aldebaran.
