Junior Astronomers

When I was younger I used to dream of being an astronomer. I could sit under the stars for hours for no reason at all. I found solace in the darkness with it's pinpoint illuminations. It fascinated me to no end. But for some reason I decided it wasn't a viable career choice. Maybe because aliens have yet to be discovered, or because the stars are only visible at night. I don't really know.

What I do know is that tonight rekindled my love for the night sky. It's absolutely beautiful. It was a great night for it too. Comfortable temperature: about 73, give or take. (After a mostly 90+ degree day, I'll take.) Mostly clear, with a very light, almost transparent layer of clouds directly overhead. And a whole lot to see.

Tonight was the night Mars, Venus, and Saturn would all be visible in a triangle around the moon. We went outside late, so the moon had already dropped below the horizon, but we could see the beauty of the planets, even if they were only colorful shimmering orbs. Mars was bright red, easily identifiable, and twinkled as though it acknowledged our recognition of it. Next we saw Venus, her glorious gold sparkle impossible to miss. She was magnificent and seemingly enormous next to the minuscule Mars. The last, and most difficult to find was Saturn, but no one could deny the amazement when we finally identified his bright blue luminescence. Three planets observable to the naked eye, and the sky wasn't finished with us yet.

Kyle went inside and brought out a blanket for us to lay on while I slathered the mosquito repellent on me and little man. We lay down under the blanket of stars, and both of the boys, for the first time, got to see a meteor shower, or as little man said: "Us watch a meaty shower." Each streak across the sky elicited oohs and aahs, and it was like the Fourth of July all over again. Except better. Much much better. The sky didn't get coated in a layer of smoke, and we could clearly see each meteor that decided to make its way across the darkness. 

It was a fantastic night and an excellent prequel to Kyle's 14th(!!!!) birthday. We talked about small streaks in the sky, objects moving across the sky that clearly weren't stars or planes or anything else we could readily identify. We discussed the possibility of other living beings staring at our star in the sky, their possible exclamations of "OH LOOK! There's Earth!" and whether they wondered if we were wondering the same things of them. Great philosophical astronomical talk. Of all the material possessions I thought to get him for this birthday, I don't think any of them would hold quite as much value as our night under the stars, although he is getting some cool stuff. And even though little man also enjoyed the show, as the fog rolled in he fell asleep in my arms, completely at ease under God's celestial sphere.