Thursday, July 23, 2009

Who Would Blot Out the Stars?

I once read that the Average Person could see 2500 Stars or more in a Sky without Light Pollution. In the City where the Lights blot out the Stars, the Average Person can see 250 or less. I began to ponder this "loss".

When I was growing up, I loved the Stars. I would watch them overhead. I was fascinated by their twinkling. It was as if they were winking down at me. I remember the Childhood Rhyme which added its own magic to what I saw and how I felt about the vast Heavens above me and around the Beautiful Earth which was my Home. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky!"

On rare occasions, I would see Falling Stars. More often than not, an Adult who stood near me would describe seeing one. I just kept missing them, although I tried very hard to see them. Sometimes I even thought that if I was just a little taller I could see them. I remember too the classic of Perry Como. To this day, whenever I see a Falling Star, I think of that melody and those words:"Catch a falling star And put it in your pocket. Never let it fade away. Save it for a rainy day.

I absolutely loved the Milky Way. Someone surely must have poured Milk from a bucket across the lovely Black Velvet Sky. To think that what I was seeing was a myriad of Stars that were a part of our own Galaxy, our own Home, was almost more than I could comprehend.

I saw the Stars and the Heavens as Companions. In some ways, I think I thought they were a part of me. While I felt small, I felt a Safety and Protection. I felt like I was held. I felt Awe. In my own way, I felt a door open to the Great Mystery.

When we came to this little Farm, I was just enchanted with the Night Sky. That first Night (March 9, 2007) that we arrived after many hours on the Road, we were met by Nephews Jake and Bobby bringing our Bed and Mattress. You would have thought we would have immediately just flopped into bed. But instead, we all just stood outside on the cement pad staring up at those Wondrous Stars. I think I could have stood there forever.

Over time, I noted regrettably that our "security" light cast pollution into our own Sky. Gratefully, the light has quit its functioning. Sometime soon, we will need to get that fixed, as it bears an important function in the upcoming season. I shall write more of this later. But for now, we have the sky all to ourselves.

In the years since my Childhood, we as an "Advanced" Society and a World have turned on an increasing number of Lights. Those Stars and those Stories are now less visible to us. Something very important has been taken away. I am left to ponder: Who would blot out the Stars? Why would we do that?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkle_Twinkle_Little_Star, July 23, 2009
Dark Skies Initiative: http://www.darkskyinitiative.org/index.html, July 24, 2009

No comments: