Shooting Stars
This past weekend was a new moon. Here at Open Space in California, I took out our trusty telescope and went out to one of the darkest parks we have, Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve. I wasn’t expecting all that many people to come to this stargazing evening, because in the grand scheme of silicon valley, Rancho seems very remote. (It’s probably 15 miles from the nearest starbucks and down a winding country road that frankly, we seldom see in the Bay Area.) And we are asking people who are not used to it, to drive down a road like that in the dark… a moment like something out of a horror film for sure. Especially when the suicidal peacocks drop startled out of the trees and land with a thud right in front of your car. FOOMPT goes the tail and the attitude the size of the Grand Canyon and it walks slowly off the road as if to say… “I meant to do that!” If it were a cat it would be licking itself nonchalantly.
I drove out to the preserve and as the sun was going down, I set up my Dobson telescope. It looks kind of like a black cannon, but more easily maneuverable (if that’s a word). In other words, it’s a lighter kind of cannon looking thing that you can wrap your arms around and point in the direction you want to look. No electronic parts. Very user friendly and easy to set up. I set it up and I waited. And low and behold as the sun faded they started to come. The general public. My people!!!
Right away I was grateful for the mobile planetarium I have: it’s a hand held box-like thing that you point at a star, push a button, and it tells you what you are looking at. If you need to learn astronomy fast, I definitely recommend this Sky Scout. I was barraged with “what’s this?” and “What’s that!” And with a sigh of relief one of the “what’s that?!?!” turned out to be a family of deer who jumped the barbed wire fence and were grazing in the meadow near the parking lot. The next thrill came when the bats came out. They were swooping past people. I explained that mosquitoes are attracted to the CO2 in our breath and the bats are after the bugs. Kind of like you breathing and cheeseburger suddenly floats your way and your buddy swoops by and grabs it with his mouth. I mean come on… who can resist a floating cheeseburger?
The best moment of the night came when a little 7 year old boy on his first stargazing expedition squealed with such shrill and intense excitement half the adults bolted upright at once. The panic ended when we heard “Mommy! Mommy! LOOOOK!”
He had accidentally found Saturn and was gazing at the rings for the very first time. And having access to an easy to move telescope and especially having permission to try and find anything to his heart’s content… had sealed the deal. This kid was hooked.
For the rest of the night it was EEEEE and OOOOO and OH WOW!!! His enthusiasm was infectious and the way it encouraged all of us to find more in the night sky was the very reason I do this job. That excitement is my candy.
I definitely encourage everyone to find ways to let people, especially kids, touch, play with, and control their experiential environment. In other words… try to strive for as few “please don’t touch that” and “Be careful with that” as you can. Allowing the freedom to explore makes room for these really awesome moments. And it restores your soul. because no matter how tired you may be of paperwork, or worn out from a week of camps or busy visitors… that moment… that squeal of delight… that refills your cup in the best way possible. Give yourself permission to share those moments.
