Wonders Of The Sky

One evening last week well after the sun set, my daughter sent me a photo of the sky. From her driveway here in Southwest Ohio, she captured the wonder of the Northern Lights.

I immediately ran outside into the middle of my cul-de-sac and looked up, searching for remnants of the amazing image I’d just received. I quickly realized the colors of the sky became visible only through the lens of my cell phone. There must be some greater metaphor of meaning here, or I need someone much smarter than me to explain why I needed the camera lens to see the light show. Regardless, I stilled myself, deeply entrenched in awe as I banked the exquisite display.

Illuminating the night sky was this lavender band of light that softly hazed into the sapphire hues that stretched across the dark skies. I mean, this spectacle of the Northern Lights was simply amazing. I came to learn these natural light shows are caused by solar storms that project charged particles into the vast universe. In other words, while I walk the earth most times unaware of anything beyond my to-do list, the fantastic and infinite energies of the sun are continuously at work guaranteeing our ability to not only live and breathe, but to be astonished as well.

Perhaps I’ve been unaware or cosmically asleep for the past 64 years, but I feel like this  year has gifted all of us with the most spectacular celestial phenomenon. I mean, do you remember the total eclipse of the sun back in April?  The special sun glasses, dusk descending mid-day, and the eerie shadows of swaying branches upon the ground all marked a truly magnificent centurial event. Recently, some of us have been privy to an August meteor shower where falling stars validated magical wish making. In September, a partial lunar eclipse where the moon’s greatness was made possible by the sun, and an October supermoon when the gravitational forces made the moon appear close enough to touch. And let’s not forget Jupiter which will apparently be visible with binoculars in December.  

I love to be reminded of the wonders of the universe beyond the limits of my channeled near-sightedness. It’s so easy to be consumed by self and a world that revolves around myself. On any ordinary clear evening, the stars offer an invitation to marvel. Identifying star constellations like the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt, or even the Little Dipper twinkling from  a darkened southern horizon can make even the oldest eyes sparkle with delight. My personal favorite is the appearance of Venus which bursts into view with the naked eye in early evening summer skies.

Connecting to the cosmos beyond our earth home is humbling and overwhelming all at the same time. All it takes is a break in the clouds to access opportunities to be stilled in amazement by the skies above. I loved my daughter’s invitation to go outside in search of the Northern Lights. She reminded me to get out of myself, bundle up, and take a walk outside. I realized the admission price to become enveloped by the amazements of the sky is available to all of us.  We just need to remind ourselves to look up.