Vivid memories take me back to places I
ventured looking for best stargazing spots. As
a teenager and young adult in Israel, I knew
that the best places for stargazing could be
found in two very different areas: the sea and
the desert. Sleeping outdoors, under stars, was
acceptable and a favorite pursuit. Starry nights
on Mediterranean beaches, by the sea of Galilee,
and in the Negev desert are among my best
memories...
In more recent years, in our travels, I continued
pursuing appealing stargazing spots. I knew
that Bora Bora and Moorea in French Polynesia
are considered two of the best locations in the
southern hemisphere for stargazing: Tiny islands
of pristine beauty way out in the South Pacific,
specks in the midst of a big sea, where there is
no pollution whatsoever, just crystal-clear water
and powdery sands. I visited Polynesia twice, the
first visit was an unforgettable adventure trip with
my daughter. Most memorable: an overwater
bungalow in Bora Bora, where we spent the early
hours of each night on a deck stretched out over
the water. The nights were as dark as they must
have been thousands of years ago: pitch black, no
human electricity in sight. But the sky overhead
was so clear – filled with countless extraterrestrial
lights, sending forth sparkling glitters from
horizon to horizon. We would lie down on the
deck, observe the reflections of celestial lights
in the sea and agree that, if a paradise on earth
exists, it was right there...
Another top place for stargazing in the southern
hemisphere is Patagonia. In the midst of
pristine wilderness and bluish glaciers, the sight
of stars in a rather cloudless sky – illuminating
snowcapped Andean peaks – is unforgettable.
Oh, and in Lipari, an Aeolian island in the
Tyrrhenian sea off the northern coast of Sicily,
I slept on the balcony of our hotel – to immerse
myself in the beauty of the night sky. Africa too:
I will never forget the mesmerizing night sky in
Tanzania, over the Serengeti... Or, the night sky
above the high Atlas mountains in sub-Saharan
Morocco... I am so glad we did all this when we
were younger – the memories are so vivid, and
I often retrieve them to remind myself of all the
beauty there is. The feeling elicited in me at these
never-to-be-forgotten stargazing places can be
summarized in one word: awe...
Psychology professor Dacher Keltner studied
what he terms “the science of awe.” Awe,
according to him, is the feeling of being in the
presence of something vast that transcends your
understanding of the world. Opportunities for
awe surround us, and since research suggests
that their benefits are profound, we should
actively look for them. Keltner notes that awe
is elicited especially by nature, art, and human
acts of great skill or virtue. We don’t need to
look far. We may feel awe in response to seemingly
mundane stimuli such as fall colors, an
unusual act of kindness, a piece of music, the
trees around us, or a starry night. Gazing up at
a starry sky provides a particularly evocative
awe experience: a chance to feel that, although
small, we are part of something much bigger
and truly astounding. Momentary experiences
of awe stimulate wonder and curiosity and have
major impacts on our well-being. So, using
Keltner’s words:
“Don’t underestimate the power of goosebumps
– actively seek out the experiences that
nurture your own hunger for awe.”
No matter where you are, who you are, or
where you come from, the sight of a beautiful
starry night induces awe and amazement.
Fortunately, the sky is available to all of us. We
all live under the night sky. We all can look
up and reflect. Stargazing is a form of mindful
meditation. It prompts feelings of peace and
relaxation.
I wish to share a quote that I have kept in my
desk for years (a poster with this inspirational
quote has been hanging in my grandson’s
room since he was a young boy). The quote was
inspired by an image taken by voyager 1. As the
spacecraft was leaving the solar system, it was
commanded by NASA, following Carl Sagan’s
suggestion, to turn the camera around for one
last photograph of our home planet – the way
it is seen across a great expanse of space. From
a distance of 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth
appeared like a pale blue dot, a tiny point of
light, a speck within a vast space. The following
was Carl Sagan’s poetic reflection upon seeing
the photo (in his book, Pale Blue Dot):
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s
home. That’s us. On it everyone you love,
everyone you know, everyone you ever heard
of, every human being who ever was, lived
out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and
suffering, thousands of confident religions,
ideologies, and economic doctrines, every
hunter and forager, every hero and coward,
every creator and destroyer of civilization,
every king and peasant, every young couple
in love, every mother and father, hopeful
child, inventor and explorer, every teacher
of morals, every corrupt politician, every
“superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every
saint and sinner in the history of our species
lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in
a sunbeam.”
Later on, Sagan concludes:
“The Earth is the only world known so far
to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least
in the near future, to which our species can
migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or
not, for the moment, the Earth is where we
make our stand... To me, it underscores our
responsibility to deal more kindly with one
another, and to preserve and cherish the pale
blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”
Yes, to every single word...
As I am writing this, I am listening to Julie
Andrews singing:
“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you...”
Have you ever wished upon a star? Has your
wish come true? I sometimes look up, pick
the brightest star, or the first star that appears
after dark, and make a wish – remembering
that no request is too extreme if my heart is in
my dream... Oh, I know, there is no science to
making a wish upon a star. But still – making
a wish can’t hurt, can it?
There is an enticing myth about wishing
upon a star: In the 2nd century AD, Greek
astronomer Ptolemy postulated that when the
gods get curious about the activities of humans
on earth, they pry heavenly spheres apart to
peek down. As they do this, some stars slip
through the gap between cosmic spheres and
fall. Since the gods are watching, they are more
receptive to granting human wishes during
these times. Just a myth, but still – making a
wish prompts us to put some forethought into
the things we wish for, reflect on our priorities.
So, next time you gaze up into a starry night
sky, let the splendor take your breath away,
choose a shining star, open up your mind to
the possibility of magic, and make a wish...
Stargazing (continued)
June 2021 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 17