May 20th, 2011

My last journal entry was almost 1 month ago and I couldn't believe how different nearly 30 days made in the night sky. It took me a couple of minutes to reorient myself to the stars above since they seemed to be shunning my presence. Saturn pointed me in the right direction but after being mesmerized by its brilliance once more, I found myself drifting off into a different area of space, one much closer to home.

I breathed in deeply. The night is a marvelous world isn't it? As stargazers, this is something we truly appreciate. I could hear the peepers and crickets vocalizing their pleasure that spring had finally returned. Their symphony made me forget my search for Messier objects altogether and reach for a deeper meaning to what surrounded me. Far ahead, I could hear the calls of geese as they made their way north. Their wings caught the glimmer of a nearby light, reminding me of the wonders found here on earth. When they vanished, I couldn't help but ponder our very fragile existence. This is the message I wanted to convey when I was at the Kennedy Space Center just one week ago:

Our technology might seem impressive in size but, we are indeed insignificant creatures lost within the many Superclusters of the universe. Like the small peeper calling out in the night amidst so many others,.. there will come a time when we too will be silent forever.

Being outside with my telescope was definitely NOT going to work tonight. I was being far too introspective to concentrate on the stars above. Then again,.. maybe my perspective was just as it should be.

Isabelle