Why look up?

We all know this nursery rhyme:

Twinkle Twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

Bharathiyar said:

“Suttum Vizhichudar dhan kannamma

Suriya chandiraro

Vattakariya vizhi kannamma vaana karumai kollo

Pattu karuneela pudavai padhitha  nal vayiram

Natta nadu nisiyil theriyum natchathirangaladi”

Translation: Your eyes are like the Sun and the Moon; your irises are as dark as the night sky, the diamonds in your dark blue sari shine like the stars at midnight.

There are songs about the stars in every culture, in every language, for just about each stage in life. Why does the night sky fascinate us so much?

For a long time in human history, the night sky entertained us. In the night, around a campfire, on cold dark nights, our ancestors told stories about the stars.  Once we understood the patterns in the sky, civilization began. “Plant crops when this star rises with the moon, harvest them when you see this star at midnight, a river will flood when a constellation is visible.” We could plan our lives around Nature instead of it catching us by surprise.  

As we progressed, stories took the back seat, and science took the wheel. We learnt about planets and stars, about galaxies and black holes. But still, we continue to gaze at the night sky.

As an amateur astronomer, I have the habit of looking at the night sky at every possible moment. Whenever the sky is clear I go up to the terrace with my binoculars. Once, from a two wheeler pillion, I yelled “look at Orion” to the driver. When I fell down a few days back, many people asked if it was after dusk. Not because it was dark, but because I walk with my eyes on the sky!

And very often, the question I am asked is this: What is the use of looking at the night sky? I cannot look at the sky and discover a planet or even a comet – people have already mapped the sky thoroughly, and observatories and space telescopes are keeping a close watch on it. Is there any reason to look at the sky now, other than for its beauty?

Speaking from my experience: No matter how much theory you study, or look at photos or videos, it does not match  observing a celestial object with your own eyes. Science does not take away wonder, it intensifies it. The faint smear of the Andromeda galaxy may look less important than surrounding stars, but we know that light from that smear has traveled 2 million years to enter our eyes. In a tiny patch of the sky, we know there is a black hole from which even light cannot escape. We know that an ancient star exploded to create the Sun and the Earth, continents and oceans, and you and me. And one day, the Sun will explode, repeating the cycle. We came from stardust, and will return to it.

The stars do not belong to any country or culture. It does not matter where someone is from, or whether they are strong or weak, stupid or intelligent, male or female. We are simply human. As human as the first people to walk the Earth, because we seeing the same stars that they saw.  The stars let us relive the thrill of finding out more about the Universe. This is a joy every amateur astronomer knows. For me, it is a joy I will enjoy throughout my life, and then, as Sarah Williams said in the poem “From The Old Astronomer To His Pupil”

“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”