Two weeks ago I wrote about one of the perks of being an amateur astronomer, which is sensing when I’m seeing something unusual in the sky before my conscious mind really registers it—a tingle that tells me “That ain’t right!”
Much of my familiarity with the heavens came from starhopping, which is a traditional method of finding things you can’t see by following a trail of things you can. You typically start with a prominent constellation or bright star and then, using your finderscope or telescope, pick out a path among dimmer stars that leads you to your target.
The beauty of starhopping is that patterns of stars become familiar milestones connected to other milestones that form a network of trails across the sky. It also isn’t unusual to stumble across a cluster, nebula or galaxy you weren’t even looking for, which always provides an exciting jolt of discovery.
These days, I’m afraid that starhopping is becoming a lost art. Modern mid-range telescopes come with digital keypads or apps. You just tell the computer what you want to see and the telescope dials it up. You don’t need to learn the pathways or even look through the eyepiece.
It’s the difference between reading a map and plugging a destination into a GPS. Sure, the GPS will get you there, probably faster and more accurately. What you sacrifice is the experience of meandering, discovering, mastering, feeling it in your bones.
The journey is as important as the destination. Or more.
* * *
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! I am sharing these little "250 Words On" essays via Substack, which will email a new one to your In Box every Tuesday morning. Just follow this link and enter your email address. It's free, and I promise to never use your address for evil purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment