I love looking up into a dark cloudless sky. I have many fond memories of time spent pondering the heavens. From an early age, I've enjoyed the heightened senses stargazing has given me. Magical things have been opened to my view in such moments.
My favorite tool in gathering in these cherished views is a good binocular. It's easy to think that a powerful telescope is needed to see anything noteworthy in the night sky. This is untrue. A nice bright binocular of modest magnification will vasty enhance your ability to observe lots of interesting astronomical wonders.
One of my favorite targets is the Andromeda galaxy. Once thought to be a nebula within our own galaxy, we've since learned it is an unimaginably large spiral galaxy containing nearly one trillion stars. The bright center of the galaxy is visible to the naked eye in a dark clear sky as an elongated smear of fuzzy light. This fuzzy smear will reach nearly across the field of view of a binocular, if you know where to look. I find it by following an imaginary arrow formed by part of the constellation Cassiopeia. See if you can find it sometime. You won't be disappointed. You will see within a tiny patch of sky an immense system of orbiting worlds spiraling around in a beautifully choreographed display of heavenly order.
Another good tool for stargazing is a green laser pointer. This allows you to point to things in the sky and effectively show others what you are looking at, instead of relying on verbal descriptions like, “Move three big stars to the left, then look about two hand widths up...”
NEVER shine your laser at any aircraft. The light does not dissipate with distance, and even airliners flying tens of thousands of feet above you can still see your bright light, possibly damaging their vision and endangering their safety. It is illegal to shine a laser at an aircraft.
Once while perusing the sky, I caught sight of an airplane and began watching it through the binoculars. I followed this plane for a few seconds, then was surprised by a flash of white light as a meteor burst into my view. By a miracle, I managed to maintain this rock in my view as it tumbled and shrank, bursting into a brilliant fiery disintegration. I could actually see the shape of the rock itself in the first instant.
At another time, during a campout with other teenagers from church, we watched a small group of coyotes standing in the middle of a gravel road about a quarter mile away. Suddenly they all turned their heads to the north. Instinctively we followed their gaze and were shocked when a large fireball erupted overhead, spraying bright sparks outward. This spectacle was followed by a loud rushing sound, and a long stretch of sky where no stars were visible for several minutes, evidence of a smoke trail left by this incredibly rare meteor sighting. It seemed to fly just above our heads.
Once while walking with a friend, we saw a small light rapidly grow into a bright fireball that descended through a solid cloud layer, illuminating the whole sky for a moment as it fell through the cloud. Reaching down through the layer, it exploded into several arcs of green and purple light. I thought it was probably some kind of space junk, perhaps a satellite or rocket stage made of exotic metals that burned with such a colorful display.
The most memorable experience I've had while stargazing is one I shared with my sister. We were laying on a trampoline in the yard, looking up at the stars. I noticed a white light, moving smoothly toward the center of the sky. I pointed it out and said, “Look, it's a satellite!” As we both watched, it continued for a few seconds, then did something I still cannot understand.
This light, without stopping, slowing or curving, suddenly changed direction by ninety degrees, and continued on at the same pace. We ran inside yelling for everyone to come out and see this thing. The rest of our family saw the light continue on in its new, straight path nearly to the eastern horizon. This is interesting because satellites appear as single points of white light that increase and decrease in brightness, due to the reflected sunlight they shine to the observer. When I first noticed this light, it was moving from south to north, then it turned instantly to the east, and continued as a bright white light the whole time. It's hard for me to imagine only seeing reflected sunlight that remained so steady, since the apparent angle formed between me, the object, and the sun would have changed so greatly over the time of the flight. I have no explanation for what this object could have been. It is a mysterious wonder never to be forgotten.
Since very young, I've had a recurring dream now and then. It is of being outside, and seeing a spectacular meteor fall, then impact the ground nearby. I walk over and find a small crater, with the freshly fallen rock there, which I pick up and keep as a rare treasure. It is a thought that always brings me joy.
I encourage everyone to seek time under the stars. It stirs something in my soul to contemplate the beauty of the cosmos. It shows me how small I am, and how incredibly wonderful our universe really is.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”
Psalm 19: 1-3
“And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons; and their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets. And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years—all these are one year with God, but not with man.
The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God. Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand? Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended.
The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him. Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.”
Doctrine & Covenants 88: 42-50
