Despite the distance

It was a bright point in the dark sky. Then, there were others. And the Moon, nearby.

It turns out, we could see 4 planets shine together in our night sky a couple of days ago. I am certain I had read about it, but living in a northern country (yes, I've moved since my last entry. Welcome back!) I must have assumed it would be cloudy. 

It wasn't. It was cold, and crisp, and beautifully clear. And the piercing lights stood out, stopping me in my tracks. Not even the Moon, filling up and shedding our shadow, could make them less conspicuous. I wanted to sit down on the grassy bank and just stare. 

It is no wonder humans have long been fascinated by the changes in the heavens. I'm even curious whether we ever were not, or whether it was one of the earliest signs of a different mind to that of other hominids and apes. Whether it might also be another branch, a new step, in our evolution: homo habilis, homo erectus, homo sapiens, homo astralis.

What I find particularly mesmerising is the realisation that these points of light are whole planets (well, aside from the Moon), some of them larger than Earth, and so far away my limited brain cannot really imagine what such distances are - despite knowing the numbers. These astral bodies are so far away, the space between us sparsely filled, I should simple let them be, as any other of the billions of stars in the dark. Yet, they are a somehow tangible part of my reality. They are, as far as we know, mostly inert, yet my soul titillates and yearns for a connection. It reaches, trying to grasp their echoes, mourning the chasm between us. It guides my eyes upward, roots my feet to the ground, runs down my spine, makes my breath shake.

We are told we are made up of the same star dust as the rest of our galaxy. We just so happen to be sentient. We are privileged to live in a time where not only are we still enthralled by the mystery of the cosmos, but also by the majesty of the secrets science daily reveals to us. 

We are connected.