The night is what the universe looked like when it was young – reading "Astronomical Pilgrimage to the Looker" is a feeling

Author: Lu Xin

Source: Zhouzhi County Zeming College

Image: From the web

Meadows under the night sky

How many nights, like many people, I have looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, stared at the shining stars, many questions often can not be released, imagining to go deep into the starry sky to find out.

At the recommendation of my friends, I had the privilege of reading the book "Astronomical Pilgrimage to the Admirers", which is known as the "popular science version of Walden". The astronomical pilgrimage route under the night sky written in the book finally turned my inner joy, happiness and satisfaction into "a smile that rose up".

Taken on July 22, 2017 Photo: Zhu Haifeng

The book is the work of the famous American author, educator and naturalist Chet Raymo, and is divided into twenty chapters.

Although it is an astronomical popular science book, its content involves literature (poetry, mythology), history, natural science and other fields.

It begins on the main street of Boston, USA, and ends with Tao Yuanming's poem "Dogs bark in the deep alley, chickens sing mulberry trees upside down".

The vast and deep night sky is full of reverie for people with lack of astronomical knowledge, but it feels mysterious and unpredictable, and it is inevitable to be discouraged.

However, the book "Astronomical Pilgrimage to the Looker" is full of poet-like romantic atmosphere, using the language of prose culture to describe the deep night sky as picturesque, and the obscure astronomical terminology here is like a cup of coffee in the mouth, which makes people reminisce for a long time.

Orion Nebula

In his book, Chet Remo seeks to explore the depths of science and faith, exploring the mysteries of human nature and the meaning of life contained in astronomy.

Through the arrangement of stars in the sky and the legends and myths about them, the reader embarks on a "pilgrimage to find the soul of the night".

As the author puts it: "These chapters are the connection between knowing and loving, a pilgrimage into the dark and silent night sky to find the meaning of life." ”

This article was taken in the mid-summer of 2020

Whether it is human beings or nocturnal animals, they are closely related to this vast universe and the deep night sky, and each chapter in the book is fluent and beautiful; clouds, constellations, gods, scientists, poets, spring grasses, birds, dogs barking, flowers, and cocoons and butterflies; interrelated and independent, from ancient times to the present, as if crossing. As the translator said: "The essence of popular science is the infection of cultural literacy." The essence of popular science is the penetration of human cultural symbols. ”

The ancestors of mankind were guided by a little starlight and gradually moved from obscurity to civilization. The spirit of human exploration of all things in the universe has never stopped, inspiring and summoning generations of followers, and life is endless and pursued.

The ancestors foresaw auspiciousness through celestial signs, and important behaviors such as farming, hunting, and traveling also observed astrological signs.

What are the secrets of the vast and deep night sky? One constellation after constellation gradually appears in the field of vision of the looker, the constellation of Ursa Major, the constellation of Ursa Minor, the Pleiades, a faint companion star called "Auxiliary", Betelgeuse, the Horsehead Nebula... They run through the night one after another to the light.

"The night is what the universe looked like when it was young", "The universe is too young, I approach the light of its youth", "The night sky is a paradise for the hunting of mystics, philosophers, scientists and theologians", "The night comes with stars and stardust, with mystery and nirvana".

In the silent night, when human beings have finished a day's labor and entered the sweet sleepland, the real activities of nature have just begun.

Summer fireflies flash in the darkness like stars in the sky; owls turn their eyes to survey the earth, and as the fog rises, the vast expanse of the earth merges with the starry sky.

Tibetan starry sky time-lapse photography

Life is short, too small to be negligible in the vastness of the universe. Although the past is irretrievable, there is no need to lament and complain.

Just as Su Shi wrote in "Former Chibi Fu": "... And between the heavens and the earth, each thing has its own Master, and it is not my own, although there is nothing to be gained.

But the breeze on the river, and the bright moon in the mountains, the sound of the ear, the color of the eyes, the inexhaustible use, is the endless treasure (zàng) of the Creator, and I am compatible with the Son. ”

Is life fragile? Life is indeed fragile at times. Is life short? Life is so strong, unyielding, endless, and full of resilience. Every living being is small in the vast universe.

However, every individual in this world has their own mission and values. No amount of difficulty is enough to overcome a resilient life. Beautiful things need to wait patiently again and again, to endure loneliness.

Perhaps, this is the so-called original intention, no matter what kind of dilemma you encounter, what kind of dark moments you encounter in your life, don't forget the way back to the time.

Photographed at Kawagbo Peak Photo by Zhang Di

In the journey of continuous progress in life, human beings are always exploring, perseverance and persistence. As Elliott said, "We should not stop exploring, and the end of all exploration will be the starting point of our departure, and for the first time in our lives, we will understand this starting point." ”

Those seemingly irrational waiting will eventually become an indispensable element on the road to the light, and the dark end of everything will be a bright light.

On the occasion of the cover-up, the Indian poet Tagore is recalled in a graceful manner, and there is a poem "Looking Up at the Stars":

I look up at the stars,

It's so vast and deep,

There is no truth,

Let me follow bitterly.

It is so solemn and holy,

That awe-inspiring justice,

Let me be full of love,

Feel awe-inspired.

It's so free and quiet,

That broad mind,

Let my soul dwell and snuggle.

It's so magnificent and glorious,

The eternal heat,

Let my heart burn with the flame of hope,

Spring thunder sounded.

Cowherd Star Vega Star across the Galaxy Photo: Li Mengqun