If there is an eternal haven and a home in this world, it is home and the stars. If there is an endless treasure trove of ideas in this world, it is the universe. If you say..... Forget it, don't drag the text, just tell the story of my astronomy hobby. [Treacherous laughter]
In the spring of 1986, on the roof of a teachers' college. A group of people jumping around in the cold wind, an astronomical telescope. Everyone took turns to look into the eyepiece to see the vague ball of "yarn." The teacher next to him explained in a loud voice: "Halley's Comet was discovered by British scientist Edmund Halley, and it only returned once in 76 years, and we are fortunate to see it today." You see, in front of it is a coma, and what radiates out is a coma..."
A voice muttered, "Isn't it the broom star?" The crowd laughed.
Another serious voice: "We must do a good job in astronomy science, let the masses understand the significance of Harley's return, and break the superstition of what broom star!" ”
I took advantage of the silence of everyone and said loudly, "I must study this comet and produce results as soon as possible." ”
The crowd laughed again. An old man in a long black coat came over to look at my school uniform, smiled and said, "Is this true?" Well, I'll send you a reference and wish you success! ”。 After saying that, he handed me a thick printed bound. I thanked him and boasted about my success. Looking at the cover by the light reads: "Internal references." For the leadership of the municipal party committee. “
So, with the cows flying around, I became an astronomical enthusiast without a telescope. [Proud]
In 1987, I sneaked to my mother's unit library and borrowed a book with a very interesting cover, "Flying to the Centaur Constellation". A pair of children of the chief designer of the rocket visited the launch site, in order to protect the interstellar rocket from being destroyed by the agents, resolutely manipulated the launch, flew to the constellation Sagittarius, experienced a dazzling interstellar journey, and finally fought with the black hole, with the help of gravitational slingshot to embark on the way home.......
There was no starry sky that day, only snowflakes in the sky, I sat under the street lamp and read this book, my eyes and imagination broke through the dark clouds, and flew to galaxies, black holes, extraterrestrial planets... Since then, he has not only loved astronomy, but also fallen in love with aerospace. An amateur astronomer and astronaut was born. [Recall] the years when I devoted myself to the cause of spaceflight
One day in 1991, I ran to the library and borrowed a book, "Galaxy Railway 999". The brave and strong teenage Hoshino Tetsuro and the mysterious girl Metil ride the cosmic train, experiencing many fantastic journeys in the universe, passing through a world full of love and hate, memories and dreams, and running to the Andromeda Nebula. That romantic and touching plot makes people intoxicated.
Therefore, looking up at the stars on the day I read the novel has a different meaning. It is as if there are many beautiful and mysterious alien worlds in the depths of the starry sky, and there are countless stories of alien inhabitants of all kinds. The free world of Mars, the frozen tomb of Pluto, the lower inhabitants of the rainy star who are always miserable in the rain, the lonely snow girl who is misunderstood by the snow star, the strong and optimistic people of the wind and sand star who fight against natural disasters, the pirate queen who is forever sealed at the bottom of gravity....
At this moment, the starry sky is no longer a dark and deep space, but a book, full of fascinating and fantasy words.
In my imagination, it suddenly occurred to me that there should be a telescope. Take a good look at the Andromeda Nebula, which is the terminus of the Galactic Railway. But I didn't have an income at that time, and the price of a few hundred dollars was astronomical for me.
Well, play the craft you have practiced since childhood and DIY yourself. Climbed to the optical shop, bought an unpolished reading lens for 2 yuan, made a "fiberglass" lens barrel with a wall calendar paper clip varnish, and the candle blackened the inner surface. Cans make eyepiece telescopes, and three open large mirrors make eyepieces. The level bracket of pure woodworking craftsmanship....... A 60MM refracting telescope was born!
I remember the one that first pointed to the next quarter of the moon, the crater was in sight, and the color difference brought by the simple lens was plated with a layer of color on the picture, but it had a beautiful literary and artistic style, making the original monotonous starry sky more colorful. At that time, there were few vehicles, the city lights were simple, and there was not much light pollution. The Milky Way crosses the night sky, and you can see the M31 Andromeda Nebula, the Pleiades Cluster, the M42 Rose Nebula orion, the Double Star in Ursa Major... Coupled with this DIY telescope, the days after that, although it was hard and arduous, had a lot of fun. Wandering through the starry world, improving telescopes, sharing with friends, drawing, communicating with the editorial board of Amateur Astronomy... Full and joyful, just like the old astronomer Devonsay said, "the heart is connected to the universe and the universe is wide." The heart is incredibly open.
There are also a lot of funny things. One early morning in the winter, when temperatures were minus 10 degrees, my brother and I carried the telescope through the wilderness to stargazing while waiting for the Leo meteor shower. The campfire was roaring and drinking beer. Finally, meteors broke through the sky one after another. The brother sucked on his nose and suddenly said, "Two big men watching the meteor shower, it's a little weird." Suddenly a low voice came from behind [covering his face]: "I think so too." My family looked back and saw a black shadow that didn't know when it came to the back. Shadow continued, "It's very romantic for the two of you to watch the meteor shower, and it makes us very emotional, I've watched you two all night." You look over there". Looking down at my finger, I saw only a line of large characters "XX gas station". I looked at the campfire, understood in seconds, picked up the telescope and fled.....
Another day, predicted a total solar eclipse, and a brother climbed to the top of the tallest building in the residential area, set up a telescope, and put a 5-inch disk core on the objective. The first loss, the food is, the food is even.... There were exclamations and noises from the streets, presumably the confusion and panic of people who did not know about today's eclipse of the suddenly coming night.
The lights of Wanjia suddenly lit up, and I had a sudden idea, and I put down the telescope to look at the buildings in this day and night. Suddenly I saw a window with a large furry hand touching a white leg. Involuntarily, his mouth exclaimed, "Wow! wow! “ 。 My brother leaned over to take a look and immediately began to fight with me for control of the telescope. "Let me see...", "My telescope....".... During the fight, the sun shone and the earth began to light up. The man in the window brushed up the curtains. We sat down, and the eclipse didn't look at it. The brother said to himself, "I'll build a telescope too..." [I'm about to cry]
Later, he participated in the competition held by the magazine "Astronomy Enthusiast" and won the second prize. When the name and address were published in the magazine, letters from astronomy fans from all over the country flocked to it. Chat with girls in the northeast about the complex, chat with the guys in Nanning about the structure of the universe, chat with friends in Shandong about time and space travel, talk about alien civilizations with Professor Li Liang of the Beijing Astronomical Observatory, and talk to teacher Zhang Jingli of the magazine about grinding large-caliber reflective lenses. Occasionally seeing a female pen pal's letter also has some fantasies similar to Tsai's "First Intimate Contact"... [Treacherous laughter] The happiest thing in those years was to see my name written on the list of letters on the blackboard of the communication room, and to take letters and reply to letters in the envious eyes of everyone..... It's no different than meeting like-minded people in the headlines today. However, at that time, it took half a month to exchange a few words, unlike now, open the mobile phone, say a lot of things within a few seconds, and there is no sense of anticipation.......
Once, I received a letter from Hong Kong, signed "Sitting in the Well Society." It turned out to be an invitation to join the Astronomical Amateur Association. At that time, it was the fire of "Ancient Puzzle Boy" and "The True Colors of Heroes", and the people who did not know the truth looked at the envelope and said that this was not the underworld inviting you to join the club, right? Can't write back! I said, "That is, that is, how can we join the underworld, although we attach so much importance to my status as a jianghu..." I was bragging about the bull, but my heart was very bitter. Because the conditions for membership read: "You need to have the corresponding observation equipment, and submit a special observation record every year." Looking at my 60MM "astronomical telescope", it is estimated that I am not eligible to join the sitting well meeting, but joining Sanhe will be a wind can also be considered...
Later, the night sky of the city began to brighten and flourish. The laser lights of the large bathing city swept around, a sense of air raid both vision. The laid-back old men flew luminous kites, comparing who was bigger and who had more lights. The buildings of the various units consume the electricity bills of the public and light spotlights all night long. There are more and more cars on the street, headlights, taillights, high beams... So the night sky became blurred, as if covered with tulle. Looking at the starry sky also seems to suffer from myopia, and everything is vague. The Astronomical Dome 200MM telescope of the Municipal Children's Palace was permanently closed, and the Astronomical Hall was transformed into a taekwondo dojo.
Looking up at the sky again, the Milky Way is gone, and the Andromeda Nebula is gone. And astronomy has become a high-end luxury hobby. Want to see the stars, the telescope is very large. You have to have a car to go out into the wilderness, you have to have a tent sleeping bag, you have to have a SLR camera or a CCD. It is impossible to climb the stairs with homemade telescopes, only by wearing a green stormtrooper suit and driving a cannon-like telescope to the grasslands, holiday resorts, and scenic spots can you see the long-lost Milky Way.
In my trivial life, I also forgot the urge to look up at the stars, and my eyes changed from curiosity and excitement to dull and dark. Although I finally bought a 150MM electric and mirror, I didn't have time to go outdoors.
Last year, I finally came to the prairie with my friends. Everyone sang around the campfire, drank bird vodka, and ate fragrant hand-grilled meat. Enthusiastic prairie people sang and danced, and laughter resounded through the night sky. And in a corner deep in the wilderness, there was a chair, a bottle of beer, and a man who looked up at the milky way motionlessly. Friend asked: What's wrong with you? How can it be so strange? I said: What you see now is the real me.
The heart is wide in the universe. No matter how tired life is, don't forget to look up at the galaxy. We came from there, and we have to go back there, and that's home.