As I write this, the Rosetta spacecraft has completed its close flyby of (2867) Steins, a rare E-type asteroid. First images and data presented from the flyby, plus scientific commentary starting at 11:55 CEST on Saturday, September 6. (For those of us in the U.S., that’s 5:55 a.m. EDT, 02:55 PDT.) If you’re up that early, check out the press conference, which will be streamed live. This should be interesting, and I can’t wait to post the real images here!
I was digging around online the other night for some information and ran across a quote that you might find refreshing. It’s by astronomer Johannes Kepler, and it goes like this:
The treasures hidden in the heavens are so rich that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.
Well, think about it for a minute.
If you step outside on a clear night and look up, what’s the first thing you see? If the Moon’s out, of course you see that. And, if you gaze it at for more than a few seconds, you start thinking about what it’s made of. Or, you might think back to a time when men walked on it. If you have a telescope, you probably decide to go get it and check out the Moon, up close and personal.
If the Moon’s not out, then you have the stars and planets to gaze on. And those also stimulate ideas and questions in your mind. That’s the nourishment Kepler is talking about. Mind nourishment, stimulated by stars, takes you out to the universe. It gives you a reason to look beyond yourself, away from the planet and out to places where other suns (and other planets) are whirling around in the galaxy just as ours does. And that is a great treasure to think about! More precious than all the wealth on this planet, and free to anyone who can look up and wonder about the sky!