I
have read many accounts written by people who like myself, share
something that can be described only as a passion. That
passion
for me as it is for thousands of others, is astronomy. I suspect that
most of us have feelings that are very similar and our
reasons
for loving this hobby as we do, are much the same. Some of us probably
as far back as we could remember, looked up into a starry sky
and
lost track of time as our minds wandered through uncountable stars and
infinite space.
As for me whether I’m
gazing into the
night sky or staring at a photograph of a rich starry field, the
consequences of so many exciting possibilities stir my
imagination as I travel unrestricted and spellbound. I see a
universe so awesome in all of its parameters and feel
somewhat
sorry that not only is it difficult to encourage others to
look,
but I can visit only through my imagination.
The
iron atoms in
the hemoglobin of our red blood cells, the oxygen that sustains our
life, the carbon that enables the formation of long chains of
molecules, all were forged in the cores of massive stars. After our
very brief stay, those atoms will go back to the earth and
eventually find their way to the cores of other stars. Yes, we were,
we are, and will forever be a part of this enormous universe.
Jim
Gillard
|
©2004
Simon Dawson