looking in the sky

There was a tremendously popular show based on the still popular fictitious character of Superman when television was young. "Look," said a familiar word at the start of that show. Up in the clouds. It's a bird, of course. It's a plane, of course. "It's Superman!" exclaims the narrator. The international fascination with extraterrestrials and all things cosmic, as well as how famous Superman has become in our culture, only reinforces that all humans have a profound curiosity about nature and astronomy, even though many people do not know what astronomy is.

Astronomy is one of the world's oldest sciences. Archaeologists excavate old civilizations, even as far back as the cavemen, and they inevitably find art that demonstrates man's insatiable desire for the stars. Even today, you can easily find an enthusiastic conversation on the issue of "Is there intelligent life on other planets?" at any gathering.

Many have attempted to explain humanity's apparent fixation with outer space as the outcome of a long-forgotten memory or as part of humanity's eternal essence. Whatever the reason, people of all ages and from all walks of life have a strong desire to learn more about the vast universe of which our tiny planet is only a small part.

It's strange, because the conduct of a devoted student of astronomy isn't exactly high adventure. An astronomer will never be included in a "Raiders of the Lost Arc" or "Jurassic Park" film. Staying up all night observing the universe through a large telescope is thrilling for fans of this discipline. That fact, however, does not appear to deter the tens of thousands of people who enter astronomy each year, nor the worldwide fascination with the stars, planets, and universe.

There may be no other universal human fascination that has the power to dissolve national borders and even international animosity. Apart from the Olympic movement, international cooperation to make great strides for humanity in space appears to continue unabated, even when the countries involved in those projects are virtually at war on the ground. It's weird to see Russian, American, and other astronauts work together on space missions like brothers when their home countries are busy pointing missiles at each other back home. It almost makes you think we should invest more energy and money in the space program, not less, since there appears to be a bond there.

Why is astronomy so fascinating, despite the fact that there are no dinosaurs, moving animals, or real dangers for those who are concerned with the subject? It may be traced back to a basic human curiosity for their natural surroundings and this vast, mysterious entity known as space. Perhaps it has something to do with the classic Star Trek adage that "space is the final frontier.

But every time we pull out our telescopes and look directly at the sky above us, we all feel a surge of enthusiasm. We have the impression that we are looking at the very beginning of time. And, because of concerns with the speed of light, many of the sparkling lights out there are actually light from stars that began their journey to us thousands of years ago, every time we gaze up at the sky, we are staring directly into the past.

However, we don't have to be concerned about ever conquering the final frontier and satisfying our curiosity. In the domain of astronomy, there will always be more to learn and explore. And it's likely that mankind's fascination with astronomy is just as boundless.