Visual Osbservation

[Don Quixote]

Opinion


Visual astronomy is where you stick your eyeball on the opening of that little glass piece on the southern end of your telescope and soak up photons in your retina. You're just sitting there quiet but for the occasional gasp of delight.

It is an intimate activity. It is, on its face, a one way conversation wherein we allow a particular part of the universe to physically enter our body through our eye, or eyes, as the case may be. And for the earliest astronomers it was a profound intercourse with a vast mystery.

Today as we post ourselves in the dark behind our instrument we have the experience of "listening" with our eyes to the story written large in time and space of beginning, continuance, and ending. It is the grand metaphor of our tiny personal existance. It is a renaissance of the mind were we rediscover our humanity in the inanimate light.

These are my peculiar thoughts, as I sit in the dark and listen, unable to willfully respond, passively reflecting the tiniest fraction of this light from the surface of my glistening eye. But there is nothing original in that reflection. It is what has come to me from without.

In speaking to you of what I see I find a mere approximation of what has happened to me. If I describe to you the mechanics of the experience, the physicochemical activity of my eye, it would not do. So I speak in a crude translation of what has changed within me as a result.

There the motion and velocity of thought, which is another mechanism of organized chemistry and matter, cascades in symbols of sound. And this must again iterate in a further translation through ear and in your mind. And just so we convert light into thought.

It is always a pleasure to read here the observing accounts of data. But it is thrilling to read the account of one struggling to express the change that has occurred in ones self as a result of the seeing.

Peace and clear skies to all!

[frazier]

A fascinating writeup, Mark. I too have, from time to time, experienced a sense of sound - of light pinging off the mirrors. The wonder of millions of distant stars all sending photons through a region of space defined by my iris. Some folks describe their scope as a "time machine"; I think of mine as a mind-expander.

Cheers and kind regards,

[hal2000]

I was talking to my mate (another Mark) today in work. He had done some observing on Friday night, and had been looking at the Ring Nebula in his 5" Apo and his new toy, a 5mm Explore 100 degree eyepiece. He told me that he feels he has finally "got it", that difficult to describe feeling of, as he put it, a "oneness" with the universe. This guy has always been a bit of an equipment buff, but he said it was almost as if the scope had disappeared, and he was just "there"

He had tried to describe the experience to his partner over the weekend, but she just looked at him as if he had sprouted another head. He was actually a bit emotional about it. But I think we all know what he means.

[Bigzmey]

Well said Mark! When I am at the EP, surrounding disappears and I am one on one with Space. Felt like that since I was 9 years old.

[bladekeeper]

Well said, Mark!

That oneness and communion with the sky, good Astronomical Zen, is a special state to achieve. When you are there, your mind expands to fill the sky. The scope becomes an extension of your eyes and hands, and you feel your soul pouring through the eyepiece. I like it.

[jrkirkham]

Thank you for the well-written description of what we feel during our nights with the universe. Visual observation has always been my favorite. I also liked star hopping, and scanning the night with binoculars. Due to poor vision that is limited now, but thanks to the aid of goto mounts and cameras I still get to supplement my eyes and still wonder at the night sky. Thank you for that post.