An artist's rendering of a view from one of Jupiter's moons. (Photo courtesy Motivate Maths Enrichment for Schools via David A. Hardy, astroart.org. © Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council)
“Get up and come downstairs. I have to show you something.”
I grumble as I stumble out of bed. It’s after 11. I’ve been happily and comfortably in dreamland for more than an hour. I’m not thrilled about being violently ripped from it and dragged out of bed. I have to be up by 5:30 in the morning. I need my sleep.
“It’ll be worth it. I promise. This is the closest it’s been in fifteen years!”
It better be, I think as I groggily follow him down the stairs, through the living room, kitchen, office and finally out the back door to the small wooden deck. He has my telescope set up on the deck, pointed at the sky. I see the moon through some trees and think that can’t be what he’s about to show me.
And I’m right.
Jupiter and its moons. (Photo courtesy https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jose/astro.html)
“Look through here, but don’t touch it,” he says, indicating the eyepiece atop the telescope. I’m too tired and wobbly on my feet to see clearly without touching the eyepiece, so I do anyway, despite the warnings. The image before me clears. I’m looking at Jupiter. “Do you see the moons?”
I don’t. Not right away. I focus my eyes a little better as I become more awake. Then I see three tiny lights surrounding the planet. They’re definitely not stars. I can’t see them without the telescope. These are definitely three of Jupiter’s moons.
That was definitely worth it, I think as I stumble back up the stairs and fall back into bed.
Cool, not that you got woken up, but what you got to see.
It was really neat. I need to take the telescope out more often. I’m thinking the next full moon, for sure!
I’m so glad it was worth it! You know I have a different opinion about having my sleep interrupted.
That’s really cool! I hope you were able to go back to sleep.
I was pretty much conked back uot once my head hit the pillow.
what was Jack Horkheimer doing at your house?
I lead a varied and mysterious life.
that is awesome. i don’t know if i’ve ever looked through a telescope in my whole life. i am deprived.
A telescope would be nice to have. Maybe once the girls are older it can be a joint Christmas present.
I really need a telescope. I would have gotten up, too!
My uncle would do similar things to my dad when they were growing up. At the time, I know that my dad was irritated, but now he looks back as great childhood memories. We’ve often talked about getting a telescope, but I’m not sure we would know how to find anything in the sky.
That truly is very cool. I must tell you though that when I first started reading, this struck me:
I grumble as I stumble out of bed. It’s after 11. I’ve been happily and comfortably in dreamland for more than an hour. I’m not thrilled about being violently ripped from it and dragged out of bed. I have to be up by 5:30 in the morning. I need my sleep.
This is how you feel every two hours of every single night when you have a baby. I couldn’t help it.
Been there, done that!
this is very breath taking.