If the sun disappeared only for a moment…

“The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

I find it funny how despite my blog having a space theme, I’ve never actually once talked about space. I haven’t even alluded to why I chose the name “To the Moon” other than a brief paragraph.

Last week was the solar eclipse. I would say the “Great American Eclipse” yet the stars aren’t something that can be owned. When we look up at the sky, we are looking into the past and in a sense, our future. The universe is filled with possibility and is beautifully chaotic.

When we think of the universe, we think of a painted canvas, a sort of cosmic gallery of beauty. At least, that’s what we’d like to see. Every time I look up I see darkness, with only the brightest stars shining; only once have I seen the universe in it’s full majesty.

And I never have forgotten that moment, out in the mountains, away from the city lights. And instead of seeing darkness, I saw the most beautiful hues of blue as I saw our galaxy for the first time. Not darkness, but as a river in the sky, weaving itself into a tapestry of twinkling stars. And perhaps this is the first time I realized the world was bigger than just Portland, Oregon. That I was nothing more than a speck on the cosmic scale.

Perhaps this is what first inspired my Wanderlust and taught me to dream, back when I said I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up or better yet, a space traveler, time lord; a time when the sky was the limit and when a dream was never too big. I’ve been searching my whole life to recreate that moment, camping out all night in a field, freezing but more connected than I had ever been…

In college I was always busy and a lot of the time I would walk back home late at night. There’s something serene about looking up at the night sky and wishing… To look up and realize that whatever is going on in your life right now, “life goes on”.

So come last week, I was excited. I live on a glorified hill in the city and it’s a few minutes walk to the top. And I watched. From beginning to end, I watched. And a curious question popped into my head as the moon passed, “How little sun we need to survive”. Even at a sliver before totality, it was light and I was warm. Then I watched as the sun “set” all around, the intense shadows before an infinite sunset. I felt the temperature drop as day became twilight and then back to day.

Nature is beautiful and it’s a tragedy that we’ve fallen out of touch with the beauty of the world, let alone the universe. Some spend their entire lives in boxes and don’t even realize they’re in prison. People came together for a brief moment and it’s a shame that like the eclipse, it was but a fleeting moment. I put my faith in the stars; call me a dreamer, but when you look to the stars, tomorrow has already happened, it just depends on where you’re standing…

Thanks for reading! If you’re wondering where I get all my cool space photos, they’re from the NASA home page. The photos are on the public domain, which makes acquiring them hassle and worry free as the copyright doesn’t exist or has expired. Anyways, did you see the eclipse? Want to talk about the mysteries of the universe? Feel free to comment below!