The Night Sky

Years ago I took an astronomy class, and a wonderful, mind expanding experience it was. Though I remember few facts, I somehow grasped the concepts. Tonight the sky is so pretty. There are plenty of stars to be seen in spite of the bright streetlight in the curve of the cul-de-sac. I can identify Orion and The Pleiades. They appear to have moved from one side of my house to the other over the past few days. The waxing crescent moon hangs low and looks like a basket with slight shimmery handles as it highlights the nakedness of the trees. Sadly, I have seen only a few true night skies, one as my son and I were driving through Colorado. The dark almost imperceptibly fell upon us, and we began to realize that above was a jeweled sky that we had never seen before, and I have never seen since. We pulled over, got out of the car and marveled at the Milky Way and its millions of visible, twinkling stars. I find that as I get older and have fewer earthly responsibilities, I look more up into the skies and am awed.