You know what’s weird? I was sorting through old photos yesterday – god, my filing system’s a mess – and found this shot from Montana, 2018. We’d hauled ourselves up this ridge… wait, no, it was more like a small mountain, if I’m being honest. Dave was complaining about carrying his dad’s telescope the whole way up – ancient thing, probably from the 80s, held together with duct tape and optimism.
But man, that moment when we actually saw Jupiter! Like, not just as a bright dot, but actually saw its moons! I remember dropping my hot chocolate (still owe Jack for that thermos, come to think of it). It’s funny how some moments just… stick with you, you know? Change how you see everything after.
The Messy Business of Understanding Space
Speaking of understanding things – try explaining black holes to a 12-year-old. I did, last Thanksgiving. Used my aunt’s fancy tablecloth as a makeshift gravity well demonstration. The gravy boat ended up being a super-massive black hole, and… well, let’s just say I’m not allowed near the good linens anymore. But my nephew got it! Well, sort of. He at least stopped thinking black holes were cosmic vacuum cleaners.
Quantum physics is even worse – or better, depending on how much you’ve had to drink. Spent three years studying it at uni, and half the time I was convinced Professor Matthews was making it up as she went along. Schrödinger’s cat being alive and dead? Pull the other one! Now I’m using quantum principles every time I check my phone’s GPS. Life’s weird like that.
The Human Side of Space (or: People Are Weird Too)
My friend Jenna – brilliant physicist, complete disaster in the kitchen – spent two years perfecting some microscopic bolt for the Mars rovers. TWO YEARS. On something smaller than my pinky nail. She missed her sister’s wedding because of a critical stress test. The sister still brings it up at Christmas. “Remember when you chose a screw over my wedding?” Family dynamics, am I right?
Met an astronaut once, at this overcrowded science festival in Bristol. Was standing in line for coffee, actually (spilled that too – seeing a pattern here?). She started talking about watching thunderstorms from space, and how Earth’s atmosphere looks like this fragile blue… hang on, how did she put it? “Like a contact lens floating in a bathtub.” Not the most poetic comparison maybe, but it stuck with me.
Looking Forward (When We’re Not Looking Up)
I go back and forth about whether we’ll ever really make it out there. Some days, usually after watching too many sci-fi shows, I’m convinced we’ll have colonies on Mars by 2050. Other days, usually when my car won’t start or I’ve forgotten to charge my phone, I wonder how we manage to keep anything running at all.
The James Webb telescope though – that’s something else. Went way over budget, took forever… typical government project, right? But those first images… I was up at 3 AM, refreshing my laptop like a teenager waiting for exam results. Nearly woke up my whole flat when they came through. Worth every sleepless night and delayed deadline.
Sometimes I drag my own telescope out now (way better than Dave’s old one, thank you very much). Usually forget my gloves, curse the cold, step in something questionable in the dark. But then I’ll catch sight of Saturn’s rings, or watch the ISS pass overhead, and… well, everything else just sort of fades away.
Just wish I could explain this stuff better. Feel like I’m always tripping over my own thoughts, trying to capture why it matters so much. Maybe that’s the point though – if we could explain it perfectly, it wouldn’t be quite so fascinating, would it?
Oh, and I still haven’t replaced Jack’s thermos. Should probably get on that.
Leave a Reply