I bought Eli a large telescope this Christmas (or maybe it was for me). After we figured out the whole apparatus, we began hoping for a clear night. It so happens that one of the few clear nights of 2006 was this past weekend... when Saturn was in opposition to Earth (closest approach for the year). I spotted Saturn in the constellation of Cancer, trained the telescope on it and called Eli over. Now, if any of you have small children or work with small children, getting them to do precise operations in the dark is no small feat. I had Eli look through the eye piece but he was either bumping the scope out of position, or not aligning his eye properly to see any image. And when he did get his eye lined up correctly, Saturn had passed out of the line of sight (due to the Earth's rotation). Needless to say, he was getting quite frustrated with me and the whole endeavor... and so was I.
Finally, he mastered the process and caught his first glimpse of Saturn. Even with an 8 inch mirror telescope, Saturn is only the size of a pebble.. but you can see the rings! Eli looked up from the telescope… his eyes like saucers… clear excitement on his face and yet unable to speak for a moment or two. Curiousity was replaced by awe. He was amazed… he had seen Saturn! “Can we look for Mars next!”
When we catch a vision of the majesty of a thing, our foul temper has a way of vanishing. It is replaced with a transforming joy. We forget our complaints and say 'show me more!'
That's what the Lord taught me through my son the other night.
Saturn
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3 comments:
hey daryl, don't feel the need to approve my comments for public view. i know you want this blog to be for the students. but i really enjoy reading and sometimes want to respond to you! it's awesome to have your thoughts in my life again...thank you for doing this!
I saw saturn through a telescope for the first time last summer...I think I felt a little of what Eli felt! Sometimes even catching the majesty and miracle of the fact that I am ALIVE to enjoy this day can change my mood. Not to mention the joy of knowing Christ and sharing him with others. :-)
Mary... ideally this interaction is for students but I am really quite happy for any and all to make their comments. I like hearing your thoughts too and it let's people know that can jump on in as well! D.
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