Stardust

We live underneath a beautiful sky, don't we?
Do you ever look up with wonder? Do you ever look at the stars, or the planets when they are close enough to distinguish with the naked eye?

The sky changes every day, and the colours reflecting off our atmosphere swirl with the upper winds and currents above us. Illustrious and translucent, we can sometimes see through the wisps.

But what about above our sky and deep into space? God's creation extends out beyond what we see here on earth. The other planets, moons, and stardust that circles us as we circle them. A beauty we can only see through telescopes and images from spacecraft.

I have a fascination with the cosmic details of our galaxy. Back in college I took an astronomy class that I loved and read many books about our planets and all the moons in our solar system. While scientific facts backed up many of the findings, a lot of the truths of these spheres of ice, rock, and gas were left to the imagination, such as what the surfaces looked like (and if there was a surface). I don't know why, but learning about the periodic elements and how they make up our galaxy is so interesting and always grabs my attention. I realize that it is the science nerd inside me.

A spacecraft called New Horizons is circling Pluto right now and is about to capture images of this little-know-about planet so we can learn more. Early images show part of a heart-shaped feature on the surface, that we may see detailed glimpses of in the next day as the probe sends some heart-shaped glimpses our way. It is kind of exciting, I think.

This starbreak is celestial air
Just silver; earthlight, dying amber.
Underneath an arch of pallor
Summer keeps her brightened chamber.

- Leonie Adams