My neighbor's kid asked me why we look up at all

I was showing him Jupiter through my 8-inch Dobsonian last week, and he just said 'but it's so far away, why does it matter?' It really threw me. I gave my usual answer about science and wonder, but it felt hollow. Later, I realized I've been so focused on gear and finding faint objects that I forgot the simple part. That kid just wanted to know why it was cool, not how to find it. I'm going to start my next viewing session by just looking at the Big Dipper with my eyes. How do you explain the 'why' to someone who doesn't get it yet?

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3 Comments

rosek447mo ago

Kid's got a point about the gear. We all get lost in the tech sometimes. Maybe the "why" is just that it's cool to see something that old and that far away with your own eyes.

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veramiller7mo ago

Ever seen a scope older than me?

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rosek446mo ago

Reminds me of what veramiller said about old scopes. We get so caught up in the how that we forget the why is just seeing something bigger than ourselves. It's like noticing a cool pattern in the sidewalk cracks, but on a huge scale.

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