Closer to the Sky

On my trip, I have been in several high-altitude places: Zion National Park (4000 to 8726 ft above sea level), Bryce Canyon (9115 ft!), Canyon de Chelly (5500 to 7000 ft), Monument Valley (5200 ft), and now Fort Davis (5274 ft). Actually, it’s McDonald Observatory (6800 ft) that is the high point near Fort Davis. And all of these places have had little light pollution, or at least much less than I am used to. Even with the hotel lights. They have also all been deserts.

I feel lucky that I have been in an area where I could see the Jupiter-Venus-moon conjunction. It was stunning. Unfortunately, I missed being in Fort Davis on Tuesday, when the moon was still a thin crescent. When I go to the Star Party on Friday, the moon will obscure some of the fainter stars. (I had to put off my travel Tuesday due to getting a nasty cold. Thanks to Zicam, I am doing decently.)

The stars look closer. The sun feels closer. The sky looks bigger, wider, bluer. I feel transported to a foreign land; I guess I am. Because the American Southwest is a very different land from the Pacific Northwest. The racial demographics and interactions are completely different. The biogeography is different. The air smells different.

It’s good, this difference. I like being closer to the sky. Maybe I am moving closer to the Skye, as well.