|
What a fantastic and interesting bunch of replies! My own experience is very much what others have said. The simplicity of setting up. The challenge and achievement of star hopping, not to mention the state of mental absorption that comes with looking at patterns of stars trying to pin down the elusive. Then the observing itself - as others have said teasing out the subtleties of colour of stars, shapes of gossamer, asterisms etc. It's like really relating to the object. And directly - no screen between. In Zen, the term intimacy is used. I reckon Narayan's comment about the reaction to seeing Saturn's rings vs seeing pictures of them says so much. And of course the knowing what I'm seeing and that I am star stuff watching star stuff... One does not need to be religious to have a profound spiritual experience in astronomy. Science is quite enough.
Thanks so much for your generous and thoughtful replies and I hope that there are some more to come!
|