Last night we went stargazing with the hubby's family, my parents, and an assortment of my in-laws friends. Now, let it be known that I am 1) almost always falling asleep by 9pm, and 2) probably the lease enthusiastic person when it comes to space, much to my husband's chagrin. With those two facts put aside, I'd say that the party was a success. From a young age I have memories of watching Jack Horkheimer's Star Gazer, and this outing kind of reminded me of that. We were using a telescope powerful enough to see the stripes on Jupiter, the shadow of the rings of Saturn, and to tell that Neptune is blue.
While I can appreciate the fact that the ability to far enough away to see distinct shapes and colors has been monumentally influential throughout history, what seems to impress upon my memory the most is Isao Tomita's electronic rendition of Claude Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 used for the theme song on Horkheimer's show. Whenever I think of the night sky, that soundtrack plays in the back of my head, as well as the excitedly exclaimed "Keep looking up!" It was never something that I could ever get that excited about but I appreciate that there are people out there who can.
Well, old Jack, the original Star Hustler (as the show was first called), died earlier this year and the replacement hosts are not nearly as good. They are knowledgable, to be sure, but they are not quirky enough to pull off the theme song or to replace Jack's intense enthusiasm. But as I'm quick to remember, change is ever present and inevitable. There will always be people in the world dreaming of the stars and looking to the heavens. As there should be. Curiosity is important and powerful stuff. Me on the other hand - I'm content with this planet alone.
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