Stargazing

Stargazing is a fun and mysterious spectacle that can be observed nearly anywhere in the world. Whether it’s from your backyard, from a campsite, or somewhere you’ve decided to vacation, stars are apparent all across the sky. It can be interesting to be reminded of how small we are here on Earth compared to the infinite galaxies beyond our naked eye. This is called gaining a sense of your cosmic scale. As you know, us people on this planet are just the tiniest fraction of all that orbits around our Sun. And our Sun is just one star among the hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. Even more so, the Hubble space telescope reveals that there are an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe. 

One of the best things about stargazing is that it is absolutely free! All you need to do is step out into a clear, cloudless sky and look up. Even with just your naked eye, you have the ability to see across two and a half million light-years of space. But if you do happen to own (or decide to buy) a pair of binoculars or telescope, then you’ll be able to see objects even further away. You can even see objects that have already died or exploded.

You can also find an interest in astrology! The twelve constellations in the zodiac family can all be seen along the sky. You can connect with others to share horoscopes and compatibilities, and even try to find your zodiac, but that would take patience as only certain constellations appear depending on the time of the year.

My last reason why stargazing is a great way to connect with nature is that you always find something new when you step outside. Depending on where you are in the world, what time it is, and what day of the year you’re living in, there are sets of constellations waiting to be observed. Constellations serve as great stories to tell amongst one another as they typically represent animals and mythological gods.