SENIOR MOMENT: Diamonds in the sky

By BETTY MUNSEY/Columnist

Change is inevitable, and as seniors we have certainly seen our share. The stars in the sky, though, have never changed throughout our lifetimes.
We tend to forget or ignore the thousands of stars and 88 constellations suspended in the sky.  When news media announce that a meteor shower is predicted (the Geminids shower on Dec. 13), we may glance skyward hoping to see a falling or shooting star¬—those bright flashes of light that shoot through the evening sky. According to the University of Texas McDonald Observatory’s Web site and radio feature, Stardate, meteoroids travel thousands of miles an hour and “quickly ignite in searing friction of the atmosphere, 30 to 80 miles above the ground. Almost all are destroyed in this process; the rare few that survive and hit the ground are known as meteorites.”
Some of our ancestors believed that a falling star was a bad omen signaling an imminent death in the community. Others searched for falling stars as romantic enticements to popping a marriage proposal under the starlit sky as Perry Como softly crooned his signature song, “Catch a Falling Star.”
Early ship captains and explorers scanned the night sky for the North Star, which served as their due north point of reference. After finding the Big Dipper with its seven prominent stars, four of which form the bowl, they searched for the two stars that compose the far right side of the bowl. An imaginary line from these two stars points to Polaris or the North Star.
The star played a significant role on that first Christmas Day serving as a signal from on high that the long-awaited Savior had been born. Wise men were led to His humble manger by an equally bright light from Heaven.  Christmas wouldn’t be complete at our small rural church without the congregation singing two of our favorite older Christmas melodies, “Star of Bethlehem” and “O’ Beautiful Star.”
Just as Christian Christmas cards often depict the wise men following the star, Jewish Hanukah cards feature the Star of David, the commonly accepted symbol of modern Judaism and composed of two intertwined equilateral triangles.
The United Nations General Assembly has named 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy to celebrate the sky-related science. Nations are truly united under one sky. Fifteen years ago a young Japanese exchange student was living with our family and experiencing a wee bit of homesickness. She was comforted to see the same constellations here as in her home country, yet more brilliant in our darkened country sky than in Tokyo.
Astronomy and astrology are often confused in that both sciences focus on the stars. Astronomy is the science of the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere including celestial bodies, planets, stars and galaxies. Astrology studies the relationship of Earth to the stars and the influence of the stars on human affairs. Many folks won’t start their day without checking their horoscope and zodiac sign predictions.
An almost unknown resource off Exit 109 of Interstate 81 is Radford University’s Selu Conservancy and Observatory. Selu’s 380-acres of land is dedicated for academic and recreational use. The observatory is located in a silo shaped 30-foot dome and is open to the public free of charge on every clear Friday night after sunset.  For more details and a current schedule, call Selu Observatory at (540) 831-5828.
All this reminds us that we’re never too old to explore the childhood riddle: Twinkle, twinkle little star.  How I wonder where you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky…
A retired Extension agent, Betty Munsey lives and farms in Bland County.