Nobody knows we're here!

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"We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

The area around La Serena in northern Chile boasts the clearest skies in the world, hence the white domes of observatories dot the neighbouring mountains. In amongst this belt of star gazing scientific centres is Mamalluca, a 'tourist' observatory (scientists don't like tourist hordes disturbing their work).

Through a digital telescope and also a manual one, we saw star clusters, Jupiter, a red giant star and the moon up close and personal. The moon was the most impressive.

Afterwards our guide gave a short talk using computer programmes (check out Starry Night and Stellarium if you are interested). I could feel myself getting smaller and smaller in my chair as the screen zoomed outwards from Earth to the solar system to the Milky Way to other galaxies to the universe and then on to great unknown. The animated video emphasised just how completely small and totally insignificant human beings are in the context of the whole universe. Not even a speck of a pixel on the screen.

Instead of asking myself the question our guide put to us ("How can you not believe that there is other life out there?"), I was reminded of a Tommy Tiernan routine and I realised that in fact, nobody else knows we are here!

Click here to see the Tommy Tiernan clip I am referring to.
I feel I ought to include a sort of parental advisory warning here. For those not familiar with the comedian, Tommy Tiernan swears. A lot. I could only find one clip on YouTube with the skit on the planetarium. Up to 2 minutes 35 seconds it is about September 11th and full of cursing. After that, it is about the planetarium, hilariously funny and relatively swear free. That's my conscience sorted on behalf of all the children!

From Jess

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Comments

[Gay Hoban]

Starry starry nights
Enough to blow one away. Long may you continue to look upwards. Love from Gay xx

[Ellen]

Thanks for the reminder of how funny Tommy Tieran used to be. Ellen

[pauleen didge THE MATRIARCH]

IF YOU WISH UPON A STAR
Makes no difference where you are ,if you wish upon a star ,youre dreams will come true.That was the theme tune of a programme on radio that i listened to in Ireland when I was a little girl,so its very ,very old.Glad you are still well and happy.Nine years is a long time to be in a relationship,congratulations.Ive been in one for 37 years so its commiserations.Continue to be happy and enjoy every minute.love from THE MATRIARCHXXXX

[ted]

awesome
You ever gone to the moon, awesome man... ha-ha. La Serena, someday I will go there too.