Novalunosis

Two Cups of Tea at Hope’s Café

I love discovering new words.  What a bonus when I recognize they apply to me!  I stumbled onto “novalunosis” this week, “the state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars. “

My first experience of a planetarium was in Denver, Colorado when I was about 10.  I had no idea there was such a thing.  Every opportunity I have had since then to view a planetarium program I have made sure I attended.  More recently I have experienced Big Bend Observatory in Texas, located between two International Dark Sky Preserves, and the Southern Africa Large Telescope (SALT).  It is the largest single optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.  It can detect stars one billion times dimmer than the faintest star which can be seen with the naked eye. 

In researching for this blog I discovered Stellarium Web Online Star Map, a planetarium which you can run in your web browser. It is based on the open source Stellarium Web Engine project.  The web version of the project is a collaboration between Fabien Chereau, the original creator, and his brother Guillaume. Chereau is a French research engineer and computer programmer best known for authoring the planetarium software Stellarium, a free, open source astronomy software package which renders 3D phot-realistic skies in real time. (Wikipedia)  I am intrigued!

I further learned that this French man graduated with majors in math, physics, chemistry and industrial technology. He studied in Finland as an exchange student at the Tempere University of Technology and went on to receive his master’s degree in computer science at the National Institute of Applied Sciences of Lyon, France.  (Perhaps he is a “polymath” as discussed in my previous blog?)

 This software is available on Google Play or by download on the App Store.  The brothers request that if you like it, to please consider donating to the Stellarium Project or buying their mobile version.  They report the money will be used to pay the server costs and hopefully also the development costs.

From ancient civilizations until now, people have been drawn by the stars.  One of my favorite memories is sitting with our grandsons on the balcony of a townhouse their parents were renting at the time and watching the stars come out, one, then two, then a sky full.  In that moment the world seemed full of peace.  Later when we visited, their bedroom was decorated with the planets and even the toddler could name them. 

It has been said “The sky is the ultimate art gallery.”  What an apt description!

The invitation is open to share “two cups of tea” anytime at Hope’s Café, or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.

May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter.  Shalom, Kate