3 ms·
Semi-related: Most humans stopped valuing the stars after mechanical clocks were invented. That led us to follow the abstract time rather than the sun, seasons
by lalos 5y ago
Semi-related: Most humans stopped valuing the stars after mechanical clocks were invented. That led us to follow the abstract time rather than the sun, seasons and therefore the stars. That combined with cities with light pollution, makes you realize we're one of the first batches of humans with almost no contact with the stars.
- lwigo 5y agoSailors still rely(ied) on stars even with chronometers but I get the point you're making. "Head west for 8 weeks" wasn't quite enough.
- reaperducer 5y agoI started re-valuing the stars maybe ten years ago, when I got in the habit of checking the mailbox at night when my wife got home from work. Even though I lived in one of the worst light-polluted cities in the region, I found that if I stood in the right place, so that I didn't have a streetlight in my face — like under an eave — and I just waited, my eyes would get used to the dark and I could see maybe 10 or 15 stars. Enough to make it interesting. All it takes is a little patience. Eventually, I started going out and getting the mail before she came home so I'd have more star time, and it wasn't too long before some of them became familiar friends, and I noticed how others changed position from week to week. It doesn't take much effort to appreciate the stars. But it's more effort than many people are willing to expend.
- vagrantJin 5y ago10 or 15 stars. This is the saddest thing on this thread.