Astronomy in the life of an ordinary person

I have never been especially interested in astronomy, though I occasionally feel the tug to look up when there is a clear sky full of mysterious celestial bodies. What I find most interesting about astronomy and the study of the night sky is its incredibly important role in shaping the world we live in and our perspective of the world.

Of course we all know that there are 365 days in a year because that is how long it takes for the Earth to revolve once around the sun and there are 30 days in a month beacause that's close to how long it takes for the moon to revolve once around the earth. Beyond this many holidays occur around unusual astronomical events. In many cases people who worshipped the heavenly bodies had festivals on these days and after the people were converted to Christianity new Christian feast were created for these days to quash the remant pagan feasts.

What ever possessed these people, from at least the dawn of history until, almost certainly, the middle ages to keep such careful track of the goings-on in the heavens? Perhaps it was because they were present in a way that they are not to most people in 2006. The difference between them and us is, of course, electricity. Most people, at least in the West live in cities which are lit perpetually. Therefore, one never has to the chance to see a sky just dripping with stars. As little as 100 years ago, every time someone was outside at night they were treated to the ancient display.

From my own experience, I have found few things more inspiring than gazing at the night sky apart from human-created light. I would recommend everyone find the chance to look at this primeval display sometime in their life.

I blithely imagine the Greeks, sans TV, sitting around a fire and looking at the sky, thinking and discussing their myths and stories and imaging their heroes in the heavens, still full of life. I guess I might even argue that this is part of the disconnect (NDD nature deficit disorder) that afflicts more people today than at any other time in the human existence.

Keen as are the arrows
Of that silver sphere
Whose intense lamp narrows
In the white dawn clear,
Until we hardly see,
we feel that it is there.
- To a Skylark, Percy Bysshe Shelley

Many a night I saw the
Pleiades, rising thro' the
mellow shade,
Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies
tangled in a silver braid.
- Locksley Hall, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Andromeda! Sweet woman!
why delaying, So timidly
among the stars: come hither!
Join this bright throng, and
nimbly follow whither
They all are going.
- Endymion, John Keats
The Universe is an infinite
sphere, the centre of which is
everywhere, the circumference
nowhere.
- Pensées, Blaise Pascal

Weatherunderground provides constellation maps for every zipcode for every month for free. If you are so inclined it is a very efficient way to teach yourself some of the constellations.