Far away next door

I couldn’t love this time of year more.

Autumn is simply perfect. I love the cool, misty mornings, the bright yet darkening nights and wonderful smelling forests. This time is and has always been very meaningful to me. I remember reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time as a myth-obsessed nine-year-old feeling so connected to Frodo and Bilbo – also for them autumn was the time of adventure, travelling and unexpected things. Not that I’d have that kind of excitement and adventure in my life; I just feel I can very well relate to the atmosphere and mood that fills the Shire every autumn.

Something similar I feel when reading Tove Jansson’s Moominvalley in November. In that book autumn nearly seems to be one of the actual characters (a personification of some sort, perhaps), creating such a strong feel of being not only on the threshold of winter but also being very alone, very disconnected and very isolated both from others and from yourself. And yet, hidden deep behind all that loneliness and anxiety the characters feel in the empty and desolate Moominhouse, there is something utterly comforting about the book and the way it presents autumn – a combination created by a true genius in my opinion.

As much as I’d love to keep rambling about books there was something else I was planning to say.

When it comes to my amateur star observing hobby I’d say August and September are probably my favourite months to watch the sky and get my neck sore. It is dark enough but not too cold; the evenings are darkening slowly so that it is easy to see and recognize the brightest stars that appear first; the ground isn’t yet white and bright with snow. I’ve spent several evenings with my poor man’s backyard astronomy which basically means I’m either sitting or walking outside with binoculars around midnight, trying to recognize stars, constellations, galaxies and star clusters. There isn’t much I know yet; at the moment there are 24 objects I recognize (some of them only partially, though – for instance Hercules is for some mysterious reason lacking his left leg, poor guy). That is to say, there is very little I recognize and even less that I understand about the things I see.

Arcturus. It's a bit dim but perhaps you can see it.

About two weeks ago I finally managed to see Andromeda galaxy. I know it’s actually very easy to find but this far I’ve only been spotting constellations and clusters. Looking at that small, foggy yet bright thing felt unbelievable. Theoretically it is next door but from the very limited perspective of a simple human child it’s incomprehensibly far. My understanding simply doesn’t extend to that kind of distances. Seeing something like that is one of those moments when you stop thinking and keep looking – and when you manage to tear your eyes away you’ve gained a bit more perspective, a bit more understanding, a bit more unity.