And I thought the moon was breathtaking.. Last night, I went over to visit with Chris and Johnathen for a little while. When I was starting to get tired (which never happens at a normal time here) I decided to head home to actually get some sleep. Chris walked me out the door and we were just talking when something in the sky caught my eye. All day it had been windy, rainy, and cloudy so I was surprised to see something.
However, when we looked up there were no clouds in sight. All we could see were thousands and thousands of stars. In every direction I looked I could see bright, twinkling stars. We were able to see so many constellations and I was even able to name some that Chris didn’t know to recognize (thank you Professor Hricko!). Johnathen came out to join us, and oh that was the best.
Because of where he lives, Johnathen never really gets to see the stars. He’s ten years old and last night was probably the third of fourth time he’s seen them. Now I’ve seen the stars before; not like this by any means, but I’ve seen them. Johnathen, on the other hand, was just so incredibly excited to see the stars and satellites. As I was pointing out the big dipper to him, I got to see as Johnathen witnessed his first shooting star. We both happened to be looking at the sky at the right time, and his reaction was priceless. Not only was it exciting for him, but for me as well. All I could think was, “I just saw a shooting star in Alaska” and this is just another time where I can’t believe that I really live here.
As we were all watching the stars and trying to find different constellations, I started to walk towards my apartment to try to get a better view of one of the clusters. It was then that I saw the moon. It was just starting to make its way into the sky, and was just rising over the lake behind our houses. From where I was standing, it looked as I could reach out and grab it. It was directly behind the school playground, and seeing those two things together was just an amazing sight. The three of use didn’t know what to do with ourselves, we were so blown away by how beautiful it all was.
That’s when Chris suggested we take a drive down the road that runs along the beach. We were hoping that we’d be able to see the Northern Lights over the bay, but we weren’t lucky enough. I think my mind would have exploded if I’d been able to see those as well. On our way back, I stopped the car so we could just stargaze a little. Now this is also when I did something that is part of any scary, middle of nowhere movie. I turned off the car and the lights..
Thankfully, no axe murderers came to get us and we were able to stargaze in peace. We sat there in complete silence, far enough away from town that we couldn’t hear the ever present hum of the generator. All we could hear were the sounds of birds calling to each other, the waves out in the bay, and the occasional gust of wind. I don’t think I will ever have a night like this one again in my lifetime.
Like so many of my experiences out here, I can only do my best to describe what I’m witnessing. What I saw in the sky last night is too amazing to be able to accurately put into words. I can only say that everyone needs to experience the night sky in Alaska at least once in their life.
As we pulled back into the school parking lot, the clouds were taking over the sky; it was as if the curtains were closing after the last act of an unforgettable play. I will spend the rest of my nights here praying for the sky to be as clear as it was when I was leaving Chris’ house last night. Had I not gone over to visit or had I stayed just a half an hour longer, we all would have missed the show. It was as if we were meant to be there watching as a reward for making it through our first full week of school. For me, it was the perfect way to mark the completion of my first full month as a teacher:)
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