Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another. |
| I never thought one of my dates would put Chris to sleep. Well boy was I wrong! Before we get there, let me back up. I’ve always loved star gazing. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know a lot about astronomy or the constellations, but I enjoy looking out at the stars and yielding to the feeling of being so small… in a good way. |  |
With an interest in seeing the stars more closely, I teed up the Chabot Space & Science Center for Mystery Date #8. Chris is an enginerd and loves science and I like the night sky... Win-Win, right?
So, we headed out after dinner on a Friday night. Admittedly, it had been a long week, but I thought we would pep-up once we got going. We drove up the winding back hills of Oakland and arrived at the Center in darkness.
The sky was perfectly clear making conditions optimal for using the various telescopes on the roof.
There was Leah, Rachel, and most famous, Nellie. The interesting thing about Nellie is that it is housed in a rolling roof observatory, allowing access to 180 degrees of sky.
There was Leah, Rachel, and most famous, Nellie. The interesting thing about Nellie is that it is housed in a rolling roof observatory, allowing access to 180 degrees of sky.
Peering through the various lenses, the night sky seemed to light up so full of wonder and mystery. The docents were excellent, answering both simple questions and those involving a more sophisticated understanding of astronomy (not us).
From there we went back inside to catch the much anticipated Pink Floyd laser light show. Hello mid 90's High School! Settling into our reclining seats, it felt like were were headed for a time warp to yesteryear.
The lights dimmed, the music and lasers began. As the show started to get rolling, I look over to find Chris, eyes closed and fly trap wide open! Not just "resting his eyes" or “centering his mind", but all out “I need a pillow and blanket" sleeping. All I could do is laugh… we’ve got Floyd blasting, laser lights twirling, and Chris managed to take himself a nice nap.
The lights dimmed, the music and lasers began. As the show started to get rolling, I look over to find Chris, eyes closed and fly trap wide open! Not just "resting his eyes" or “centering his mind", but all out “I need a pillow and blanket" sleeping. All I could do is laugh… we’ve got Floyd blasting, laser lights twirling, and Chris managed to take himself a nice nap.
As the show wrapped up, we were both ready to head home. It certainly wasn't the most glamorous date, but there were some beautiful glimpses into the wonders of the universe.
