Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

A Bright Light

Geez, the news is so depressing. I can barely listen to NPR anymore. And as I scan the newspapers and news websites I honestly feel a bit nauseous. I worry about the viscous circle effect, the media keeps us constantly up-to-date on everything that is wrong or could possibly go wrong, and it creates an atmosphere of dread, and things just get worse. So I'm making it a priority to try and find the fun, positive, optimistic news! I may not succeed all the time. But why not try? So I checked out the Discoveries Blog from the Christian Science Monitor and learned about Comet Lulin, which will be zipping by remarkably close to Earth over the next couple nights (but not "natural disaster film" close). One tidbit that put a lot of things in perspective for me was the fact that this particular comet's orbital period is nearly 50 million years long. FIFTY MILLION YEARS! Awe-inspiring and humbling.

The library has tons of books for the amateur astronomer (here's just a few) but one that I like in particular is by H. A. Rey (the same H. A. Rey of Curious George fame) and is called The Stars: A New Way to See Them. I like it for many reasons. First, it has that very retro, H. A. Rey look that appeals to me. It uses narrative and pictures in a most delightful and practical way to teach about the stars, planets, constellations, and much more. And the first line says it all, "This book is meant for people who want to know just enough about the stars to be able to go out at night an find the major constellations, for the mere pleasure of it." That's me! Seriously, this is a fantastic book. Check out the 2008 edition for the most up-to-date information.

Another book I quite enjoy that focuses on space is called Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars and is a series of whimsical poems and beautiful paintings by Douglas Florian. It is technically for younger folks, but I believe it would appeal to any age. The colors are vivid and he does some wonderful things with cut-outs and collage. And this is my kind of poetry. For instance this one titled, The Universe:

The universe is every place,
Including all the e  m  p  t  y  space.
It's every star and galaxy,
All objects of astronomy,
Geography, zoology
(Each cat and dog and bumblebee),
All persons throughout history --
Including you,
Including me.

Isn't that lovely?! This book also includes a further reading list in the back and a glossary that includes mention of the Oort Cloud, from which Comet Lulin originates.

If your looking for less poetry and more science, but with lots of breath-taking pictures of our universe, go with Bang!: the Complete History of the Universe, written by Brian May, Patrick Moore, and Chris Lintott. This book talks about the birth of our universe 13.7 billion years ago and follows it all the way through to what they presume will be its end. And it is all done in a very fun, easy-to-understand way - which is saying a lot seeing that it's about the creation of all things! Oh, and as an extra piece of trivia, the author Brian May was the co-founder and lead guitarist for the band Queen - he wrote the song "We Will Rock You"! He then went on to get his Ph.D. in astrophysics.

And all this talk of space and comets and Queen brings me to Science Fiction. I must recommend a short story I recently read that actually sent chills up my spine! The title is Finis and you can find it in The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories, edited by Tom Shippey. It was written in 1906 by Frank L. Pollack and I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just throw out there that it's about a sun, a very big sun in the center of the universe, and the title really tells it all. The Oxford Book of Science Fiction Stories is an awesome collection from some of the finest Science Fiction writers including H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Portland's own Ursula K. Le Guin. This book is perfect for the Sci-Fi fan (like myself), but also great for folks who are curious about the genre, as well as those who think Science Fiction is all green aliens and ranting robots. There is a story for everyone in this collection. My favorites were all written in the 1950s (and yes, there are a lot of robots in those).

So, if you miss seeing Lulin as it passes by, do not despair that it will not return for another 50 million years, the library has much to offer the stargazer!