Bright side of the night – 2.4.2

Perception of the nocturnal landscape and the starry night sky

The health value of real darkness

In today’s world, everything is bright. Real darkness becomes a positive contrast; it has value. The natural night landscape is an increasingly rare experience. It is mysterious, archaic and romantic; its character is unique and also a source of identity. Darkness heightens our senses. Our imagination takes the place of that which has become invisible.

Contemplating the starry sky

Many of us are unfamiliar with the natural night. Its experiential value is derived from the view of the starlit sky and the edges of landscapes barely discernible in dark shades. When we observe the night sky, we contemplate the infinity of space, the meaning and the end of our existence. Looking into the Milky Way, our own galaxy or even into foreign galaxies, illustrates the infinity of the universe and shows the finiteness of the areas and resources on our earth.

Starry Sky observations

Observing the starry sky is one of the oldest cultural habits and traits of mankind. While initially the question of determining time and the creation of calendars were in the foreground, the observation of the starry sky later played a prominent role for astronomical navigation in seafaring. The position of certain stars was determined with the help of a sextant. In combination with precise clocks, the position of the ship and the course could thus be determined exactly.

The power of old wisdom

Our ancestors also used the starry sky to exercise their creativity and imagination. Many myths have grown up around constellations. Centuries of observations of the phases of the moon, the signs of the zodiac, the sun and the planets have handed down applied knowledge for planting and harvesting in agriculture and other areas of daily life. Many ancient cultures for instance used the star cluster Pleiades to determine the time of sowing. According to this, when the Pleiades disappeared from the firmament, sowing took place in March, and when the Pleiades appeared in the firmament, harvesting took place in October.

Sowing and the moon

Among many people and cultures, it is popular to tend to fields and gardens according to the moon cycle. Sowing before the full moon, for instance, is said to result in higher yields and better plant quality, apparently due to the shorter distance between the moon and the earth that recurs once every month. Scientists describe the effect of the forces as rather small, pointing to the much greater effects of water and nutrient availability, light and heat.

Woodworking and the moon

Another popular activity related to the moon cycle is woodworking. It is said that the wood from trees that are felled in the winter time, when the moon is waning, just before the new moon or at the beginning of March, exhibits higher density and longer durability. The correlation between felling instances and wood quality is yet to be scientifically proven.

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Boy perceiving the night sky – Image by lilologi – Pixabay.

Further resources

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Images

Numerous images of the night sky can be downloaded on Pixabay.