I am clearly stuck on reflecting about stars and the night sky. Here’s a nice summary about today’s sky from Perplexity that never ceases to amaze me –
The night sky we observe today is a glimpse into the past, as the light from celestial objects takes time to reach us. For example, the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, is about 4.37 light-years away, meaning we see it as it was over four years ago. The stars and galaxies visible tonight are at varying distances, with some light taking millions or even billions of years to reach Earth. Thus, the night sky is a tapestry of different ages, reflecting the vast distances and timescales of the universe.
The idea that we’re looking up at a sky from 4 years ago is both mind blowing and almost hard to comprehend.
A simple look up at the night sky unveils so many layers of wonder.
