This past week, we had the privilege of touring the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI. I have always loved visiting planetariums and observatories; there is a sense of wonder and honor of our Universe that I wished to introduce to our youngest son. As an adult, astronomy is fascinating. It is a connection, both spiritual and emotional, to a God that is greater than ALL we have the ability to SEE.
During our tour, we received demonstrations on how to view the SUN with a common make-up mirror, natural sunlight, and a sheet of white paper….it was thoroughly impressive for our 6 yr. old! The SUN in stained glass…thoroughly impressive for me!
Yerkes Observatory (finished in 1897) houses the World’s Largest Lens Telescope. It is a massive telescope that, even without “looking into the great beyond,” leaves you with a sense of “smallness.”
When standing beside the telescope, you can’t help but marvel at the imagination and creativity of the human mind; the gallant efforts to fund and create what had never been accomplished before.
When viewing the photographs within the Observatory, there is nothing less than awe of the Universe that God has created.
The tours of the Yerkes Observatory are free and, with a small donation, we were given the January, 2013 copy of ASTRONOMY Magazine. It is a wonderful issue complete with a pull-apart section for Astronomy’s 2013 Guide to the Night Sky.
Within the January issue, there is an interesting article entitled: “Strange Universe,” by Bob Berman. Mr. Berman discusses the probability of “random” atom collisions that could have created creatures with a sense of perception. I kept reading with a little more excitement than proved necessary as he goes on to state, “I’m not advocating any philosophical viewpoint here; I’m merely saying that the random supposition is simply not any kind of useful hypothesis.” Although the article is not currently up on the website…you can read the full article here soon!
For us, we will continue to GO FORTH into our own backyard. When all of our Thanksgiving festivities are over, we will look for the “North Star” and continue to marvel at God’s gift of the Universe, the Sun, and HIS SON! For without THE MIRACLE…all observations alone, seem infinitely futile.
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