It is no secret that the star laden skies over Nantucket Island are like none you will find anywhere else in the world. But in recent weeks I have found myself literally gasping out loud as I step out of my car in the evening and discover I’m blanketed with a gazillion twinkling lights. I don’t understand the science of it all, but for some reason this time of year the stars appear lower in the sky. It’s as if Mother Earth, with hand on her hip, tilts just so…as if to say, “look what I’m serving tonight!” I stepped out onto the balcony off my bedroom the other night and I kid you not, if I had stood on my tiptoes I could have reached up and snatched one of those little sparklers right out of the sky.
One of our homeowners, with a beachfront home, told me recently that he feels like the stars are so low he can actually see them dancing right on top of the water. And when one falls from the sky, he can almost see it dip beneath the sea. It is an awe inspiring phenomenon.
Last Friday night I had the privilege of getting an even closer look at this star spangled Nantucket sky. My husband and I visited the Maria Mitchell Observatory for the first time ever. How could I have been coming to Nantucket for so many years and missed something so spectacular?? As we peered through the tiny lens of the 103 year old (yes, you read that right) telescope, we got an up close and personal look at Jupiter and 3 of her moons (one had slipped behind her prior to our arrival) and an even closer look at the craters on the moon. The highlight of the night was when Vladimir, our brilliant tour guide, was using his laser pointer to highlight the Belt of Orion in the night sky. As if on cue, a star burst open and soared clear across the sky. We all oooo’d and ahhhh’d with delight.
We have a tradition with our family and friends of making at least one nighttime trip to the beach each summer….for the sole purpose of engaging the stars in a celestial conversation. We bring our flashlights and large quilts and we make our way to the nearest sandy beach late in the evening on a bright starry night. As we lie there together, friends or family, we laugh and chat and make bets who will see the first falling star….and someone always wins! And then as a few moments pass we find ourselves in silence. There is something about lying prone next to the ocean’s edge under a blanket of endless shimmering lights that brings you face to face with your smallness.
The next time this little island graces you with one of her brilliant starry nights, stop by the Observatory to get an up close view; then grab a quilt, a flashlight and someone you love and head to the waters edge. Spend some time absorbing the vastness of it all. And by all means don’t forget to make a wish! Nantucket is famous for making people’s dreams come true.
Star light , star bright…..
Shellie Dunlap
