Text 25201, 78 rader
Skriven 2006-11-17 18:16:42 av Ed Hulett (1:123/789.0)
  Kommentar till text 25184 av Mimi Gallandt (1:123/789.0)
Ärende: Election
================
Mimi Gallandt -> Ed Hulett wrote:

 EH>>>>>> The sun was barely visible, the day (it was around 8:AM TR> or so)
 EH>>>>>> took on a dim, dull-reddish glow. Soon, ash began to `rain' down
 EH>> all
 TR>>>>>>> over the place.


 TR>>>>>>> Mount St. Helens had gone off!


 EH>>>>>> That was a few years ago. ;-)


 TR>>>>> Back in the early 80's.

 EH>>>> May 18, 1980 to be precise.

 EH>>>>>> I remember that morning well. I was about to head over to visit my
 EH>>>>>> parents in Sumner and all the way there I kept looking over at
 MG> this
 EH>>>>>> huge black cloud to the south. When I got to my parents' house,
 EH>> they
 EH>>>>>> were watching the whole thihng on TV.


 TR>>>>>>> What a sight!


 EH>>>>>> And that was just an average eruption on the scale of volcanic
 EH>>>>>> activity.


 TR>>>>> Witnessing the beginning of an event of nature, that had the
 EH>> power to
 TR>>>>> spread its aftermath over thousands of miles........one realizes
 MG> the
 TR>>>>> fragility of Man's `.......dominion over all the Earth...'.

 EH>>>> It does make you feel small and powerless.

 MG>>> There is a lot of artificial light in SoCal and too much urban light
 MG>>> "washes" out the intensity of the light from stars. While we were
 MG>>> stationed at NTC Great Lakes and I was a Girl Scout leader the
 MG> "local"
 MG>>> Girl Scout camp was in Wisconsin (it probably still is) and laying
 MG> out
 MG>>> under the sky and all those stars that are easily seen there makes
 MG> one
 MG>>> feel somewhat inconsequential.

 EH>> Fortunately my backyard is relatively free of light pollution and I
 MG> have
 EH>> a small (700mm) refractive telescope. At the moment it's a bit too
 EH>> chilly for star gazing, but in the spring and summer I can sit out
 MG> there
 EH>> and look at the various stars and galaxies.

 EH>> I enjoy looking at the past through my telescope. It is indeed
 MG> humbling.

 MG> I'm not sure I've ever heard that analogy before, but it's very apt.
 MG> "looking at the past" Good one.

It took millions of years for the light from some of those stars and nebulae to
reach earth. It makes you pause and think.

Ed

-- 
Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows
no more. -- William Cowper

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