Mister Rogers and Thomas Jefferson

A Rainy Night at the Observatory

“I’m very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder.” –Fred Rogers on the Charlie Rose show

I got to talk at the observatory.

Thomas Jefferson himself chose the site, overlooking Charlottesville before the lights of the city glimmered out like the jewels of a magic carpet. (Don’t look too close, they’ll just convey you to Trader Joe’s. But if you squint, and look to the heart of things, you’ll see Life settling down for the evening, and an eternity in sodium vapor orange.)

The 1883 26” Clark refractor is the sister of the scope at the US Naval Observatory in DC. (Washington always has been insufferable, and the clever play on words finally landed right now. Maybe they should move it to LA.)

It confirmed the discovery of the Martian moons, and measured the parallax of a bazillion stars, playing a major role in figuring out the size of the Milky Way. It’s a cosmic tape measure, chilling on a hilltop at the University of Virginia.

And I got to speak to my astronomy club there. What an honor.

It was supposed to be a talk for beginners in the other room, but showtime logistics change, and there I was, in front of some of the men who had measured the stars.

Not a great time to go over basics I had been asked to discuss.

So I rearranged and philosophized and joked and we all had a tolerable time together in this church of science with the ancient pine heart floors that have creaked under many a 3 am tread.

We talked numbers and light years and the vast distances across intergalactic space, tying that into what we see at the eyepiece of a telescope on a clear night.

“Uh, you guys ready for the next speaker?” I asked of my pals getting a slideshow cued up.

“Almost”.

And then this Mister Rogers clip popped into my head. Doing my best impression, I told them this.

(The video won’t embed here, but click on the square to watch on YouTube. It’s worth it.)

“I’m very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder.” –Fred Rogers on the Charlie Rose show

I keep telling people over coffee and under the stars that I collect facts like bits of string, piling them away in some dusty drawer, ready to pull out at trivia night or to hide behind when things get quiet and people want to know what I really think.

They haven’t turned into a rope of wisdom yet.

Mister Rogers has me thinking.

Clear skies to you,

Josh

PS. I’ll be hanging out at 2nd Act Books in downtown C’ville on Wednesday the 20th in the evening to talk about my book Cities on a Hill and probably aliens or something. Come on by and let’s discuss.