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DanWainwright21 t1_j54ayjm wrote

Reply to comment by p0k3t0 in Ancient humans and their early depictions of the universe: “It is no exaggeration to say that astronomy has existed as an exact science for more than five millennia,” writes the late science historian John North. by clayt6

I get a sense of awe whenever anybody talks about seeing a clear night sky. I had the pleasure to be at a party on private land in the middle of Wales with no light glare about ten years ago during the perseids meteor shower.

I lay outside watching the stars for a long time and the shooting stars... hundreds upon hundreds of them. I've never seen the sky so clear, nor that many shooting stars ever.

I had this feeling of connection to the whole Universe. As vast as it was, it was close, and I felt I could sense life everywhere doing the same as me in that moment too, looking back towards me. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.

I'm a musician, and I've written many songs about that feeling, awe in that one moment, and I probably will continue to for the rest of my life.

I've been chasing it ever since to see the same thing again. I hope I do one day.

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hester_grey t1_j54l78k wrote

Sounds like maybe the Brecon Beacons? Amazing place to view the night sky - I saw the Milky Way for the first time from near Pen y Fan recently and I'm not ashamed to say I cried.

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DanWainwright21 t1_j54luew wrote

It was on a farm in Meifod. It was the most moving thing. I struggled leaving. I'm from Liverpool, but lived in Manchester at the time working as a DJ and I just knew that wasn't the life for me anymore and I wanted to make Wales my home.

I've lived in Wales for over a year now and I'm just about to embark on a life as a folk musician. It took some time but I'm glad that change is taking place. And that's all because the sky was so inspiring that night. I've never been able to click with a city ever again.

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hester_grey t1_j54m75m wrote

Ah nice. I moved from England to Wales too. It's a gem of a country, I'm starting to really get why the Welsh are so proud to be Welsh. They've got something to be proud of for sure.

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DanWainwright21 t1_j54mkjy wrote

It's gorgeous. I value being able to go and explore and climb hills and walk through forests so much.

This is slightly unrelated, but I'm sure it'll be a great dark spot too. But I've got a growing fascination with Glen Affric in Scotland for the ancient native pine and aspen forests that are there.

But it's next on my list for a get away and hopefully some nice dark skies :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVxe2fR2tGg

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