I have heard somewhere that man makes plans and God laughs.
Wouldn't doubt that the comments in Heaven regarding this outfit bring on more than a few chuckles.
Maybe our attempts to understand the Creation is looked upon like someone trying to fix their cell phone with a sledge hammer.
I noticed my former place of receiving compensation for showing up was also mentioned somewhere on this thread as regards some sort of access to who knows where. I am of the opinion that some at JPL possibly contemplated this while receiving vital information by an osmotic process in the restroom.
True story already posted elsewhere; A light in a overhead fixture in a hallway required service and when maintenance showed up a gathering of some 5 people were there to watch. So it appears that the watch to 'work' ratio was 5 to 1. Tax dollars at work. It certainly seems to explain the private enterprise of today regarding space exploration. To a degree. JPL is still possibly Deep Space Network, DSN, oriented. The James Webb Space Telescope images are possibly processed there and maybe a consideration in that regard is that we are getting a final view of a 'small' portion of some of God's Work. Sure can't see much of the heavens from earth with all the light pollution. If you are in a region that seems dark and can see many stars at night it may still be less than even the numbers of 100 yrs ago. Makes me think of Revelation talking of 'darkening' of stars. Paradoxically by light pollution. ?????
I live in a different place now, but my home prior to this one was excellent for star gazing...loved it and I miss it
the Milky Way was highly visible at certain times of the year (due of course to the rotation of the earth and it's journey around the sun) and it was so clear you could see satellites passing overhead if you were there at the right time and 'shooting stars'. Once I saw a fireball, exploding just above the horizon...I reported it but never heard back.
no light pollution but too much where I live now, even though it is in the country....much larger population though
There is one experience that I will always remember. My sister-in-law and I decided to go up to the family country home in the mountains one Thursday evening and get a head start on the week-end. We arrived at night and stepping out of the car we both had our breath taken away.
I have never seen, then, or since then, a sky filled with stars like that one was. There was no moon, it was late fall so pretty cool out and everything came together for the most magnificent display of the heavens as a person could ever want to see. This was about 20 yrs or so now.
Love the night skies!