As I sat reclined in the Dome at the SLC Hansen Planetarium, the evening sky appeared, the voice welcomed us to the theatre and got us started with a bit of education. The Big Dipper is not a constellation, it is a part of Ursa Major. If you make a straight line up the outer two stars of the dipper you find the North Star, Polaris. It is the one star in our earth sky that does not move from its location. If you continue in that same line you find Cassiopeia, we recognize it as a W. I did not know that the vain Goddess is thought to be looking in a mirror, over her imaginary right shoulder is the group of stars that is the farthest away group we can see with the naked eye. Andromeda is the closest galaxy to our own, only 2 million light years away.
The voice from the dark showed us a visual of the range of the new James Webb telescope. The voice called the new telescope a “time machine”. Indeed, the roughly $10 billion telescope “allows us to see deeper into space and farther back towards the origins of our universe, than humans have been able to see before.” “Webb can observe light from the universe’s very first stars and galaxies that formed 13.5 billion years ago, just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang,” according to astrophysicist John Mather. The learning opportunities are endless as we explore the secrets and mysteries of the universe.
We were in SLC to see Steph Curry and the San Francisco Warriors play the Utah Jazz. Hank loves the Warriors and this was his birthday gift from his parents. Megan and I were the chaperones for the trip and the excitement was running high. We got to the game as early as the stadium opens with the hope that Hank could watch the warm ups and get an autograph from Steph and his favorite players. Turned out that Curry, Draymond Green and Wiggins, three of the starters were out with injuries and did not even make the trip. How would Hank react? I cannot tell you he was not disappointed but he took it in stride and we watched one of the best games ever, the Warriors made a great come back but lost in the last second on a turnover and a great play by Utah. Again, Hank made us proud after Megan’s philosophical gambit, “what are you going to do? Sh***t happens.” Yes it does, we will work to find another chance for Hank to see the players who motivate him to get better at the game he loves.
I have to close with a thanks to Georgia. Against all the cards stacked against him, Raphael Warnock earned another six year term in the U. S. Senate. I hope you might take a minute to listen to the acceptance speech from Warnock. The man is passionate about his commitment to the people of Georgia and to our democracy. He reminded all of us that “the people have spoken” but that he would represent all of the citizens of Georgia. Warnock is a pastor but he acknowledged that regardless of your beliefs he embraces a “big tent” philosophy.
May the force be with us as we face the many challenges to our freedom and equality.
Mike