“Look up to the stars and not down at your feet. Try make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist...” – Stephan Hawking
In the world we are living in, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to appreciate and observe the wonder of the night sky. It is something that I can never take for granted working here at Londolozi: being able to marvel at the night sky especially in the shade of darkness with the presence of a new moon.
The night sky slowly taking shape just as the sun begins to set in the background
One of my favorite moments of my day is watching the sunset over the distant Drakensburg Mountains followed by the creeping darkness that fades in, soon engulfing the landscape with flickers of light starting to appear overhead. It’s something I breathe in, as I gaze up and appreciate the captivating night sky as it starts to take shape.
Rays of light flare out from behind the Drakensberg mountain range as it marks the end of another day just before the darkness sets in for the night. In winter the spectacular burnt orange and golden horizon is hard to beat as the dust settles from the day.
For me, the best time to stargaze is out in the bush during winter, with the clear skies and very little ambient light, it’s hard not to be enchanted by its wonder. As the night sky rolls in after you have been able to observe the natural world on the drive, you can’t help but appreciate the stillness, vastness, and expanse of the natural world above you and around you. If the beauty of the night sky is something that you are in awe of, come visit us next winter to see its magnificence.
A star trail, as constellations rise and fall through the night. Being in the southern hemisphere it also is a very different night sky for many of our international guests not only due to the abundance of stars but also the different constellations that can be seen.
As winter comes to an end and summer is fast approaching the night sky has started to transform as the last of the winter night sky begins to dip below the horizon making space for the upcoming constellations of the summer.
As a child, I always remember that feeling of vastness looking up at the sky and still holds true today. I use to play dot-to-dot and try to create animals from the stars while trying to point out any satellites that moved overhead before anyone else. Now, as an adult, I can see the different constellations that fill the night sky with the thread of the Milky Way threading through.
During the lockdown, I was back in Johannesburg and I decided to sit up in our garden on a bench and look up at the night sky and to be honest I longed to be back here in the bush. I missed it, the people, the adventures, the thrill of trying to find an animal, and the excitement of it all. I realised then that the only time I stopped to appreciate the stars was when I was in the bush. It’s a feeling I suppose of awe and contentment – that’s what for me is written in the stars. A feeling of being present, existing in a natural world without having to have explain it all. A feeling of contentment.
I think Stephan Hawking had a point that there is more to life than the reality we face each day. If we look up to the stars I don’t think it holds all the answers but there is a sense of wonder and unknowing which is captivating. Living in this natural world one can never have all the answers and know everything yet we can find in small moments to catch ourselves and for a moment exist in this universe we call home. So for me, it’s written in the stars… A reminder to be present, to catch yourself for a moment and experience the natural world around you, and for that moment. Wonder about what it feels like to exist.
Kirst, this was so well expressed and I appreciate you sharing. African safaris provide us city dwellers with incredible night skies to view, and for the first time I returned from my last trip with a sense of wonderment and of belonging in the universe. I was shown Orian’s Belt and other constellations that became etched in my mind. Here in Northern California, we see different constellations but the Milky Way is a constant, and finally in the mountains earlier this month I was able to watch it unfold in its entirety, one star at a time. I became so lost in its magnificence, I forgot to click my shutter No matter!!
Thanks Denise, I’m sure that they will be another time!
Very touching and so very, very true! Your final paragraph was brilliant!!
Thank you Melinda!
These pictures should win at a competition. They are mesmerising, endlessly inspiring like a true fairytale
There’s really something spectacular about the stars!
Kirst–we never fail to marvel at the winter Southern sky when we visit. Our rangers have provided several unique experiences including rolling down the airstrip with the lights out and the engine off–totally memorable.
Hawkins was a genius on many levels. James Tyrell did a wonderful tribute after Hawkins passed.
https://blog.londolozi.com/2018/03/15/a-tribute-to-stephen-hawking-1942-2018/
It included this quote:
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
Be curious.
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
It matters that you don’t just give up.”
Vin thanks so much for resharing this blog! It really was an incredible tribute !
A beautiful article.
The night sky over the bush is certainly something to wonder at and be awed by and cannot be appreciated too much.
Really is something I can never get used to marvelling at.
Kirst, thank you for your awesome insights. The pictures of the stars were super.
Well said Kirst, gazing up ap the stars takes you away into another world completely. It is captivating and sometimes feels as if you are flying with the stars. To think God created everything and all the stars and He named each one. How precious is that.
So Beautifully put Kirst, there is so much to be greatful for in our natural world, but sometimes the untouchable things, like the night sky or the shape of the clouds on a summers day bring home how small we are in the big picture. It is magical and awe inspiring and certainly makes one appreciate how wonderful the natural world is and how lucky we are to be here to enjoy it.
Thank you for this post Kirst! I have always loved the stars, and followed the various constellations through each season ever since I was a small child. You captured all feelings of awe and wonder in your post – very well expressed!
Having grown up in a rural area stars in the night sky were a constant. Only now, living in an area with so much light pollution do I know how much I took that for granted. David’s photo is beautiful. Thanks for this post!
First-Your discussion brought back a lot of memories for me! For those of us that are planetary scientists/geologists and planetary astronomers and have worked in southern Africa, it’s a fabulous environment for a lot of reasons: First, as Pangaea broke apart over a hundred million years ago, everything moved away from Africa. This preserved many of the old rocks of the continent, making it an outstanding place to study early Earth processes. It’s also part of the area where pre-humans and modern humans developed and first inhabited. When I worked in the Bushveld, not so far from Londolozi, I sometimes wondered what early man saw when he looked up at the sky millions of years ago. This is ironic because I’m actively involved in working with meteorites, which are our first examples of materials formed as the early solar nebula condensed and the planets and Sun formed billions of years ago. This desire to understand more about the Earth and its origins is part of what defines us as humans.