Human lives, expectations and a 2016 night sky
The moon has a special place in poetic imagination. Thus, the presence of the super moon on Monday night was significant in the eyes of the star-gazers. leaving the science aside for a moment, the super moon was quintessentially a reminder of the place that moon occupies in the imagination of the world. To see a super moon, is akin to making peace with oneself in the turbulent times we live in. Its extraordinary presence in the dark sky is a silent reminder of all that is natural and, therefore, beautiful in the realm of the human. Poets and philosophers have written about the importance of the moon and beauty, the way it transcends the usual dimension of being, and rises above, to touch the feelings of man. The refinement of feelings is perhaps one special way that an event like the super moon contributes to. Monday's moon was the closest full-sized moon to earth since 1948. And, much to the disappointment of nature- lovers, the super moon of this magnitude, would again be spotted only in 2034. The year 2016 was unique, as it does not stand as a mean between the two calendar years, but has a firm tilt towards the latter. In its own way, it conveys to humankind that the future is what we should look towards, as the nature too moves in the direction of what is bright and good. Monday’s night moon was the second in the series of the super moons seen this year, the last would rise in December 2016, although of a lesser magnitude.
Scientists have explained that the moon's path around earth is mildly elliptical and, therefore, it is at times closer and other times, farther from its chosen planet. And, the night when the moon shines the best — what is popularly called full moon and when its path is closest to earth — it transforms into a super moon. The phenomenon also increases the light of the moon, as its capacity to lighten enhances by 30 per cent. Philosophers have always put forward the argument that the world is in flux and we, mere mortals, are specks in this large machine that we call our home planet. Although, at the same time, they argue, human agency creates that flux, the movement of history, the life that is lived individually and collectively with others. The super moon is a timely reminder of the motion that forms the destiny of the world, gives it a foundation, a place to live and breathe. It would be revealing to think what others in different countries, continents and cultures would have thought, while looking at the brightest light on this week’s dark sky. Some thoughts would have been personal, others political and still others related to the divine and the awe that nature has the ability to produce in the hearts and minds of people. Thus, nature communicates with human beings, perhaps telling them that life can be good, if we know how to make it, to protect the nature as it nourishes us, to live with peace and principles with other cultures and peoples. In India, of course, the moon has also become a metaphor for romantic musings.