Today is Mother's Day. What's that got to do with astronomy? For me, it has a lot to do with it. Let me explain.
When I was about 12 years old, I had a paper route. Back in those days, in the small town where I grew up, it was o.k. for a young kid to have a job. The pay wasn't much but my folks allowed me to keep the earnings and use them as I wished. The department store catalogs were full of fancy toys that any boy would dream of buying, but towards the back was the one item that I coveted - a telescope.
The little 60mm Jason refractor was certainly not the best telescope ever made, but as far as I was concerned it had no equal. I just had to have it, so after saving up my paper route money for a while, I asked my parents to take me to the store. I don't recall whether I actually had the full amount, but it would not surprise me to learn that my parents threw in a few dollars to help me get that scope.
Many nights were spent out in the back yard with that little telescope. My next-door neighbor and best friend at the time, Danny, would come over, and oh what celestial wonders we would discover! Sometimes we'd stay out late to see if we could find the great Andromeda nebula (the old books I had still called it that); sometimes we'd get up early in the morning to catch a glimpse of Mercury or Venus.
Mom never complained about my staying up late when I was observing. She praised me for the simple little observing log I designed in the school's graphic arts class. She bought me a subscription to Astronomy Magazine and opened my eyes to a much deeper level of the hobby than I ever knew existed.
In my high school years, Mom and Dad sent me to summer astronomy camps two different times. The first was a two-week trip to Kansas; the second was a six-week trip to Iowa. Being a na�ve young teenager, I didn't realize until much later how much of an emotional sacrifice this must have been to my Mom, who was learning to face the painful reality of her youngest son growing up and preparing to leave the nest.
One night, I was sitting alone in the back yard on a stump, peering through the telescope. Mom came out and sat with me. She asked me questions about what I was looking at, and took a turn at the eyepiece. I don't know if she even remembers that night, but for me it was perhaps the best night of observing I have ever had, and I cherish the memory. I'm sure it will never be matched.
Life went on and although my parents supported my initial desire to go to college for an astronomy degree, various events pushed me in different directions. Throughout it all, Mom has been there for me. In recent years my passion for astronomy has rekindled and my current equipment eclipses the old Jason refractor by a long shot. I still have that first telescope - the narrow grey tube sits in the basement, not forgotten, but hungry for another chance to spend an evening outside with a starry-eyed youngster.
Mom continues to listen as I talk about my astronomy adventures. She shares my hobby, not as another passionate amateur astronomer, but as only a Mother can - interested in whatever her son finds interesting, encouraging, caring, concerned.
The picture above is the result from last week's imaging session, and although most people know it as The Eagle Nebula or The Pillars of Creation, it reminds me of an Angel. I gave Mom the picture for a Mother's Day present this year. I truly wish everyone could have a Mother as wonderful as mine. Mom, I love you.
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