Generations in the Stars

The crisp night was clear and cloudless. A full moon provided enough ambient light for John, carrying his thermos, to climb the dirt path that would lead him to the top of the hill. This would be an ideal night for star gazing, he thought. The problem was, that wasn’t why he was here and, while the stars and distant galaxies that lit the night sky fascinated him, they were secondary to his purpose tonight.

           A bout of whooping cough at a young age had left him nearly blind in his left eye and therefore disqualified John from military service. Patriotic but unable to join the military to fight the Germans in Europe or the Japanese in the Pacific, John and his best friend, Earl, volunteered for the Aircraft Warning Service serving as plane spotters. Like John, Earl was similarly declared unfit for military service though for a different reason. Earl’s breathing difficulties and heart palpitations had been diagnosed as Neurocirculatory asthenia.

           Reaching the top of the hill where they were assigned to that evening, John found Earl already there, waiting for him.

           “Evening John” Earl called out.

           “Hi Earl. It’s a clear night, it should be easy to spot any planes that might come our way.”

           “We’ll never see any this deep into the east coast, John. This area, this whole side of the country really, is safe from everything the Germans have except those U-boats.”

           The two-hour shift passed quietly for John and Earl. The skies remained clear of aircraft but there was no shortage of distant stars and planets to view. John would be glad when the war was over, as would countless others. It was nights like this that would find him out in the dark with his new Saturn refractor telescope. It was also on nights like this where John’s interest in astronomy began.

           A couple of years and hundreds of plane spotter assignments later, the war ended. Not as interested in astronomy as John, Earl settled in with the Postal Service. The rural area suited him well because while walking a mail route would normally be a problem, driving a delivery route was not. In the years following the end of the war, not only did John’s interest in astronomy grow, so did his family. He was not a fanatic who spent every evening out gazing at distant stars, but he was interested enough to consider it a hobby and thus, joined the local astronomer’s club.

           Not wealthy by any means, he earned a good living with the state liquor control board that provided all that his family needed. John and his wife, Louise, had grown their family, adding three boys. He hoped that one day, he would be able to share his interest in astronomy with his sons. Meanwhile though, while his boys were still young, John continued learning all that he could about the various astronomy terms, planets and stars. Sky and Telescope proved to be a valuable reference and learning tool for him too. Over the years, he learned the difference between comets and meteors, what quasars, pulsars and nebula are too.

           As the years passed, and John and Louise’s boys grew older, he was hopeful that they would show an interest in astronomy as well. James, who was the oldest of the three and preferred to be called Jim, showed no interest in looking at stars. His interest lay in the still burgeoning field of electrical engineering. Still, Jim did try to appease his father on occasion by venturing out with him to the odd astronomy club meeting or out to an as yet undeveloped hill in the area, telescope in hand.

           With Jim’s disinterest apparent, John placed his hopes of sharing his hobby with his younger sons, John Jr. and Thomas.

           Though not quite as fascinated with astronomy as his father, John Jr. did have more than just a passing interest. He accompanied his father to most of the astronomy club meetings and began to see a different side of his father than the one he saw at home. John Jr. was in many ways a typical child, rebellious and often frustrated by what he saw as a lack of understanding by John Sr. As he continued to accompany his father to the club meetings, he saw that his father was highly respected among the other members of the club.

           Over the years, John Sr. had become very knowledgeable in astronomy and was often sought out for that knowledge. He was also very meticulous when it came to setting up and aligning a telescope. John Jr. had seen that meticulousness first-hand at home the few times he had tried to help is father setup the telescope on the nights that were optimal to search the stars. While he knew that his father had a temper at times, he assumed that his temper was only brought out when he or one of his brothers had done something they weren’t supposed to do. It was at one of these club meetings that John Jr. learned that not only was his father’s temper not reserved for home use only, but he also had a few choice words that someone his age shouldn’t know.

           As a result of seeing his father in a different light and the respect with which others held him, John Jr. also gained a different level of respect for his father. Borrowing a few books and magazines, he expanded his own knowledge on astronomy so that he would be able to have better, more in-depth conversations with his father instead of always needing him to explain why or how so often.

           Years passed, as they always do. Some quickly and others at a seemingly slower pace until the time came when John Jr. and Thomas graduated into adulthood and began lives of their own. John Sr.’s interest in astronomy never waned though slowly, he was seen fewer and fewer times at club meetings until one day, he simply stopped attending. His telescope came out less often as well. There wasn’t much left in space that he wanted to see with an amateur telescope and at his age, buying a newer model didn’t make sense, even with the increase in technology. The only thing that was still as yet unseen by him was that famed comet, Halley’s Comet.

           John Sr. had been born a few years after the comet’s last visit and even if he had been alive then, he wouldn’t have known or understood what he was looking at. Through the years, he had read all that he could about and anticipated its next arrival. If you were lucky, you might be alive for two passes by the famed comet, but when it came to understanding it, you only had one real chance.

           Luck was on John Sr.’s side, as it had been for most of his life. Not only did he see Halley’s Comet, he shared the experience with his two youngest sons as well as four of his grandchildren. A week later, luck was no longer on John Sr.’s side as he passed away.