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| (Credit: NASA and ESA; obtained via Wikimedia Commons and subsequently adapted.) |
So says the introduction to Star Gazer, the televised short that each week showcases current sightseeing opportunities for the backyard astronomer—from streaking comets to unusual celestial alignments.
I don’t recall ever seeking out Star Gazer, which has aired on public television since 1976. Never recorded it, never Tivo-ed it, never made a note to watch it. Its brief five-minute duration (or the still shorter one-minute condensed version) and irregular placement between full-length programs or immediately preceding PBS’ late night signoff would make it difficult to do so anyhow.
On the rare occasions, however, when my TV-watching trajectory does coincide with the program’s appearance, I find it almost as enthralling as if it were a solar eclipse or a supermoon itself. This is as much the case now as it was when I was younger.
When it came on shortly before 1 a.m. central time the other night, after a performance by Spoon on Austin City Limits and just before PBS went dark for the evening, true to form, my hand froze on the remote, and I had the same reaction as I always do:
