As many of you know, I’m the daughter of an astronomer. Specifically, an astronomer who studied supernovae, the luminous explosions of stars at the end of their lives. My father’s passion for the heavens opened literal vistas for me. He showed me that the night sky is alive with cosmic drama: births and deaths of stars, light … Read the rest
Continue reading "Looking for Light" »
Merry Christmas! If you are with us on Sunday morning, know that our holy day actually began on Saturday evening—following the customs of our Jewish forebears—including Jesus himself.
One of the many things I love about our Episcopal Church is the richness of our liturgy—that is, our rituals of worship—which we share with Jews and Christians of many … Read the rest
Continue reading "Behold!" »
It wasn’t supposed to happen today. Not on Christmas Eve, anyway. The James Webb Space Telescope that launched this morning has been in the works for decades. But its launch has been delayed so many times over the years that many believed it would never happen. Someone on Twitter even joked that we needn’t fear the Webb Telescope … Read the rest
Continue reading "Telescoping History" »
On the border between Berkeley and Oakland, there is a public art installation that consists of eight foot tall steel letters that spell “here” and “there”. Berkeley being the here, and Oakland being the there. Perhaps it was meant as a rejoinder to Gertrude Stein’s famous statement about Oakland: “there’s no there there”. But the artist is silent … Read the rest
Continue reading "Here to There" »