Milky Way: we are living in a snow globe

We sat in darkness in the Namib Desert, man-made light completely snuffed out.  Watching the Milky Way, a thousand thousand stars and the brightest planets twist and lower above our heads as we made our way spinning through the universe. For the first time that I have ever seen it was clear that indeed, we, were moving.  And pretty fast.  You read about it, you know it’s happening, but when do you ever see it.

I stood out tilting my head back as far as I could to see the skies. The Milky Way stretched from one horizon over our heads to the other side. Arched, following the curve of our galaxy. It was clear to see we were inside a bubble. A snow globe of glittering shining stars.

The galactic centre beamed a cloudy orange-yellow glow directly above us lighting the centre of the Milky Way.  Our Galactic Centre. One of a hundred billion galactic centres in the universe.  I remembered for a moment visiting a Planetarium on a school trip to London when I was young. They have it wrong.  It is far, far more spectacular.

We sat for hours.  Feeling so minuscule.  If Botswana brought life this brought a new perspective to life.

“I never want to return to civilisation again.”

“No, me neither.”