Samuel's telescope and Home Planetarium

Our youngest son, Mika, gave his mother, Annikki, a present, many years ago, when he was about 14. He knew his mother loved to watch the night sky. This was a love she picked up as a little girl when she one night she looked up into the autumn night sky and saw the twinkling stars.

The hunger for the sky became even more intense when we lived in a village in India, where there were no city lights to inhibit the night viewing. It became a family hobby.

One day, she came running to tell me that she could see satellites as they passed overhead. I laughed at her, thinking of how ridiculous was the very notion that it would be possible to see these tiny man-made objects with the naked eye. But she was right.

When we came to Finland, I quenched the thirst a bit by buying her a cheap hand-held telescope for one birthday. She faithfully used it with a great deal of difficulty, but used it she did, to look at the stars.

Then Mika saw the advertisement for a Home Planetarium, and he got it for her birthday as his present.

In our small home it was not possible to use it and it got stored away.

Now, when Annikki persuaded met get grandson Samuel a full-fledged telescope for his birthday, I suddenly remembered this Home Planetarium. Annikki searched for it yesterday and located it is some corner. She methodically keeps all her stuff, unlike me and my disorganised way of living. However, she failed to find the accompanying literature.

This afternoon, after my 40 winks, which all retired people like me are prone to these days, I awoke and decided to look for the manual. I went to one of our bookshelves, and believe you me, the first file folder that I picked up had the manual in it.

I scanned, enlarged and printed the night sky maps. I have just delivered them to Samuel along with the manual. Samuel was anxiously waiting to see the New Moon that should make it out sometime later tonight. The sky appears to be quite clear and he should get a good view of it when it appears.

However, while waiting, we decided to read an Asterix comic. The one I chose was their trip to India on the Magic Carpet!! What a laugh.