The Heavens (Are Always the Highest)

A/N: Just a little piece for Earth Day (yes, I'm late, again, sorry about that). There's no real plot, just one girl mourning over light pollution and the increasing disappearance of the stars. Like, did you guys know that 80% of Americans can no longer see the Milky Way? It's sad. :( Oh, If you can't tell already, I'm a huge fan of astronomy! I mean, it's in my username. That's partially why this is such a big issue for me.

Anyways, onto the story!

"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. ... The universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings... for what is more beautiful than heaven?"

- Nicholas Copernicus

* * * * *

The gentle melody of the crickets sounds in her ears as she sits on her back porch, her head tipped backwards.

Her eyes wander over the darkened sky, lit only by the moon, which is full tonight, and the stars. The moon, although beautiful, is not what lures her gaze.

She has seen the stars many thousands of times; they sparkle in her peripheral vision every time she steps out in the darkest hours of the day. And then there are nights like these, nights where she sits in her backyard, all lights off, just lending those bright, burning balls of gas her attention for several hours on end. When she admires them, like too few people do nowadays.

But, she often finds herself wondering, has she ever really looked at them?

Has she ever been able to see the true light each star emits, the sprawling constellations that the stars merge into, when the light of her always-lit suburban neighborhood blinds her?

Her eyes follow a metaphorical finger, tracing the shape of the Big Dipper, and then following an invisible line from Merak and Dubhe, the pointer stars, to Polaris, the north star. Then, with some effort, she manages to locate the Little Dipper's other six main stars.

She considers herself lucky to even be able to locate those two constellations.

After all, the spread of the Milky Way has long fallen out of sight for urban, or even suburban, dwellers. Constellations - especially the dimmer ones - are all but impossible to find. Even the light of the Big Dipper isn't as bright as it used to be, she's sure.

Would she ever get to see the same stars as Copernicus, or Kepler, or Galilei? Would she ever get the chance to be equally as enamored by the skies beyond her reach?

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. And yet, it is slowly becoming less and less accessible in the real world. How can the world move on, knowing of the beauty that is being extinguished daily?

It's not fair! She wants to yell sometimes. Because it isn't, isn't it? It isn't fair that people can plant millions of trees, or collect thousands of pounds of trash from the oceans, but can't save the stars just as easily. It's not fair that she will probably never see most of the trees, or sea animals, that will be saved, but the one thing that she can see - the stars - cannot be rescued, not without millions of replaced light bulbs, a significant change in lighting codes, and, overall, reduced use of artificial lighting. Which most cities wouldn't exactly be eager to do.

She glances down at her mechanical watch, and sighs, shifting reluctantly. It's getting late; her parents will want her in for bed soon. She gets up, turning back towards her lit home for the first time in several hours, heading for the door. As she swings open the door, she takes one last glance at the night sky. The stars still shine, as they have for billions of years, but today, their light seems dim.

And, quite suddenly, a quote from one of her worn, loved science books, comes to her, unbidden. Albert Einstein, she recalls. "He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

She smiles sadly at the thought, before walking into her home, leaving the dim specks of light behind.

It isn't a matter of if or when the world will close its eyes that concerns her.

It's the fact that the world already has.

A/N: So sorrowful. :( All the ways we are slowly destroying our beautiful planet are truly a tragedy.

Okay, any nerds around here? *raises hand* If you are, then here are some quotes (not included in the story already) that you might be interested in. I loved these, and I either incorporated them in subtle ways, or didn't find a good place to include them:
- The Title: Inspired by Nicholas Copernicus' quote, "Of all things visible, the highest is the heaven of the fixed stars."
- Nicholas Copernicus (again): "The first and highest of all is the sphere of the fixed stars, which comprehends itself and all things, and is accordingly immovable." Very similar to the last one, but a nice touch with the 'immovable' bit.
- Nicholas Copernicus (LAST ONE): "The massive bulk of the earth does indeed shrink to insignificance in comparison with the size of the heavens."

- Annddddd one by Plato: "Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another."

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this short piece! Happy (late) Earth day! Please, take care of our planet, you all. The Earth certainly deserves it. :)