Seeing Stars!

One of the joys of the outdoors is getting to see the night sky far away from the city lights. What a wonderful feeling to lie on your back and lose yourself in the Milky Way. It always takes me away on an interstellar journey, reminding me in the end of how small we really are.

I’m far from being the only one who likes looking at the stars. Stargazing has been one of humans’ favourite activities since the beginning of time. The following image proves this well.

Can you make out this language?

I found it on NASA’s APOD (Amazing Picture of the Day) website where you can find astronomical images (and not bills!) and accompanying information. Check out what the image below has to say:

“The ancient text has no known title, no known author, and is written in no known language: what does it say and why does it have many astronomy illustrations? The mysterious book was once bought by an emperor, forgotten on a library shelf, sold for thousands of dollars, and later donated to Yale. Possibly written in the 15th century, the over 200-page volume is known most recently as the Voynich Manuscript, after its (re-)discoverer in 1912. Pictured above is an illustration from the book that appears to be somehow related to the Sun. The book labels some patches of the sky with unfamiliar constellations. The inability of modern historians of astronomy to understand the origins of these constellations is perhaps dwarfed by the inability of modern code-breakers to understand the book's text. Can the eclectic brain trust of APOD readers make any progress? The book itself remains in Yale's rare book collection under catalog number "MS 408."

Translated by Judy Murphy

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