THE LAST STAR GAZER

Finishing it made me very happy, even though it's a book written by an astronomy professor. I couldn't understand some of the astronomical knowledge, but it didn't diminish my fascination with her way of thinking and logic.

She mentioned the mechanical and procedural aspects: accepting this process, I just felt it's a pity that astronomers won't be directly facing the stars anymore, guarding their observation nights under the dome.

There's no hesitation in addressing the industry's less honorable resources and claims. Instead, she humorously shifts the topic: once there was a rush to be the first to report a supernova, and now, with the Rubin Observatory, you can see hundreds in a single night.

She also candidly discusses the challenges faced by women in this field. In the short history of this discipline, how women were excluded and their brilliance often claimed by husbands. While highlighting these issues, she also presents direct and effective solutions: a mountain of one's own.

This phrase is like having an achievement or a great discovery with "my" name engraved on it, simple yet unshakable. She happens to achieve that.

She describes the subject she wholeheartedly dedicates herself to as adorable, interspersing those mundane nights with tension, excitement, and even moments of life and death. She mentions them casually, without extravagant language, yet these events and the universe itself have a profound impact.

I wonder if "The Last Stargazers" isn't just about astronomers but also about the telescopes, especially as technology advances and astronomers can remotely control telescopes without leaving their homes, standing in remote areas, gazing up, and exploring the vast telescopes that scan the sky.

The book ends with seven questions:

1. The unique memories of stargazing will forever stay in rural summers. I missed the meteor my parents mentioned that streaked by in an instant. However, that missed moment was compensated for three years ago: in the instant I looked up, a meteor streaked by, an incomparable awe-inspiring sight.

2. I initially thought telescopes could be used on a whim, but it turned out one has to apply for them for a year or more. I have to admire their cleverness.

3. It seems that such butterfly wings have never appeared in my life or haven't made me aware in such an intuitive form. So, I've never faced this "misfortune," which is actually fortunate. However, there have been experiences of being trampled like a herd of elephants in life, and all I could do was confront it belatedly.

4. People with smart but simple minds (should be easy to handle, so why assume they want to fool scientists?)

5. After spending some time in the art gallery, I feel that the pursuit of science is more unique than art (maybe this perspective will change when I become a scientist's assistant). But in reality, the pursuit of uniqueness always belongs to a small group within any field. It's just that the farther they are from this world, the more clearly people can perceive their uniqueness.

Actually, most of the time, art and science are just names of industries.

6. Astronomy is quite disappointing. Now, I feel that after scientists find no reason behind Mercury retrograde, studying star charts seems very strange. With so many stars in the universe, changing so rapidly, when people measure themselves using the stars' scales, it's like carving a boat to find the sword. (So, how would Emily view tarot cards?)

What I've learned most from the book is probably perseverance. Emily's dedication to her research is so simple, and her underlying logic is pure: the love for the night sky and the exploration of the unknown universe. This kind of simplicity isn't a derogatory term; it's just that very few people can remain so simple. Beyond simplicity, they grow into ordinary adults, nothing more.

7. So, is there anything in the universe that can explain a person's destiny throughout their life? Although foreknowledge of fate can be boring, in a hopeless life, people rely on such vague and distant hopes to keep going. When more people can land on the moon and establish star bases on Mars, astrology should have become a so-called pseudoscience, right?