Once in a Lifetime

Have you ever seen an awesome sight that because of its splendor, you have held the memory tightly for almost your entire life? I did. When I was eight, I saw an arm of the Milky Way galaxy. It is a rare sight. We were passing through the arm and it could only be seen for a few nights, but it was the most beautiful sight I ever saw. We were in the country, so the sky was a deep black velvet. I don't remember seeing the moon, but the sky looked as if a giant hand had strewn handful after handful of diamonds across the sky in a river of brilliance. The stars were so closely packed that they formed bright patches of white. Years later, when I read that the the Milky Way was named because the arms look like milk spilled across the skies, I knew exactly what it meant. I am glad I was alive to see this sight. I am glad I can tell my students about it every year as well. Now, thousands of students have seen this sight through my eyes.