The heavens have always held a strong attraction for me. As a little girl, I used to say that I will one day become an astronaut and conquer the skies. My dreams, however, shattered as I grew up and realized that there was no future for astronauts in Pakistan.
Life went on and my love for astronomy varied. Sometimes low, at other times intense. I cursed myself for being born in Pakistan and made a promise to myself that as soon as I get my first job, I’ll get myself an expensive telescope and become an amateur astronomer.
Bit by bit, as time rolled by, astro anecdotes settled deep in my mind. But then again, the only astronomy I knew was stargazing, surfing NASA sites or catching a meteor streaking across the sky once in a blue moon.
Parts of my dream came true when I searched more and more about meteors and found out about the annual Leonids Meteor Shower every November 19.
As luck would have it, November 2002 rolled in with news that the year’s shower would be the greatest. With high hopes, I tried to contact SUPARCO (our only means to get connected to astro events) and found out where the future of astronomy in Pakistan was headed. Namely, down the drain!
Crushed, I placed my faith in NASA Internet sites and found that the shower would be amazingly visible in North America and Europe, about 2,000 meteors to be seen per hour, and low in the East, about 60 meteors per hour.
Much to my despair, I found that Pakistan was not even listed on the charts given for meteor visibility around the world on the Internet. Not ready to give up, I matched the local time with the Indian charts and finally figured that on the morning of November 19, at 5:30am, would be the peak hour for the meteors to show in Pakistan. Still, I had no idea which direction to search the Leonids in.
During Isha prayers on Monday night, I prayed to Allah not to make Pakistan an official Third-World country even from the skies and grant me the sights I was looking for.
After eating Sehri in a rush (as it was the month of Ramazan), I grabbed a sweater and went to watch the sky. The moon was almost full, but hung pale and low in the sky, not bothering the starlight. Living in Steel Town, that is situated far away from the hustle bustle of the city, I had no fear of light pollution in my dark neighbourhood.
As I gazed at the stars, I suddenly saw a flash of light in the North. Yes, I thanked God for helping me find the direction. And then I saw another Leonid, and then another and another, 45 to be exact.
Whenever I saw a meteor, I would scream with pleasure, not caring about anything but the splendid natural fireworks. I terribly regretted not having a camera to capture the largest meteor I saw. It was so beautiful, about the size of the palm of your hand and all green and red and orange.
The meteors continued to light up the sky till sunlight had spread. To my surprise, I burst out crying at the end of the shower, with Venus glittering in the eastern sky like a gem. At that moment, I felt closer to my Creator more then I had ever before.
What I had seen was not just a simple meteor shower emitting from a burning body, it was a sign of the pure enchanting beauty that fills the universe we live in, a sign of how magnificent and glorified our Creator is, a sign for those who pay heed.
I don’t know how many people experienced the mystical moment with me, but I do know that people of faith who saw it knew the reality. It was not a curse from Allah that my granny says it is, but a blessing, a sign, a message of stunning beauty, splendour, glory, magic and most of all, mystic. I realized that day how much beauty lies in front of us, and it is astronomy that opened my eyes.
And as for the telescope, another four to five years to go. Till then, I’m hanging on to November 19 every year.
The heavens have always held a strong attraction for me. As a little girl, I used to say that I will one day become an astronaut and conquer the skies. My dreams, however, shattered as I grew up and realized that there was no future for astronauts in Pakistan.
