We turned all the outside lights off, donned binoculars and stepped into the (somewhat chilly) July night. No moon, just stars. And the ISS, burning surprisingly bright. And Jupiter and Mars. And five shooting stars in quick succession, then no more at all. And the Milky Way. Light pollution is almost non-existent where we live. The icing on the cake was Comet Neowise, just below the outer edge of the pan handle of the Plough. A lovely sight, just slightly marred by a band of high cirrostratus. We talked about how Betelgeuse might one day light up even our daytime skies.

What joy. The diversity and the beauty of the galaxy we live in. The magic of Godless reality.