The time is well-nigh upon us, when you can plonk down your cash, get strapped into a spacecraft and, quite literally, travel out of this world. A wealthy few, already have. But the burgeoning space tourist industry, is not the only way we can explore the expansive universe above our heads.
Another, is through Astronomy—the oldest, and grandest, of all the sciences. In an era, when industry, politics and recreation are following science into outer space, you need at least a listener’s knowledge of the conditions, objects and active forces beyond Earth’s atmosphere.Comprehending, to some extent, the interface between Earth, its inhabitants and the celestial environment, is the sine qua none for an enlightened individual–especially in the 21st century.
This column will explore that interface. It is your boarding pass to an educational and recreational excursion, an odyssey that will hone your intellect and help enhance your social status. Indeed, Astronomy is, in a sense, the intellectual equivalent of wine, in Western culture. Just as a taste for wine implies a measure of social refinement, an interest in astronomy signifies erudition.Hence the curriculums of Medieval European universities, included Astronomy in the quadrivium—highest four, of the “seven liberal arts”.Research in Britain, and elsewhere, has shown that children introduced to Astronomy, at an early age, take more interest in science and do better in scientific subjects.
The International Astronomical Union (the world regulatory body) stresses the role of Astronomy in demystifying the sky. It undermines myth and superstition, which promotes social stability.Astronomy is, therefore, your portal, to an intriguing realm of cognition. Its purview, is the panorama of glistening celestial bodies, plus a countless plethora, unimaginably distant in the unseen universe. The “universe” encompasses all the matter, time, energy and space that exists. Yet, despite its vast dimensions, the cosmic domain is a single system—of which we are an integral aspect. Earth obeys the same physical laws, as even the remotest cosmic entities and is linked to them, mechanically.
Zipping through your body, as you read, for example, are hundreds of subatomic particles. These “cosmic rays”—which began their journey to Earth, billions of years ago—affect atmospheric chemistry and have greatly influenced the evolution of terrestrial life. Astronomy asks (and attempts to answer) crucial questions about this expansive domain and, not incidentally, our place in it.Yawn, if you must! But this is hardly an “overly abstract” or “irrelevant” issue. After all, the planet we occupy, revolves around a star, very much like the ones “up there”!So, let me re-frame the “abstract” questions: How did humans get domiciled on a hunk of agglutinated rocks, that is hurtling around the Sun at some 29 km per second?
And why do we become riotous and raucous at the end of every revolution—preaching, praying and partying all night, crashing our vehicles and even bashing each other? “New Year,” is no more “abstract” or “irrelevant,” than ATM cards, orbiting satellites or nuclear energy—none of which would exist, if astronomers hadn’t asked “boring” questions! By and large, the greatest shows on Earth occur in the night sky—and your compound is a front row seat, from which to watch, gratis.Nor do you necessarily need a telescope. Nature graciously hosts spectacular naked-eye displays, like comets, eclipses and meteor showers, as well as a gallery of ethereal and highly aesthetic artistry.This includes year-round exhibitions of exquisite star formations. Orion constellation and Pleiades cluster highlight the dry season, while dazzling Scorpius heralds the rains!
Then too, there are five planets, that you can see with the unaided eye—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Weekdays are named for these worlds, fabled for outshining the stars. Only the Moon is brighter than Venus—something our forefathers wouldn’t have needed to be told. Most Nigerian languages, for example, contain a term for “Venus”.Instructively, pre-Colonial smelters at Lejja, in the Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, erected a gigantic iron-slag structure to honour this lustrous world.
Ancient Igbo astronomers, at Otobo-Ugwu, used massive slag-blocks to depict Venus in the cusps of the crescent Moon—denoting systematic observation of the heavens.Their creation universalizes the African experience, exemplifying a consciousness of the cosmic domain that all human cultures have in common.It attests, not only to the genius of the Black smelter-astronomers, but also to the timeless and enduring interface between Africa and the broader universe.
By J.K. Obatala
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I thank J.K.Obatala for this article. For researchers who think they could only see the world from the canvas of their discipline, J.K’s write-up is a wake up call. The Lejja example is a testimony that tangible heritage are ready sources of information and research items for our scientists but they have left this for those in the humanities.