graham

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Making stuff to distract myself from existential dread

Art: @graham-illustrations
Dreams: @graham-dream-journal
Wizards: @make-up-a-wizard
Partner's Pottery: @kp-pottery


I grew up going to planetariums more than the average kid in the US, I imagine. I think I had a half dozen field trips or so that included a visit to one. I really liked the shape of the room and the strange double-orbed shape of the projector propped up on metal stilts. I liked how those orbs would tumble over each other as they moved between scenes.

One of the key facts about stargazing, which got mentioned every time I went, was that the human eye has a harder time picking out bright objects when staring directly at them than it does when staring a few degrees left or right of the spot where the shining object should be found. If I remember correctly, this is because of the way the optic nerve connects to the brain via the front of the eye. If not that, then it has to do with the shaping of the lens of the cornea. Either way, if you're looking for a fainter star and can't find it, try looking just off from where it should be and then it'll be a little easier to see.

Among the biggest weapons in the planetarium come from the constellation Sagittarius: the archer. The archer's bow is a weapon that's easily bigger than I am when projected on the walls. For some reason, this constellation also gets depicted as a tea kettle. I guess a tea kettle can also be a weapon, if you're particularly adept with improvised weapon handling.

list of microblogvember prompts
my previous prompt


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in reply to @graham's post:

you got it right the first time (except the nerve connects at the back of the eye, if it were in front it would be coming out of your face). there's a tiny hole in the retina right in the middle, which you never notice because your brain fills it in.