What day is it?

April 14 is celebrated by the world community “Look at the Sky” Day. On this day, everyone is simply obliged to admire the beauty overhead. On this day, we can all hope for good weather and the opportunity to contemplate the space above the sky.

Take a comfortable position, relax, look up and enjoy the clear blue color of the sky, the white clouds and their strange shapes. And there, through the dark clouds, the rays of the sun break through, as if they are secretly spying on what is happening here, from below. At a height, you can see how a fragile bird flies above the ground. And at night? What a wonderful beauty in the sky when the stars line up around the moon. And can you recognize the constellation Orion or the Big Dipper? Contemplation of the heavenly space allows you to forget about earthly problems and focus on what is happening around you.

How did the idea to celebrate “Look at the Sky” Day come about?

It is believed that Day “Look at the sky” was founded in honor of the founder of the organization “For a wide sky” – Jack Borden. Jack Borden, a former reporter for WBZ-TV, has spent the past three decades on a special mission — encouraging people to look beyond their everyday lives, up toward the heavens. It seems very simple at first glance, but Borden knew from his own experience that few people did it. One day, lying in a meadow at the age of 49, he saw the sky “as if for the first time in his entire life.” Inspired by this awe, he quit his job on television and began visiting schools, hospitals, and prisons, urging children and adults to look up at the sky.

In 1987, thanks to the efforts of Jack Borden in the state of Massachusetts (USA), May 18 was declared Open Sky Day.

Interesting facts about the sky

Sky is the visible part of the Earth’s atmosphere, which is also part of outer space. It can be seen from any point on the surface of our planet. While in the air, for example, during flights on an airplane, helicopter, etc., you can contemplate “soft” clouds, which seem to cover the earth with a blanket.

• The sky can have different shades. It mainly depends on the season, time of day and weather. During the day, the clear cloudless sky is colored in clear blue. The color changes when light scattering and air density change. In the morning and evening, the areas above the horizon have warm pink, orange and red colors. Looking at the sky on a cloudless night, you can see many stars shining with cold white light on a black background. On dark, starless nights, the atmosphere is drawn in by clouds.
• Looking at the sky, you can see interesting visual phenomena: rainbow, lightning, rain streaks, aurora borealis. And at night, we can see a variety of heavenly bodies (the moon, stars, other planets, meteorites, comets).
• People have always believed that the sky is the abode of the gods. In ancient Roman religion, the sky god Jupiter was deeply revered. And according to monotheistic religious teachings, heaven is located in the sky.

How to celebrate “Look at the Sky” Day?

The purpose of the holiday is not just to literally look up all day. The idea is to enjoy what is nearby, right in front of our eyes. There are many interesting ways to spend this day with benefit for yourself and your loved ones.

1. Look up – find some time to completely detach yourself from any, even the most important in your opinion, earthly affairs and enjoy the infinity and beauty of the heavenly space. To do this, you can take a blanket, go out on the lawn and lie down comfortably in a horizontal position face up. After lying like this for even half an hour, you will be amazed how the sky changes depending on the sun, wind, etc.
2. Enjoy the starry sky – if you or someone you know has a telescope, then you are really lucky. After all, you have the opportunity to observe the heavenly bodies in a close-up view. However, people without a telescope can enjoy stargazing by looking at the constellations, and hardy viewers may be lucky enough to see a celestial body moving through space.
3. Getting closer to nature. Watching birds fly by as carefree as if nothing important is happening. Looking up, you will definitely see more than one plane, maybe this will encourage you to go on vacation to some distant country. It is also extremely interesting to watch the movement of the clouds.
4. Idea of ​​the day – not just to contemplate the beauty of the sky, but also to involve other people in this activity. It is important to convey your enthusiasm to family, friends and relatives in such a way that they themselves want to join you in this interesting activity. After all Day “Look at the sky” was created to encourage people to see the world from a different perspective and learn to appreciate the beauty of nature.

When will we celebrate Look at the Sky Day?