For me, this year will be all about self-care through the stars.
It's been 20 years since I first felt palpable envy of someone who could navigate the night sky. In 2006, I was at a conference in La Jolla, California, where I gave a presentation for New scientist. Among the delegates was astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. One evening, while we were all having dinner al fresco, he pulled out a laser pointer and gave us a tour of the visible constellations. I was mesmerized and impressed by the ease with which Tyson roamed the skies. I made a promise to myself: when I return home, I will become a stargazer.
This did not happen. I still haven't learned to see anything other than Orion and the Plow or the Big Dipper. Perhaps I can blame it on the street-lit sky of my neighborhood, but I can also blame it on the fact that even then I was over the ideal age. A love of the night sky develops best in childhood. Those who start early, under the guidance of a parent or family friend, tend to have a lifelong affinity with heaven. And, crucially, they also tend to have better mental health.
Communication with space is useful for us. Research shows that this is due to various positive aspects of mental healthand overall feelings of happiness improved. It's even makes us more generous.
The love of looking up into a dark night is known as noctcaelador, from the Latin words for night, sky and adoration. The phrase was coined in 2003 by William Kelly, a professor at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon, in a paper examining attitudes toward stargazing. Participants reported that they “really enjoyed watching the night sky” and that their “mood improved from viewing the night sky.”
Last year, Kelly published further research showing that noctcaelador is associated with the personality trait known as openness to experience, which is especially achievable in childhood.
This is consistent with research into the experiences of Gen Z night sky lovers. Gen Zers were born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s and are the first digital natives. Holly Brenna McNiven published a study on Nokkelador in Gen Z last year as part of her research. master's project at the University of Wales, Trinity St David. She found that many of those who reported a love of the night sky, which was associated with positive well-being, could trace their nokkeladora to childhood experiences with astronomy.
Her study involved just 29 young people recruited through astronomy clubs, so it's hard to say how representative they were of their generation. What we can say is that sharing the love of the stars with young people can ensure that the love lasts. McNiven reports that she developed an affinity for the night sky through stargazing with her parents, and most of her participants also “noted memories associated with learning and interacting with neighbors, teachers, friends, and family members.”
I’m a little sad that I wasn’t instilled with that star love as a child, but there’s still time. And these days, I don't even need clear or dark nights—good news when light (and other) pollution means much of the world's population no longer has access to star-studded skies. After all, who needs clear skies when you have… A Growing Group of Astronomers on TikTok (“SpaceTok”, for the initiated)?
However, it's mostly Gen Z, so I'm not sure SpaceTok would be right for me. As I get a little older, I'm grateful that on cloudy evenings I can still connect with the cosmos through books. I have a copy of Brian May's new album. Islands in Infinitywhere stereoscopic photographs of galaxies are presented. And for Christmas I received a gift from Nigel Henbest. Stargazing 2026a guide to this year's attractions for those who prefer to look up. I just need to invest in a laser pointer and soon I can give Tyson a run for his money.
Michael Brooks science journalist and author specializing in physics
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