Are the Stars on During the Day?

This question was asked in jest at a staff retreat I was a part of yesterday. It was asked because the retreat was held at a local observatory and, during our lunch, we were able to look at the sun through a solar telescope. But, no stars.

The question, again, asked in jest, had me perplexed the rest of the day. Perhaps it was because I don’t often stop to ponder these kid-type questions often. The easy answer is, of course, yes, the stars are ‘on’ because they’re always ‘on’ as they are suns of other galaxies or hot, flaming balls of gas light years away in outer space. We can’t see them during the day, obviously, because the light of our sun is much closer and therefore far brighter than the lights of the stars, visible to us only at night.

But even after my, simple, educated, adult answer, I still was captivated by the question. For years, stars have guided those who traveled by night, from hunter gatherers to sailors and discoverers to wise men and wise women. As these people were able to chart a course, they were not left map-less during the day. They had seen their guides at night and knew how to travel in the day. Study beforehand provided them with plans and actions when required. The stars were not visible during the day, but they could always serve as a constant reminder to the final destination, the ultimate goal.

It is good sometimes to remember our ‘stars’ and to keep them on during the day. Remaining focused to any task or goal is hard enough, and much more so when ‘task saturation’ happens. Soon, we begin to focus on the ins and outs, the paperwork and procedures, that we nearly forget why we do something.

So yes, Virginia, the stars are on during the day. You just have to remember to look for them.