As a kid, one of my favourite pastimes was lying on a blanket on a clear night, staring at the stars. In the unpolluted skies of the southern hemisphere, it seemed like the whole universe was right there for you, like an untouchable gift.
Once your eyes have accommodated to the low light, more and more becomes visible. The best game was to play 'spot the satellite'. Complicated, this is not. The idea is to find and point out as many satellites - dots of moving light - as possible. This provided hours of amusement, especially if it delayed bed-time.
Like many simple games, this one has a trick. The way to identify a moving object in field of stationary objects is to not look directly at it, but a few degrees to one side. It's counterintuitive to start, but once you get the hang of it, spotting the satellite gets way more fun.
I don't know why, but I think this works in life, too. Shift your gaze a few degrees either side of whatever's on your mind, and you might see it more clearly.
Technorati: Kiss & Blog, Universe, Less Obvious, Tangents.
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