Why looking up can ground you
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
My son doesn't say many words yet, but he often yells "Ba!" while pointing up to birds, ceiling fans, light bulbs and the sky.
- I think the loose translation is: "Look up, Mom!"
Why it matters: When the news feels heavy and screens demand our attention, he's a reminder that curiosity — and gazing upward — can offer some steadiness and connection.
What we're hearing: "I feel weirdly grounded from looking at the sky," Deborah Byrd, editor-in-chief of astronomy site EarthSky, tells Axios.
- Byrd has spent decades encouraging people to look up.
Even if you can't direct your attention upward for much of the day, take a moment to catch a glimpse of the moon at the same time each night, she says.
- You'll notice the moon changing shape — waxing or waning — and shifting positions in the sky.
- To Byrd, looking at the moon, the stars and the planets is therapeutic. "I just see everything as moving and changing and being in a cycle," she says, "acting in an orderly and beautiful way."
Carly's thought bubble: During a recent visit to our local bookstore, while I scanned the stacks, my son was focused on the ceiling. I followed his gaze and noticed — for the first time — a wagon-wheel chandelier overhead.
- He pointed again. "Ba! Ba!" Two of the bulbs were out.
- A bookstore employee stopped and looked up with us. Then another did. "I have no idea how long those have been out," one said. "I never look up there." My son smiled.
- As we left, I overheard one of them say the moment had made his day.
Go deeper: See which planets might be visible in tonight's sky.
