Constellation

We measure time by the sun - the hours of the day in the small, and the passage of seasons and years in the large. But the sun is only visible half the time, and at night, our skies look very different. Dating all the way back to prehistoric times, humans have traded stories about the mysterious dots scattered above. Some have used the regularity and order of the celestial orbs to shore up the chaos of everyday life. Others treat them as illustrations of ancient stories that define the origins of creation.

The sun is the source of the energy that sustains all life materially, but it is the nighttime sky that has been the source of wonder, inspiring humanity through the ages. That night sky has changed little since the first humans walked the earth, half a million years ago, so when we turn our gaze upwards, we see an expanse shared with every other person who has ever lived.

Modern-day light pollution is robbing many of us of the full splendor of this birthright. Less than a third of people can even see the Milky Way from their own homes. But the tapestry is still there, whether we see it or not. And for those willing to go a little further to find it, it's just as brilliant as ever. On a clear night with a new moon, we can see the speckles across the sky and find lines between them, drawing pictures and connecting us to a hundred billion other people that we'll never meet but, somehow, already know.