When I was a kid I was fascinated by space and stars and the planets. I was a Star Trek geek before there were Trekkies. No matter how much fun I was having playing outside in the summer time, I would always come in to see what was happening that week with Kirk and Spock and Bones. Yes, I must confess, I was also an avid fan of Lost in Space.  (“Danger! Danger! Be careful, Will Robinson!”) I read Tom Swift, and loved movies like Forbidden Planet, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers and The Day The Earth Stood Still. I was a space nut.

Indeed, my ambition as a youngster was to become an astronomer. (God had other plans.) And so with this fascination with astronomy, it is not surprising that many of my youthful science projects involved models of the solar system. I made more than my fair share of planets out of Play-Doh and Stryofoam balls. I was the king of coat hangers and clay spheres. Yet, with all my juvenile enthusiasm I still missed something. I failed to comprehend the vastness of space. In fact, as is probably common with most young astronomers, I thought my wire and Stryofoam creations were pretty realistic. Continue reading →