Outlook Point viewing the Milky Way, Natural Bridge, and Creation

The summer solstice brings the shortest night of the year. It’s one of the darkest, too, because the moon does not rise until after daybreak. In the darkness, I sat beneath the choreography of stars on Outlook Point, looking southward towards Natural Bridge, and looking inward as well, wondering about the heavens and being mystified by the endless expanse of creation. Around midnight, the core of our galaxy the Milky Way became visible just above the southeast horizon. I watched it turn like the hands on a holy clock, moving westward across the sky, as Jupiter and Saturn trailed in tandem just behind. Around 4 a.m. the starry band of the Milky Way reached its zenith, hanging vertically above Natural Bridge, like Christ’s robe. Then it slowly faded into the blue hour as dawn approached.

It is mind dazzling to think how the planets orbit the sun, yet our solar system is just a tiny piece of the Milky Way. And it’s truly inconceivable to think how many more galaxies lie beyond in this universe, or how many more universes are there? Sitting on Outlook Point beneath this heavenly display, I cannot imagine the vastness of outer space or the depths of my inner space without feeling miniscule in this magnificent moment of divine creation.