Joys from the black stuff

Scientific research shows that time spent outside in the darkness with the stars is good for our mental health

- Mark Westmoquette

I've spent a lot of time indoors in my life. I've been a professional astronomer and the job is, surprisingly, mostly desk-bound - data crunching, reading the literature and writing papers. Even an amateur stargazer probably spends more hours at the computer processing images and preparing their tech than outside with their telescope.

These days I'm doing more writing, which I also tend to do indoors. And if I spend too long inside, I start to feel stale. I find myself shrinking away from the world, and the longer it goes on the more I want to retreat. It takes effort sometimes to get outdoors. I don't mean just down to the shops, but really out in nature. But when I do, the stale feeling is blown away and I find myself expanding out into the world again.