By Clement Wasike
As we wait to tell the world about Kenya’s matchless celestial marvels against the backdrop of the upcoming September 7th total lunar eclipse dubbed the “blood moon”, let us remember that the skies have always fascinated astrophysicists, astronomers and stargazers the same way they have intrigued indigenous cultures including our own here in Kenya.
From the break of dawn to the fall of night, the cosmos conducts a silent and majestic symphony that guides the very rhythm of life on earth. While many of us move through our days scarcely glancing upward, the heavens are in constant conversation with our universe, always dictating the behaviour of tides, inspiring myths, marking seasons, and stirring wonders.
This is not abstract poetry crafted by literary-inspired conspiracy theorists but tangible reality. While celestial events are woven into the fabric of our daily existence, there are few places on earth where this connection is vividly evident than in Kenya, whose very waist is gracefully girdled by the equator.
Think of the sun, our most fundamental celestial clock… Its journey across the sky dictates our routines from our wake-up hours, planting seasons and time for rest. Farmers from every corner of Kenya have long read the sun’s arc and the moon’s phase to decide when to sow and when to reap. Kenya’s equatorial geo-location means that the sun passes almost directly overhead, resulting in nearly equal hours of day and night throughout the year. This solar consistency grants a unique stability to daily life and a reliable metronome by which countless activities and cycles revolve
That notwithstanding, the nexus in reference runs way deeper than the duality of light and darkness. The moon in its silent orbit exerts a gentle yet awfully powerful pull on earth’s oceans. It has a say on how tides dictate the rhythms of coastal communities, for instance. In Mombasa and Lamu, for example, fishermen have for generations scheduled their forays into the sea around lunar cycles, fully seized of the understanding that a full moon often means stronger tides and richer catches. This is a perfect and daily reminder of how a distant celestial body directly influences livelihoods and earthly ecosystems.
Beyond these daily dialogues are the grand seasonal spectacles that decorate Kenya’s natural wonders. Meteor showers, like the dazzling Perseids, are perpetual reminders of our planet’s journey through the debris of ancient comets. They are a tangible connection between the dust of the cosmos and the air in the atmosphere we breathe.
Meanwhile, eclipses, both solar and lunar, have historically paused wars, inspired awe, and advanced science thus proving that events in the sky can still unite humanity in collective wonder. Surely, are Kenya’s celestial spectacles not, by far, our least celebrated attractions that we have been silent about?
Unparalleled access to exclusive cosmic viewing makes Kenya a natural sanctuary for a superlative type of astro-tourism. In the high-altitude darkness of Samburu, Laikipia or the serene shores of Lake Turkana, the veil between earth and sky is somewhat transparent and sometimes in surreal ways. Visitors and locals alike can gaze upon the same stars that guided ancient traders and that now help modern scientists to unravel the mysteries of the vast universe that brims with mind-bogglers.
So when you check the time next, plan your day, or feel the cool air of the night, remember you are responding to a cosmic routine and one whose deeper connections you may never really fully decipher.
In Kenya, we live under the most magnificent celestial dome on earth.
Wasike is a former banker turned social critic and political commentator