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Comment by hemloc_io | Hacker News Reader

It's honestly one of the coolest things I've ever done.

It's not just about the brightness of the stars, the sky literally looks 3d, which I didn't expect

Exactly this, you can almost feel the depth and get a broader look at the whole celestial dome.

Be careful thought, since some people might get overwhelmed by this feeling of realizing your place in the universe. If I remember correctly there are a couple of related phobias, Astrophobia (fear of space) and Apeirophobia (fear of infinity).

Something like the Total Perspective Vortex: https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex

This has actually occurred to people who have visited me (as I mentioned in another post I’m in a class 2, just barely off of a class 1).

I find it comforting, but one family member was throughly freaked out/overwhelmed. It was a clear, moonless night and they’d never seen something like it in their entire life.

and they'll never forget it now. hopefully.

> and they'll never forget it now. hopefully.

A good, permanent phobia.

I have problems with black holes. Had panic attack watching Interstellar

Then there's that time when L.A. residents called 911 when they saw the Milky Way for the first time during a blackout.

https://timeline.com/los-angeles-light-pollution-ebd60d5acd4...

My wife told me she would loose her control of the sphincter if she sees a sky full of stars. It is not exactly phobia but the feel of sort of galactic pressure.

This is one of those rare cases where you can use either “loose” or “lose” and it still makes sense!

do you like bossanova or is it just a random username?

Bossa nova is great!

wonder if theres a term for this akin to the "overview effect" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect

She mentioned she felt the stars were "falling" upon her. Could be the same effect?

I was in the Davis mountains at the McDonald observatory out in West Texas a few years ago. It was a new moon and after about an hour of letting my eyes adjust what was visible was almost overwhelming. Seeing satellites zoom across the sky under the backdrop of the entire universe was surreal.

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