Copernicus Hill, Manitoba

In 1973, Manitoba's Polish community erected this monument to celebrate the quincentenary of the birth of Copernicus. It's located on Copernicus Hill, in Manitoba's Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Judging by my height in this photo, we must have visited when the monument was quite new. It was a very warm, very sunny day, and I remember how fascinated I was by the sundial; Mom and Dad explained how it worked, and my mind boggled. I'm certain this is one of those childhood incidents that sparked my interest in science, particularly astronomy, and while I didn't pursue science as a career I still follow new developments avidly. I'm really looking forward to seeing what discoveries might be made by the James Webb Space Telescope  and the Terrestrial Planet Finder, should they actually ever be completed, launched and funded. Just think - within our lifetime we might actually discover habitable planets besides Earth, or even extraterrestrial life. With Webb, we might be able to see far enough to view the light of the first galaxies being born. Awe-inspiring!