Splash!

"Mom, look! It's a seal!" Anna exclaimed as she ran up to the edge of the pool.

"Aww, she's so cute," Anna's Mom replied as she went to look at the sign. "It says here that this is Silk. She's a harbor seal, most commonly found on the U.S. West and East coasts. They live up to 30 years!" Anna's Mom said, continuing to read off the facts like any researcher and mother would. But by now, Anna was so transfixed by Silk that she had stopped listening. The seal was beautiful from head to flipper, adorned with silky sleek gray hair, hence her name.

What's going on in that head of yours? Anna wondered as she stared into Silk's curious eyes.

All of a sudden, there was a crackle over the loudspeakers and Anna's trance was broken.

"The Odense Zoo is now closing! Please proceed to the exits, thank you for visiting!"

As her Mom pulled her away, Anna whispered, "Bye Silk. I'll be back soon!"

Anna's Mom smiled down at her. She was glad she got the research job here. Not only would she be having new experiences, but her little sidekick would as well.

Bye Pearl!

After a short walk down the block, they turned home, but not before they were overpowered by the strong scent of fish.

"Wow, that is some stench. Much different than NYC!" declared Anna's Mom.

"There's a lot of things here that are different than the city," Anna murmured under her breath.

That night, Anna restlessly tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She got up and looked out her window, taking in the star-filled sky. These were the same stars she gazed at back in New York before her Mom's work got moved to Denmark. Even when journeying halfway across the world and her whole life flipping itself upside down, the stars would always be the same. Not just for her, but for everyone.

Anna identified the Big Dipper; this was always one she could count on finding. Her Dad had showed it to her one night before he left, and now whenever she looked at it, she was reminded of his warm presence. And at that moment, there were probably countless others staring up at these shining beauties, comforted by their guiding light.

Anna looked out her window to the left and saw Silk swimming outside. Behind her were the birds, sitting on their perch, and the insects crawling around in their cages. It seemed like they were having their own adventures under the stars, escapades that she would soon find out about.

As Anna went back to bed, she couldn't stop thinking about the animals next door. Did they see the beautiful stars that she gazed upon?

The next day, Anna ran down the stairs while calling a cheery "Goood mooooorning!"

Her Mom looked up from her coffee, surprised to see Anna up so early. "Someone's in a good mood! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept fine. But the stars are so bright here, it took a while for me to get to bed!"

"I noticed that too," Anna's Mom replied. "Another thing much different than the city!"

Maybe different is okay, Anna thought to herself, careful not to voice this opinion out loud for it was such a new idea.

Ready for the zoo? I'm excited to meet even more animals!

So ready, Mom! And I was thinking about them a lot last night. Hopefully today we can solve my unanswered questions!

Mom, can animals see the stars like we do?

SEALS

I'm so glad you asked! Yes they do see the stars, and more than just see them. Some animals are even guided by the stars! In fact, my research team has just been able to prove this by using the planetarium here at our zoo. Here, let me show you what we found!

Anna's Mom brought Anna over to the pool with seals and began to explain her discoveries.

"Last week, Bjarn Mauck and I conducted a study to prove if seals use the stars for orientation. Silk and another harbor seal were placed in a five-meter round pool. They were then covered with a dome containing 6000 point light sources to recreate the Northern Hemisphere's starry sky. We found that after setting themselves on a fixed star, the seals continued to swim after that one star even after reorienting the dome," concluded Anna's Mom.

"That's so cool!" Anna said as she turned to look at Silk. That means you could be looking at the Big Dipper at the same time I am, Anna thought to herself.

SEALS

"So you're saying that whenever seals come out of the ocean, they're not only receiving fresh air, but they're also checking where they are in relation to the stars?" Anna questioned excitedly.

"Exactly!" replied Anna's Mom as she took in the curiosity displayed on her daughter's face. She loved how much her daughter supported her work, and it made the move 10,000 times more worth it.

BIRDS

Seals aren't the only animals who are guided by the stars. Lets go to the next stop!