Category Archives: stargazing

astronomy, star charts, stargazing

Been Stargazing Lately?

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Looking Up: It’s Worth It, so Give it a Try

The lunar eclipse adventure the other night had a lot of people looking up at the sky. It’s probably safe to say that for many, it was probably the first time ever, or at least the first time in a long time.  Granted, the weather this time of year isn’t always conducive to stargazing, particularly so for those of us in the northern hemisphere where cold temps are a constant. But, what’s the excuse of those who aren’t in the cold climates?  Too much light pollution?  Not safe to go out after dark?  If so, that’s sad.

Other reasons are more interesting, like the one I heard from a store clerk the other day:  “The night sky scares me.” I asked him why and he said that he likes to look at the stars, but he stays close to the house because it feels like he’ll fall into the sky.  That blew me away because I had that same experience once — feeling like I’d fall up into the sky.  It happened on Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawai’i.  I was  observing using one of the big telescopes up there, and I stepped outside onto a catwalk that circled the dome.  It was absolutely pitch-dark out and the sky was so clear that it really DID look like velvet with diamonds scattered on it.  Suddenly I felt like I was about to float up there and out of sight, and I did find myself sort of grabbing for the side of the building. But, it wasn’t scary. Just kind of exhilirating.  Still, I did know how the guy felt, in a way.

The night sky isn’t scary, but I imagine our human-reptilian brains are programmed to find dark places somewhat disturbing. And, there is this feeling that you get of being a small thing in a very big cosmos. THAT can also be disconcerting, at first.

However, the night sky is actually rather like a puzzle. You see all these stars up there and, at first, they seem to be randomly scattered across the darkness. Then, after a while, you start to see patterns in the star distribution. Shapes leap out at you, and before you know it, you’re recognizing the Big Dipper, Orion, the northern or southern cross, and other well-known shapes.  It’s rewarding and visually links you with the universe you’re a part of.  No matter where you are.

So, give it a try.  Here’s a star map that I sent out with my holiday cards this year. It’s northern-hemisphere oriented, but Orion is visible fairly far south, as are most  of the other labeled objects. It’s set for December 25, around 9:30 p.m., but will be good for a few days before and after that date, so give it a try.

Star chart for late December, 2010. Click to embiggen.
stargazing

Midsummer Night’s Gleam

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Mountain-top Stargazing

On these short summer (northern hemisphere) nights, when the Sun goes down late in the evening and rises early in the morning, stargazing is something of a relaxed activity at our place.  First, it’s usually fairly warm (warmer than a winter’s night!).  If it does get cold, as it does up here at my altitude, I’ve got a sweater and hat handy for the nippy temperatures.

Sunset at altitude, June 14, 2010. Photographer: Carolyn Collins Petersen

Second, right now there are some fairly easy things to spot in the sky. We try to go out each night and watch the sunset.  Up here at 9,200 feet, we have glorious sunsets over the Continental Divide, often made more gorgeous by a few clouds to reflect light and help create crepuscular rays. But, once the Sun’s down, it’s open season the stars and planets. Often the first thing we spot, even before the Sun has set, is the planet Venus. It’s a tough catch, but give it a try if you have a good western view. Not long after sunset, we try to find Mars and Saturn

After that, we look to see who can spot the star Arcturus first. It’s almost directly overhead after sunset.  Off to the east, we look for Vega, once it has cleared the mountain behind our house.  It doesn’t take long for the rest of the stars of the Summer Triangle to clear the peak top — and if we’re out about midnight, they’re quite high in the sky.

Of course, for us Northern Hemisphere types, there’s always the Big Dipper (that asterism that is part of the constellation of Ursa Major) to check out. It’s high in the northwest part of the sky after 9:30 or 10 p.m. And, later on, around midnight, the Milky Way is high enough in the sky to make out as a faint band of light. Up at our altitude, we can usually make out details in the Milky Way, which is pretty darned cool to see.

All of these things I’ve just described don’t require any special equipment, other than the old Mark I eyeballs, a jacket (for those chilly times late at night), and about 10 minutes’ worth of dark adaptation. Even most city dwellers can spot the brightest stars, although the Milky Way is probably washed out. But, there’s still something gleaming up there for everyone to check out!