Tonight is the night for Star parties across NC (where you can go to certain parks and meet with astronomy clubs, learn how to find certain stars and planets, etc). And of course it is cool today, meaning it will be cold tonight. I suppose that's great for seeing stars, but it also means if I go to a party, I'll have to go alone. And seeing as we'll have yard work being done at the house in the morning (meaning an early morning for me), I don't really care to stay out very late.
There's a small part of me that is tempted to just lock the dog up this afternoon and attempt to set my telescope up in the backyard, and then see what I can find myself. I know there are supposed to be several websites telling you where to look and how to find things, so perhaps I can figure out a few things on my own. I know the star parties are supposed to be looking at Jupiter and its four moons, as well as trying to count all the stars in the Leo constellation (a way of gauging light pollution across the stae). If I can just find Leo, I will be happy. I've never quite figured out how on earth people come up with the drawings around the stars. Even if I play dot to dot while looking at the stars, I never come up with those shapes! Perhaps if we had studied the stars more as a kid or in school I would grasp it better. But for now, I'm just occasionally learning a thing here or there, not even enough to say I dabble.
Happy Star Watching Day!
There's a small part of me that is tempted to just lock the dog up this afternoon and attempt to set my telescope up in the backyard, and then see what I can find myself. I know there are supposed to be several websites telling you where to look and how to find things, so perhaps I can figure out a few things on my own. I know the star parties are supposed to be looking at Jupiter and its four moons, as well as trying to count all the stars in the Leo constellation (a way of gauging light pollution across the stae). If I can just find Leo, I will be happy. I've never quite figured out how on earth people come up with the drawings around the stars. Even if I play dot to dot while looking at the stars, I never come up with those shapes! Perhaps if we had studied the stars more as a kid or in school I would grasp it better. But for now, I'm just occasionally learning a thing here or there, not even enough to say I dabble.
Happy Star Watching Day!
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