6 Kids, 3 cats, 1 dog, Mom, and Dad

Chilly last night or Me and my red light district.

I was out last night looking at the stars, again. It was pretty cold and it wasn't too long before my hands were freezing. My red light district was the area around me lit by my flashlight, that has the lens covered with red cellophane to preserve my night vision, while I looked at the star map.

My observations from last night:

I did my viewing, sans telescope, from a field in the neighborhood across the street from my house. I had a much wider field of view and once my eyes adjusted to the light I took the opportunity to examine the northern and southern views. East and West was difficult this time because people had their front lights on and it affected my night vision to look in those directions.

Now that I know the position of Altair I was able to find the constellation Aquila. That marker allowed me to view and identify Capricornus and Aquarius for the first time. It was a little difficult, at first, to see all the parts of the Water Bearer because of local light pollution but as my eyes adjusted it became easier.

I also looked at Ursa Major and Minor, Draco, Polaris, Cassiopeia, and for the first time, Capella. I look forward to carrying out my telescope the next time I view and examining those parts of the sky now that I have reference points.

Finally, I looked nearly overhead so that I could identify the Summer Triangle of Altair, Vega, and Deneb.

Posted by bbarton at September 27, 2006 10:46 AM