Looking Starward
I know I’ve had a good day when I’m able to look back on it and think “hmmm…bet you didn’t think you were going to do that today.”
Yesterday was a good day.
Just before turning in for the night I read some recent tweets on twitter. I found a tweet from the local weather girl saying something about a meteor shower. Tonight! I’m a wannabe astronomer so how I missed this I don’t know. I love star gazing, watching for satellites, “shooting stars” and sorting out the constellations.
It was a beautiful night. After a scorcher of a day the evening cooled off rather nicely. There was a gentle breeze and no mosquitoes (pretty amazing since they are close to becoming our provincial bird I’m sure of it!).
We grabbed the cushions off the patio chairs, laid out on the deck and waited. And waited. And waited. Then finally there was meteor it was pretty faint and didn’t last very long but it was a great intro for what we were to see next.
We saw a meteor unlike any we’ve ever seen before. It was big, bright and relatively sluggish (and no it wasn’t a plane…it was faster than that 
). It zipped from the North sky Southward leaving a trail etched in the night sky high above us. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. We laid there in awe of what we just witnessed. It was really cool.
We laid there a while longer wondering if that was a sign of things to come. And we laid there. And we laid there. And we laid there. Nothing. After about 20 minutes of not seeing anything we decided to head back inside and call it a night. I remember thinking as I laid down in bed “wow! when I woke up this morning I didn’t think I’d see that.”
Stargazing is a wonderful way to spend a few minutes or a few hours. It sparks a sense of wonder, insignificance and amazement. It’s completely free and you can really do it anywhere.
Stargazing tips for wannabe astronomers
1. Check the forecast. If it’s cloudy, it doesn’t matter how long you sit out there allowing your eyes to adjust to the darkness you won’t see much if it’s overcast. Also, it won’t be as enjoyable if you’re freezing your butt off as well so definitely bundle up if you need to.
2. The darker the better. If you don’t live out of town away from the bright city lights consider taking a road trip. Even if you can see stars from your spot in the city you’d be amazed by what you see if you get out of town for a bit.
3. Get a map. If you are curious as to what you’re looking at take a map of the constellations with you. You can download a map of the night sky for the hemisphere in which you live from Skymaps.com. Study it, take it with you or refer to it when you get home again. If you want to refer to the map while gazing use a flashlight covered with red material. The red light lessens the effect of burn in on your eyes and you won’t need to wait for them to readjust once you turn the light off. It’s really neat to be able to make a bit of sense of the billions of tiny specs that litter the night sky.
4. Get comfy. This is so important if you plan to spend any amount of time outside gazing at the stars. I find it’s easier on the neck, back and legs if I lay down flat on the ground. This means I need to bring a sleeping bag to lay on for a bit of extra padding and a cushion for my head. You may be just as comfortable on a lawn chair or lounger. Just remember that the more comfortable you are the more enjoyable this experience will be for you.
So there you have it a quick guide to stargazing. I hope you’ll awaken your inner child full of wonder and amazement and head out to see the stars tonight. For the northern hemisphere, the Perseids meteor shower continues tonight (August 12) and there is expected to be around 100 meteors per hour. I know what I’ll be doing.
See also:
Create Experiences: Gifts That Can Last A Lifetime
7 Little Indulgences – Very Little Guilt
Go Ahead Make Your Day: 50 Ways To Make Today Shine
Gratitude Journal: 30 Days To Happiness
Photo courtesy of: El Photopakismo
Isn’t that beautiful. On holidays I always lie down and try to see falling stars. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t but every time when it happens I feel excited.
We have escaped the city and live with no street lights. That makes the full moon nights amazing too. That light is just out of this world, like a fairy tale. I never get enough of that either. I live in the southern hemosphere so no star gazing for me tonight. I would freeze my butt off for sure.
Wilma Ham´s last blog ..The unknown got to me; what is next with our Garden of Eden?
Oh I so wish we were able to see that! The southeast has been cloudy all week!!!
Chele´s last blog ..It’s a Blogwarming Party!
Where we live we can see the stars very clearly. It’s no meteor shower but it makes star gazing quite interesting.
Bakari´s last blog ..Boot Camps and what matters most in Public Speaking
Wow…what a lovely description. i think i enjoyed it just reading your post today! I am a curious kinda gal..so will check for your suggestions and for sure will wait for the next meteor shower..or whatever else the heavens shower on us.
Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..Enhance Your Life With A Thank You.
Sherri, I grew up in a rural area with thin dry air. The stars were unbelievable on a clear night. Now I live in the city of Houston with city lights and moist air that does not lend itself to a lot of star gazing. However, on occasion I do find myself marveling at the sky. I like this quote by Richard Dawkins:
“All the great religions have a place for awe, for ecstatic transport at the wonder and beauty of creation. And it’s exactly this feeling of spine-shivering, breath-catching awe – almost worship – this flooding of the chest with ecstatic wonder, that modern science can provide … The merest glance through a microscope at the brain of an ant or through a telescope at a long-ago galaxy of a billion worlds is enough to render poky and parochial the very psalms of praise”
Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..Mavis Karn’s Secret
Hi there Sherri
What a fantastic way to spend the evening. I’ve always enjoyed watching the night sky. There’s something so peacful and yet so magical about it. One of my most spectacular experiences was sleeping out under the stars near Ayers Rock in Australia. As there wasn’t a city light for hundreds of miles, the stars twinkled brightly that night. It was pure class.
And the sleeping bag came in very handy too!
Ann-Marie´s last blog ..Exciting and tough; this learning to play a totally different game.