Monday, August 3, 2009

Look ma! No stars!

I took a peek outside to see what kind of visibility I have from my yard. I knew it wasn't great (TREES EVERYWHERE) but I figured I'd be able to see some stars to the east.

I'd forgotten about the street light they put in across the street. I could barely see any stars at all. Maybe tonight I will take a walk around the neighborhood and see if there's any decent dark places. At least I might get a nice walk with the fiance out of it. I maybe could go to the beach too, but most parks around here close at 10, just when it starts getting dark. Also I'd have to drive.

In any case, I have been checking out online resources. I'm not interested in joining any societies that require me to pay dues at the moment, and I would like my resources to be useful for me in my non-knowledgeable beginner state.

Fun one first - the astronomy picture of the day! Today's picture:


The orange star near the middle is T Tauri, a variable star (meaning it changes brightness). It is surrounded by Hind's Variable Nebula. The site has more information. They include nice descriptions with their pictures!

I thought that the International Meteor Organization (http://www.imo.net/) looked like a good source for knowing when meteor showers are coming up, and I really liked the aims of the International Dark-Sky Association (http://www.darksky.org/), which is to limit light pollution. I might join that one. We'll see. I didn't see anything about dues.

Here's to hoping for clear skies tonight and someplace in the neighborhood with something resembling a decent view of the sky!

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