Having lived near New York City for 15 years, I forgot what it was like to look up and see the stars each night. Light and air pollution near major cities in the USA mutes the ability to star-gaze. This is a shame and you could say that our sky is endangered. This blog post will focus on finding those places to reconnect with the universe and knowing our place in it…
Getting the Scoop: Finding your Stargazing Sweet Spot
Astronomy magazine has a wonderful website that has a news section describing “The Sky This Week.” Yes, every season has a different sky and some planets have a summer. This past summer was a Saturn viewing party from beginning to end. Head to the site to find out about local events taking place focused on Astronomy. Astronomy.com
I do have a favorite spot for regular viewing, Frosty Drew Observatory & Sky Theatre in Charlestown, Rhode Island. The observatory is open each Friday night to the public at no charge (I do put donations in the box). On a particular Friday night this summer, we could see Saturn in all its glory. The place is an incubator for inspiring the next generation of astronomers. Onsite astronomers and enthusiasts are available to answer questions and share their expertise. Looking forward to “Spooky Stargazing” on Friday, October 27th. If you want to find an observatory in your area, go to http://www.go-astronomy.com/observatories.htm
You can also check out the Light Pollution Finder to see if where you live could be a place to star-gaze?
From my experience, the best sunsets occur in some of the largest national parks. Find a National Park
Dark Sky Finder helps you search by Zip Code for the dark places that will maximize your viewing pleasure. I do like the search feature and listing places by tier for the super sites for stargazing. It is limited for sites that join their network and it misses the opportunity to have a comprehensive list of observatories.
Using Technology to Map the Stars
There are some amazing apps to support you once you get to that stargazing place or even in your own backyard.
SkyView: Explore the Universe
This was the first app that I downloaded and I was not disappointed. It helps you to find planets, stars, constellations and EVEN satellites that orbit the Earth. There are all these neat enhancements like augmented reality. You can use your smartphone to map the sky to truly take a celestial journey and actually know what you are looking at. I did add the today widget to tell me of upcoming views of Venus and this summer’s amazing views of Saturn. This app is really kid friendly and you can even share your data and observations on Facebook and Twitter. Or email…
Sky Guide AR
This is one I paid a few dollars for in the app store. I describe this app as the tourist’s guide to the sky and it also can make you a time traveller. By plugging in the date, the app will take you in time to what you will see. I did like the notifications of when the International Space Station was passing over. The animations on this app are spectacular! You do not always need the internet, so when you are hunting the stars away from your wi-fi, it still works. This one is only available on iOS.
Some thoughts about Stargazing
Recently, I purchased and watched an amazing thirty-nine minute film called “Under an Arctic Sky” about surfers searching out a remote corner of Iceland for the perfect surf. Chris Burkard, a phenomenal photographer shared pictures of the journey and many included the Northern Lights. I keep watching the movie over and over. It inspired me to really focus for the next few months, I need to learn how to capture pictures of the Milky Way and the Northern Lights. I am ready!
Look up my friends and you might just find your way through stargazing.