What do you see when you look up into the night sky?
by Albert
The Ann Arbor District Library invites you to join our online discussion of the 2009 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads title Seeing In The Dark: How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering The Wonders Of The Universe, by Timothy Ferris. 2009 marks the International Year of Astronomy and the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical observation through a telescope by Galileo. Here are a few questions to get the discussion rolling: Have you ever seen a really dark, starry night? What did you think about and how did you feel? What was the first object you saw through a telescope that got you hooked on observing the night sky? Compare viewing the sky through a telescope versus seeing it with the naked eye. Add your comments below.
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Should government continue to support science?
And another new question: Why, as a species, do we need night?
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Comments
I remember the first time we
I remember the first time we went to Cape Cod and sat on the beach at night. The sky was magical. We could see shooting stars and the Milky Way. I have never forgotten that night.
I used to be a huge
I used to be a huge constellation buff. I knew them all with all their stories and secrets. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)|Orion] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleiades_(star_cluster)|Pleiades] are still my favorite. But the ultimate night time gem is the moon, of course! (Maybe just maybe people used to call me Luna.)
Growing up in the
Growing up in the countryside in western Oregon, we saw the Milky Way filling the sky with myriads of stars on clear nights. I remember one summer when shooting stars were common for several nights.
Dora
What I see now mostly when I
What I see now mostly when I look at the night sky is a haze of light pollution.
Edward Vielmetti
How do you think light
How do you think light pollution can be reduced?
The light pollution is
The light pollution is indeed a huge downer for casual stargazers. So it's a welcome experience when on the outskirts of the city and enjoying the black starry sky in all its spleandor.
I think the most awesome
I think the most awesome insight from astronomy is that all chemical elements are forged in stars. And that the elements heavier than iron are only formed in ancient supernova star explosions that seed our universe with the useful building blocks of life.
Believe it or not, I've
Believe it or not, I've never seen a truly celestial view of the Milky Way, as some comments have said. What is the closest location from the Ann Arbor area to get away from the light pollution and see the sky as it's meant to be seen?
Hi, nice article. I really
Hi, nice article. I really like it!