Most people have a basic understanding of the general workings of the Earth, Moon and Sun and a few snippets of the other stuff out there, which is pretty much all that most care to know.
Other than the occasional eclipse, appearance of a bright ‘star’ or story about spacecraft passing Pluto, anything happening outside of our atmosphere really has nothing to do with everyday life.
This, of course, is not quite accurate, but we’ll leave that for another day.
This series of articles is being written because, in my early teens, I found the night sky fascinating, an interest that has not diminished over the last five decades. Part of the joy is sharing that passion with others.
Unfortunately, I have also, over the years, developed a great appreciation for my couch and remote control, and as a result, don’t get out as much as I used to. As self-serving as it may seem, having a regular print deadline will get my mind back on astronomy and off all the disappointment on television.
But enough about the Riders.
The next article will be a complete change from this one, in that it will actually have some content. For example, Saturn is back, its spectacular rings a ‘bucket list’ item. And, no promises, but I’m currently trying to arrange the total eclipse of a ‘supermoon’ on September 27th, if that’s convenient for everybody. Will keep you posted.
Incidentally, the (former) planet in the news these days, Pluto, is rising as the Sun sets, but it currently lies in front of the Milky Way, meaning it’s surrounded by at few billion stars, most of which are brighter.
There’s a reason they sent a spacecraft for a better look. For me, my best views will come from that couch I spoke of earlier.
June and July, the warmest months, also have the latest sunsets, so this is actually the least convenient time of the year for sky gazing; regardless, we’ll break out the bug spray and run through a few things you can see in our Living Skies, at night, from your own back yard.
All you have to do is look.
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Jim Huziak is an amateur astronomer from Yorkton who doesn’t get out as much as he should.
He also blogs about local astronomy at http://awotds.blogspot.com. He, and more importantly, his telescopes, can be reached at [email protected].
