Day 245 (Stargazing)

Abby, one of my classmates up here at SFTS, graciously took us outside to do some stargazing tonight for a short study break. We went out to the graduation field, which was unfortunately lit by by a huge floodlight, but was one of the darker places on the campus to look up at the stars. Still, she showed us Mars, Leo, Gemini, Canis Minor, Virgo and Auriga. Not sure what that last one is supposed to look like, never heard of it before. It was really fun learning about the stars and the constellations and some of the mythology surrounding them. We even saw a big shooting star!

I love stargazing, but I rarely find myself in a good place to do it. There's usually too much light pollution. If you ever get a chance to leave the city light to look up at the night sky, there are fewer things as breathtaking. I remember going to Sequoia National Park a few years back and looking up at the night sky. There were so many stars in the sky that the sky almost looked gray. The Milky Way was a bright swath of stars going across the sky; the stars were just so much brighter than I ever remember seeing them.

So much homework to do, so little time to look at the stars...*sigh*