Elementary
My sister is in town this week (yay!) and I got to spend some quality time picking on her today. At dinner, my dad was raving about this comet he got a chance to spot last night. He said it appeared to be about a quarter the size of a full moon and was like nothing he'd ever seen in the sky before.
When I was a kid, he'd sometimes take us out into the backyard (or even better, my grandma's house in middle-of-nowhere, Minnesota, where city lights weren't an issue) when there were astronomical events like comets or meteor showers, and we'd pass the binoculars amongst ourselves. Mostly, it was fun to be outside in the dark, sometimes later at night than we were usually allowed to stay up. I remember that more than I remember anything we ever saw in the sky.
Comments
I was trying to spot Comet Holmes last night while I was outside but I didn't quite know where to look. It had probably set anyway. Luckily I have been a regular visitor at http://www.spaceweather.com for years, and through them I never miss hearing about celestial events. Check out the Comet McNaught gallery for one of the most amazing comets ever to grace the skies of the Southen Hemisphere!
Posted by: Mike | 10:28PM, 11.11.07
I can't see a damn thing around here but the sky is still blissfully dark and clear in the mountains. My grandmother used to take me and her big, heavy binoculars outside with her at night when it was clear to look at the sky. She taught me what to look for and how to find it.
I have the memories, knowledge, and binoculars now, and I still love the way it feels to be outside in the dark staring up at the sky.
Posted by: jane | 7:53AM, 11.12.07