Astronomy 1 - 2

As you might remember from this post, I enjoy stargazing from time to time. I typically don't have time during the school year, so I don't usually do it until the summer. The skies are usually clearer at this time of year anyways. Recently, I have gone out a few times, and I have been keeping a record of what I have been seeing. I have made a lot of progress since last summer. I am finally able to identify some constellations. I am hoping that my new star chart will help me the next time I go out to stargaze. Here is the record of the last couple of times:


Friday, June 24, 2011
Tonight was a cool night. My session began at 9:00 pm. I have spotted the Big Dipper and Arcturus. After this point, I had a difficult time finding what I was looking at. I wish it could have been darker. I had spent about forty-five minutes out there when a possum came out of a tree and began walking along the fence. I had been hearing noises for the past five minutes thinking it was nothing, but I was wrong. I got scared, ran inside, and decided to call it a night. Well, at least got to see how effective my star chart was and was able to identify a few constellations.


Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tonight was a bit chilly with a few bugs around. For once, my attempt at locating constellations and stars was successful. I was able to see the Big Dipper, the Summer Triangle, and Bootes. I was only able to view parts of the Little Dipper and Draco because it was difficult to see the fainter stars. My attempts at finding Pluto tonight were unsuccessful, but I believe that it was hidden under the horizon. Today, there was a mostly full moon since it is the day after the full moon. The southern horizon seems foreign to me. I was unable to identify anything there. Overall, I believe that I am beginning to get the hang of this. Perhaps with more practice, I will get better. I will be out again soon, but perhaps less paranoid about strange things in the dark next time.


As you can probably see, I am still trying to find my way around the sky, and I am paranoid that another possum will come out of the trees. However, I am not going to let that stop me.