Have I mentioned that the soror and I make an awesome team? We rock. We incandesce. No kidding. I shall explain.
This summer, I have been making friends with the night sky. You might remember my post from mid-June or so--yes? Anyway, the project went on hold for most of July, due to work, company, and clouds, but I restarted it yesterday. I have now identified pretty much all the constellations visible around 11 pm at my latitude. (It's very convenient, because the Milky Way is out in force. Find the constellations in it, and then it's easy to find everything else relative to that.)
I've done it mostly by means of The Audubon Society Field Guide to the Night Sky, which is a navy blue book of a pleasant size to hold in one's hand, full of maps and charts and lists and star-names and history fading off into legend. So one wanders out into the yard, inquiring of one's soul whether the Corona Borealis is between Hercules and Lyra or between Hercules and Bootes. One remembers distinctly that she had it last June, but alas, a crown does not endure to all generations! So the hopeful crown-seeker consults the sky, seeking the sign (or more probably the thing itself) to no avail, and wanders back to the light pouring out from the kitchen window, contemplating the map entitled "The August Sky." One discovers the Corona is, in fact, sort of triangularly between Bootes, Hercules, and Serpens Caput. One searches the heavens, and lo and behold it is where it ought to be. Delightful, the way that works.
Meanwhile, the sister got out the telescope. She fiddled with it, figured out what the different lenses were for, and by dark and mysterious means, she has learned to work it. Naming stars: I can deal with this. But pointing technology at them: that's something else entirely!
We were talking tonight--I have the book-knowledge and she has the technical knowledge! I know what to look at and she knows how to look at it!
That is cool. As I have said, we rock.
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4 comments:
You two do rock :). My older sister and I work together in much the same book -- I have the vision (what we want to achieve), she has the practicality to make it happen (how to achieve it)... and it's ever so much fun to do things together.
We should go stargazing once you get back... I know a great place where you can really see the stars on a cloudless night. Though I suppose your soror can't bring her telescope :(... btw, tell her I say hi!
I meant... "my older sister and I work together in much the same WAY"... yikes, I am sleepy this morning :P. Should learn how to delete and revise comments...
:-D The funny thing was, I read your comment and didn't even notice the "book"! I must have been listening to what you meant, not what you wrote!
Yes, by all means let us go look at stars this fall. It sounds like just the thing. :-D
My brother and I sometimes play computer games like that: he plays and I tell him what to do.
Moving back to stars, your post reminded me that I haven't looked at the stars lately and I'm getting rusty on constellations. Maybe I'll go outside now.
--Ben Guthrie
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