I had a fantastic time camping!
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I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
@sundogplanets
having a sense of perspective
(remembering something or other from Douglas Adams about extrapolating the universe from a piece of fairie cake) -
And the satellites were BAD. Not that much worse than at home, actually, which surprised me a bit.
What also surprised me was how many random bright flashes I saw: these are from tumbling pieces of space junk. There seemed to be a lot more than I've ever seen before.
Relatedly, my collaborator emailed me over the weekend to let his co-authors know that the CRASH Clock is now down to 2.2 days. WEEEEE.
(Note website isn't yet updated, but explanation here: https://outerspaceinstitute.ca/crashclock/)
And way fewer satellites were visible at like 1am! (Thanks to geometry)
Enjoy Bortle 1!
We could have this everywhere (or at least, much much more extensively than a few national parks and dark sky preserves)with better lighting regulations! It's possible.
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I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
@sundogplanets it is amazing to see such a sky. I haven't seen it like that in decades, last time was in 1999 when I was in a dessert in Egypt
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And way fewer satellites were visible at like 1am! (Thanks to geometry)
Enjoy Bortle 1!
We could have this everywhere (or at least, much much more extensively than a few national parks and dark sky preserves)with better lighting regulations! It's possible.
@sundogplanets That looks like it must have been really awe-inspiring.
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And way fewer satellites were visible at like 1am! (Thanks to geometry)
Enjoy Bortle 1!
We could have this everywhere (or at least, much much more extensively than a few national parks and dark sky preserves)with better lighting regulations! It's possible.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/117067756308147920
I took these photos from the East Block of Grasslands National Park, a few km hike in from the only drive-in campground. I am so grateful to have access to this!
First, the landscape makes you feel tiny all day. Then, as in that lovely Yann Martel quote I posted here https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/117067760073867737, the "reassuring curtain of blue is pulled away and you realize where you really are: at infinity's doorstep"
And then you feel insignificant. But in a good way!
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RE: https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/117067756308147920
I took these photos from the East Block of Grasslands National Park, a few km hike in from the only drive-in campground. I am so grateful to have access to this!
First, the landscape makes you feel tiny all day. Then, as in that lovely Yann Martel quote I posted here https://mastodon.social/@sundogplanets/117067760073867737, the "reassuring curtain of blue is pulled away and you realize where you really are: at infinity's doorstep"
And then you feel insignificant. But in a good way!
BEAUTIFUL.
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I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
@sundogplanets My favorite summers for skywatching were the two I worked in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone Lake surface is at 8000 ft with no surrounding lights!
In 1977 and 1978. No Starlinks to streak the sky!
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BEAUTIFUL.
@sundogplanets
Wow. Beautiful. -
I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
@sundogplanets what kind of bortle number do you have at home? Was this a significant difference?
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BEAUTIFUL.
@sundogplanets
Hoo!!! -
And way fewer satellites were visible at like 1am! (Thanks to geometry)
Enjoy Bortle 1!
We could have this everywhere (or at least, much much more extensively than a few national parks and dark sky preserves)with better lighting regulations! It's possible.
@sundogplanets
Agreed. The smaller city i live in & the major city south of me have both made efforts to swap in & install only dark-sky-friendly street lighting & its making a big difference! I can almost see Orion's sword from my house again, & if i go outside the cities into the rural area, i can see constellations again. Still can't see fainter ones like Orion's shield, but it helps. -
BEAUTIFUL.
@sundogplanets Very pretty, yet very desolate-looking. And I don't know why, but the very first thing that popped into my head when I saw them was, “Oh, there should be an episode of Dr. Who shot there.” Yes, yes, I know.
I need help.
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I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
I'm glad you got cloudless skies while you were there. Thanks for the pictures, am enjoying them.
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I had a fantastic time camping! Don't get me wrong, I slept HORRIBLY. Especially the second night. But because it was Bortle 1 skies and gorgeously clear, it was something like this:
"ohhhh my neck ohhh my hips owwww..." *opens eyes, looks up at perfect dome of stars*
"ooohhhh wow. Everything is fine. I am a tiny insignificant speck on a mote of dust, my pain doesn't matter."Repeat every ~30 minutes all night.
Just look at these skies!
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