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by SkyGuy from Fairfax, VA

Last Post 1 day Ago


A Moment with the Milky Way Galaxy
May 13, 2008 | 4:20 AM
Category: Weather
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Hey Fellow Fox 5'ers!

I am writing this at 4 AM and wanted to share with you a few thoughts collected under a clear and dark sky down here in central VA. The Milky Way Galaxy, or at least the Sagittarius-Cygnus arm of our home spiral galaxy was splendidly visible this early morning after the seemingly incessant clouds swept to the east.

All the way to the north pouring out of Casseopia and into the Great Rift in Cygnus the Swan to end in the great star clouds of Sagittarius - the milky stars and dark dust clouds were there. Oh how we have given up our heritage of dark skies. Replacing the splendor and peace of the surreal celestial sphere where history and beauty abound with wasted electrical power.

Lights do not have to paint the night sky to be effective - money and energy could be saved with properly designed lighting fixtures. Technology can give us back our dark skies if only we take the steps to do so. We would also reduce our carbon emissions through reduced power requirements. There is so much we could do to change our world if we only had the collective will to do so......perhaps that will be the historical legacy of our time.

Learn more about reducing light pollution: http://www.darksky.org/mc/page.do

 SkyGuy

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Member Comments Total Comments: 3
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Mountaineerfan read my blog view my photos
May 17, 2008 | 4:04 AM

Great insights Skyguy.I'm sure I don't have to point this out to you:

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights
_dmsp_big.jpg

Remember how I used to comment on how dark Australia is?This map points out why.If you could cut a deal with one of those massive truck trains to let you off and then to get picked up from the middle of the Outback you'd be in business.
To tell the truth I'm really suprised at how dark some of these places are and suprised again at how illuminated others are.
Take China for instance.I'm suprised at how dark it is there overall while I'm kinda puzzled at the amount of light coming from Northern Scandanavia.
I'm also a bit perplexed by that chain of light running straight through southern Russia from the Baltic all the way to the Sea of Okhotsk.Siberian Express?Well it still looks like those jokes about Outer Mongolia are still true for the most part.Most of Siberia still looks to be pretty much in the boonies too.
Hell,even the South Pole has a few outposts along it's outer edges.See `em?
Also,it looks like Africa is still the dark continent but the glow in South America is suprising.My money's on Greenland or Alaska.

This is another fave site of mine too while were on this subject...sorta:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

Hit the "map of the Earth" link for a cool track of sun and night anywhere on the planet.Other neat stuff there too.

BTW,did I ever mention that I'm a hardcore map freak?I believe it started when my dad used to sell wood to an old fellow who used to work as a cartographer for the US
Mountaineerfan read my blog view my photos
May 17, 2008 | 4:09 AM

Cont:


BTW,did I ever mention that I'm a hardcore map freak?I believe it started when my dad used to sell wood to an old fellow who used to work as a cartographer for the USGS.Every time we'd go to his house he would turn me on to all sorts of maps.It was very cool.Looking back on it I wish I had had the sense to at least have tried to have gotten his stash of maps and stuff when he died.Oh well.Hindsight..20/20..etc...
I use any excuse I can find,like this,to dig into maps.That includes sky maps too.Now you know why I jumped on that Stellarium program so quick.
SkyGuy read my blog view my photos
May 22, 2008 | 3:03 PM

Yeah, you look at the Earth at night and it is something to see all of that energy and $$ wasted.

As a navigator in the Navy, it was charts ;)

Hope to get some lunar time in this weekend if the weax stays clear as predicted.

Happy Memorial Day Mountaineerfan!

SkyGuy
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SkyGuy

Hi, my name is Greg Redfern and you may have seen me on Fox 5 or heard me on WTOP and Washington Post Radio talking about space and astronomy. I write a weekly astronomy column for WTOP News called "What's Up: The Space Place" and I am a NASA-Jet Propulsion Lab Solar System Ambassador. Be sure to visit Astrocast.tv for the latest webcast episode. Space related stuff is my passion. If you have any space or astronomy related questions please let me know.

Member Since: 6/11/2007


 

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