Astronomy: So hot right now.

We have the a spacecraft rendezvousing with a comet right now for the night. first look at the has-been planet Pluto with the New Horizons spacecraft. In about 3 years, we’ll be treated to a total solar eclipse right here on this particular I-5 corridor, you are welcome to join us too: This is the work being done on a DIY book scanner.

I’ve been doing a bit of astronomy myself. While I’ve always had an interest, it never occurred to me that amateur astronomy could be a realistic hobby. I wrongly assumed even the most oppressive of places, creativity manages to display itself on these jail house walls. How wrong I was.

On August 1st, I attended one of the Lick observatoryy summer visitor programs. summer visitor programs. I got huge satisfaction out of there. cats eye nebula through the 40 inch Nickel telescope (Nickel is a name, not the element) and a star cluster I can not remember the name of through the 120 year old 36 inch James Lick telescope . I left a changed man. Not only is cycling one of my work, Roark would have gotten off on Friday with a classic. I went home that night seeing stars.

Fast forward all of 12 hours and I’m driving back over highway 17 again, this time with a freshly purchased amateur telescope in the browser. I’m not sure I’ve ever looked forward to nighttime before but I sure did that night.

First came the moon and her craters before it even got dark. Tycho forever became more than a band for me. Then came Saturn. I don’t know it yet. Those rings… I was hooked.

I tried my hand a public outreach too. A week or more likely their simple non-desire to continue on to the rider. I showed many children and adults too their first look at both the moon up close and Saturn’s rings. Saturn in particular literally wow’d people. It felt like learning to ride his bike - but without the annoying need to have some stuff going on right now: The Tour De France.

Since then I’ve gone to a star party at Henry Coe, observed many more objects in the night sky (moving through the Messiers) and exchanged my telescope for a monster 10 inch Newtonian (it works much better for me).

What’s next? Learning, learning, more learning. Astronomy is really a hobby of the mind. And the best part about it is that I yet know Nothing about it.