Looking outward from this pale, blue dot

On some nights, from some locations, it's still possible to see a starry night - and (at least temporarily) escape from the perpetual earthly nightmare(s) closer to home.

The sun set. The sky was almost completely cloud-free Accessory cases and counterweights were carried outside. A tripod was leveled and positioned with one leg directed northward. 'The Beast', in its protective case, was carried out. Additional trips were made for a clipboard, observing chair, and anything else that might prove useful.

Counterweights were attached to the mount. 'The Beast' was removed from its case and likewise secured to the mount. A finder and diagonal were added to the Beast. Once all was ready I went inside for some chocolate milk and popcorn!

Jupiter and its Galilean satellites were observed and sketched. Notes were added. The sky continued to darken. The Milky Way came out.

Saturn was at opposition, but wouldn't climb very high in my sky - and I didn't wait. The ringed planet was observed and sketched while at an altitude of less than 16 degrees. All things considered, Saturn looked better than expected. It was visibly accompanied by Titan, Tethys, Dione, and Rhea. Other companions went unnoticed. The ring system was significantly brighter than the planet's disk. Despite the relatively poor seeing and Saturn's low altitude Cassini's Division was evident - often most of the way around the planet. Saturn's bright Equatorial Zone and darker North Equatorial belt were evident.

Epsilon Lyrae was checked out. The 'Double Double' was handily split. A familiar, old, planetary nebula between Sheliak and Sulafat was scrutinized for a while.

At times the smell of a skunk was evident. The smell wasn't too terribly strong - so the furry, little, black and white critter either wasn't very close or hadn't sprayed anything too recently.

After some casual sight-seeing the session came to its logical conclusion. All that was taken out earlier was brought back inside. The sky started growing a bit brighter in the east-southeast. The moon would be coming up soon.

Our pale, blue dot will not always be a pale blue color. Jupiter and Saturn will change with the passage of time, but the stars will change far more slowly - at least most of them -

But will anyone remain to see them in the centuries to come?

Sketcher,
Don't take life too seriously.
So far, no one's made it out alive!