Beautiful Magnitude 1.5 Skies!

Well, actually they were about 1.6, but what's a tenth of a magnitude
between friends.

Rather than setting up my telescope in my back yard Friday Night, I
found myself driving to Las Vegas to pick up airplane wreckage. I
hadn't been to Vegas in...well...20 years or so (other than the
occasional layover in the airport), so when the guy arranging the
lodging got us rooms on "The Strip" (we stayed in the Luxor), I
thought, "cool, I can look around a bit."

We did some walking up and down the strip Monday and Tuesday nights
(we were just so darned tired last night, everybody just went to their
rooms and slept). Monday was overcast, but as we were walking back
from Ceasar's Palace (and enjoying the water show at the Bellagio), I
looked up and...

Hmmm...well...I think that's Capella...so that reddish one must be
Aldeberon...no, no, that's Betelguese, THAT's Aldeberon...There's
Rigel...

To make a long story short, I could make out Capella (and about 3
other stars in Auriga), Castor, Pollux, Rigel, Aldeberon, Betelguese,
Bellatrix, Procyon, Saturn, Sirius, Orion's belt, and that is it. I
couldn't see Saiph for the life of me even though I knew exactly where
it should be.

Then again, I didn't see anybody with a telescope set up on "The
Strip" either...

Clear, Dark Skies

Mark

Mark Smith wrote:

Well, actually they were about 1.6, but what's a tenth of a magnitude
between friends.

Rather than setting up my telescope in my back yard Friday Night, I
found myself driving to Las Vegas to pick up airplane wreckage. I
hadn't been to Vegas in...well...20 years or so (other than the
occasional layover in the airport), so when the guy arranging the
lodging got us rooms on "The Strip" (we stayed in the Luxor), I
thought, "cool, I can look around a bit."

We did some walking up and down the strip Monday and Tuesday nights
(we were just so darned tired last night, everybody just went to their
rooms and slept). Monday was overcast, but as we were walking back
from Ceasar's Palace (and enjoying the water show at the Bellagio), I
looked up and...

Hmmm...well...I think that's Capella...so that reddish one must be
Aldeberon...no, no, that's Betelguese, THAT's Aldeberon...There's
Rigel...

To make a long story short, I could make out Capella (and about 3
other stars in Auriga), Castor, Pollux, Rigel, Aldeberon, Betelguese,
Bellatrix, Procyon, Saturn, Sirius, Orion's belt, and that is it. I
couldn't see Saiph for the life of me even though I knew exactly where
it should be.

Then again, I didn't see anybody with a telescope set up on "The
Strip" either...

That's considerably better than the sky over Los Angeles.
Many times I have only been able to see one faint star.
At least the moon and venus are still visible. For now.

That's considerably better than the sky over Los Angeles.
Many times I have only been able to see one faint star.
At least the moon and venus are still visible. For now.


LOL..