Drove an hour out of town, waited twenty minutes for my eyes to adjust, and there it was. A faint smudge two and a half million years old.
Andromeda through binoculars on a dark night is unreal, it fills half the view.
misty-rowan-88 wrote:
Andromeda through binoculars on a dark night is unreal, it fills half the view.
Ha, I thought I was the only one.
Write to your council about shielded fixtures. It works more often than you'd think.
Do you have a source for that? Not doubting, I just want to read more.
still-willow-23 wrote:
Write to your council about shielded fixtures.
Counterpoint: it depends a lot on how much time you have.
still-willow-23 wrote:
Write to your council about shielded fixtures.
Strong disagree, but I appreciate the write-up.
Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for.
Saturn, every time. The reaction never gets old.
sunlit-wren-15 wrote:
Saturn, every time.
Small correction: it was the other way around, but the point still stands.
Binoculars first. 10x50 shows you more than people expect and teaches you the sky.
That's fair. I hadn't looked at it that way.
This is the most useful reply in the thread.
Get 10x50 binoculars first, they show far more than you'd think and you learn the sky.
Small correction: it was the other way around, but the point still stands.
Agreed, and I'd add that it takes a while before it clicks.
misty-alder-20 wrote:
Small correction: it was the other way around, but the point still stands.
Agreed, and I'd add that it takes a while before it clicks.
Do you have a source for that? Not doubting, I just want to read more.
Lying on a blanket during the Perseids is still my favourite night of the year.
gentle-rowan-97 wrote:
Lying on a blanket during the Perseids is still my favourite night of the year.
Small correction: it was the other way around, but the point still stands.
Download a star chart app, but print the map too. Screens ruin night vision.
I'd be careful with that advice, it worked for me but I know people it didn't work for.
Let your eyes adapt for at least twenty minutes, and keep the phone away.
Saving this for later.
A cheap red bike light works better than most dedicated astronomy torches.
amber-heron-14 wrote:
A cheap red bike light works better than most dedicated astronomy torches.
Small correction: it was the other way around, but the point still stands.
rustling-heron-60 wrote:
amber-heron-14 wrote:
Counterpoint: it depends a lot on how much time you have.
Same experience here.
The second time went a lot better once I stopped rushing it.
Counterpoint: it depends a lot on how much time you have.