Blogs

Report - 07/11/2009

Last night wasn't much of an observing night per se. I was outside under the stars, but not because of the stars. My wife and I had invited a number of friends (mostly from our workplaces) and family over for a barbecue and bonfire.

The barbecue was fantastic, as was the company. We started our bonfire about 8pm, using mostly wet deadfall, in the hopes of smoking out the mosquitoes, and for the most part the smudge did the trick.

By about 9pm, most of our guests had left, with the exception of a stolid few, who neither minded the mosquitoes, nor the smoke that kept them at bay.

In any case, as the evening progressed, and the sunset proceeded through to the perpetual twilight that commands our Manitoba summers, the stars started to twinkle into view.

First to appear was the Summer Triangle (Altair, Vega & Deneb). I then realized that the 'handle' of the Big Dipper was visible, and determined that Acturus and Spica were also visible. As the night proceeded, and the brightest stars started coming to life, we say all of Cygnus, most of Lyra, a good chunk of Aquila, most of the Big Dipper, Bootes, and a tiny smidgen of Ursa Minor.

Unfortunately, the early morning wake up got the better of me and by about midnight, I was not only getting roasted by the fire, but I was getting dreadfully tired. My remaining guests, who all turned out to be relatives) ended up staying the night, and I went and crashed into bed.

All in all, an enjoyable evening under the stars, even though I didn't fire up the telescope. even though most of the company had left before 9pm.