Seeing Stars...
I am not typically an astronomy watcher. I may have my head in the clouds sometimes, but what happens in outer space stays in outer space. However, last Sunday night I saw on a Facebook post that there was the possibility of seeing Northern Lights that night. And this is something I have never seen in person. It seems I just haven't been in the right place at the right time to take in this spectacular sight.
According to reports there had been a CME (coronal mass ejection) which would be hitting earth's atmosphere on Sunday night. The reports were that this would cause a spectacular Northern Lights show.
So about dark we headed north of town and sat on a hill facing north...for quite a while. We saw planes fly over and we saw some falling stars. We picked out the Milky Way but no Northern Lights. We finally gave it up about 11:30, since Monday was a work day, and went home.
The next morning I read that the light show was basically a disappointment most places in the United States. But it whetted my appetite to see the Northern Lights sometime so I will be watching to see when the next show is forecast.
We have plans on August 21st for another astronomical phenomenon...the 2017 solar eclipse when a total solar eclipse will make it's way across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. The last total solar eclipse crossed the United States from coast to coast in 1918, 99 years ago!
This is big news apparently! The towns and cities in the path of totality (where it will be as dark as night for 2 minutes, give or take) are gearing up for the event. Hotel rooms in Kearney, Grand Island, and Lincoln are completely unavailable, and the ones I checked out near there were renting for over $1000 per night! Communities are planning events to entertain the eclipse watchers that will descend on their fair cities the weekend before. It's a big once-in-a-century event that everyone is looking to capitalize on.
We have more modest plans than to spend $1000 on a hotel room. It just happens that our daughter April and her family live at Lakeside, Nebraska, just east of Alliance, and are in the path of totality. We usually spend the 4th of July visiting them, but that didn't work out this year because of the 4th falling in the middle of the work week, so we postponed it to the weekend before the eclipse so that we could stick around until Monday and see this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. We will pull our camper down and "squat" in their yard so that we can experience approximately 2 1/2 minutes of totality shortly before noon, Mountain Time.
In preparation we have purchased "eclipse glasses" so that we can look at the eclipse without harming our vision. If you will be viewing the eclipse, please observe all safety cautions so that you don't ruin your vision or your camera. It is reportedly best to be on high ground so that you can see the lights at the edges of the path, so Bobby is scouting out places to watch the eclipse from.
I am excited for this and feel that we need to put some effort into the weekend's party to put everyone in the mood for an eclipse. And my favorite idea site, Pinterest, didn't disappoint me. They recommended Sun Chips, Milky Way candy bars, Moon Pies, Orbit gum, and Star Bursts! What some people can't think of! Oh, and they had t-shirts commemorating Eclipse 2017. Other than the Milky Way candy bars we will probably skip on the eclipse-themed snacks and opt for the regular fare, which will be whatever goes with burgers.
So, if you don't have plans for the third weekend in August, why not scope out a great place somewhere in the United States and make your way to the "path of totality" where you will be able to experience a total eclipse. Even if you think you've "done it all" this will definitely be a new experience to enjoy!
According to reports there had been a CME (coronal mass ejection) which would be hitting earth's atmosphere on Sunday night. The reports were that this would cause a spectacular Northern Lights show.
So about dark we headed north of town and sat on a hill facing north...for quite a while. We saw planes fly over and we saw some falling stars. We picked out the Milky Way but no Northern Lights. We finally gave it up about 11:30, since Monday was a work day, and went home.
The next morning I read that the light show was basically a disappointment most places in the United States. But it whetted my appetite to see the Northern Lights sometime so I will be watching to see when the next show is forecast.
We have plans on August 21st for another astronomical phenomenon...the 2017 solar eclipse when a total solar eclipse will make it's way across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina. The last total solar eclipse crossed the United States from coast to coast in 1918, 99 years ago!
This is big news apparently! The towns and cities in the path of totality (where it will be as dark as night for 2 minutes, give or take) are gearing up for the event. Hotel rooms in Kearney, Grand Island, and Lincoln are completely unavailable, and the ones I checked out near there were renting for over $1000 per night! Communities are planning events to entertain the eclipse watchers that will descend on their fair cities the weekend before. It's a big once-in-a-century event that everyone is looking to capitalize on.
We have more modest plans than to spend $1000 on a hotel room. It just happens that our daughter April and her family live at Lakeside, Nebraska, just east of Alliance, and are in the path of totality. We usually spend the 4th of July visiting them, but that didn't work out this year because of the 4th falling in the middle of the work week, so we postponed it to the weekend before the eclipse so that we could stick around until Monday and see this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. We will pull our camper down and "squat" in their yard so that we can experience approximately 2 1/2 minutes of totality shortly before noon, Mountain Time.
In preparation we have purchased "eclipse glasses" so that we can look at the eclipse without harming our vision. If you will be viewing the eclipse, please observe all safety cautions so that you don't ruin your vision or your camera. It is reportedly best to be on high ground so that you can see the lights at the edges of the path, so Bobby is scouting out places to watch the eclipse from.
I am excited for this and feel that we need to put some effort into the weekend's party to put everyone in the mood for an eclipse. And my favorite idea site, Pinterest, didn't disappoint me. They recommended Sun Chips, Milky Way candy bars, Moon Pies, Orbit gum, and Star Bursts! What some people can't think of! Oh, and they had t-shirts commemorating Eclipse 2017. Other than the Milky Way candy bars we will probably skip on the eclipse-themed snacks and opt for the regular fare, which will be whatever goes with burgers.
So, if you don't have plans for the third weekend in August, why not scope out a great place somewhere in the United States and make your way to the "path of totality" where you will be able to experience a total eclipse. Even if you think you've "done it all" this will definitely be a new experience to enjoy!
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