As promised, each announcement will include a dose of astronomy.   See the sky watching tip at the conclusion of this "alert."

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Hello!

I am terribly sorry, but we have had to cancel the "Astronomy a la Carte" today. Even though the University is planning to open at 9:00 a.m. some people are traveling more than an hour and the road conditions are  poor.   I am cancelling now  for safety reasons.

We will have our next "Astronomy a la Carte"next week:  learn how to read planispheres!

We hope you can attend.

Again, my apologies for the inconvenience.

We will still have our "Eight Planets and Counting" matinee at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, unless the University decides to close for the day.   

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SKY WATCHING TIP: "Red at night, astronomer's delight!"

Unless you have a brain the size of a planet, Marvin, you probably won't be able to memorize the positions of every star and celestial object visible in our sky though a telescope.     Our inability to store vast amounts of data make star charts so useful.  Even seasoned sky watchers will often consult these charts during an observing session.  After all, if you spend hours seeking out the Hercules Globular (M13) in Andromeda or the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in Hercules, you'll feel like a dolt.   (I still do, actually.) 

That presents us with something of a paradox:  one needs light to observe a star chart, but light interferes with our dark adaptation.        How can one still clearly observe a sky while at the same time reading a star chart?    The surprisingly simple answer is "red light."     Using a red light will enable you to study a star chart while not diminishing your dark adaptation.       Red lights are easy to find.   Some apps do nothing more than produce red light.      One can also put a red gel in a flashlight to produce a red light.

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RED LIGHT     A red light will enable an observer to read a star chart without diminishing the dark adaptation.     One can purchase red lights quite easily.  Or, one could place a red

gel over a flashlight to produce a red light.    Image: Lulingskies.com

A red light at night will allow an observer to both see a star chart and a night sky at the same time!

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