8
Spring 2022 Applegater
BY GREELEY WELLS
THE STARRY SIDE
Let's keep the night sky dark
Greeley Wells
adapt to the dark, and then—there's so
much more to see!
— O F N O T E —
• Jupiter will not be visible in March
but will be in our dawn in April and
May, but not quite as bright as Venus.
• Mars also inhabits our dawn sky, a
little red and not too bright.
• Mercury is visible in the dawn all
season, dimly and close to the sun
of course.
• Saturn rises after midnight to be
i n o u r d a w n s k y, b u t o n l y i n
April and May.
• Venus has now a become a very bright
morning star, having traveled in front
of the sun and after making a long run
of sunset appearances last year.
west before they
eventually set.
As you look up at these remarkable
sights, remember that limiting light
pollution will help us preser ve the
timeless heritage embodied in the stories
depicted by the stars, not to mention
the exhilarating sensation of observing
our magnificent universe with our naked
eyes. To learn more, check out IDA at
darksky.org.
Greeley Wells
greeley@greeley.me
G r a n t s P a s s
MontageOM.com
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I support IDA, the International Dark
Sky Association. This grassroots,
global advocacy network has
been in my life for quite a
while. IDA was instrumental
in opening my eyes to
the multifaceted nature
o f o u r c o n n e c t i o n
t o t h e n i g h t s k y
and how outdoor
lighting obscures
s o m u c h o f i t .
We need to protect
o u r n o c t u r n a l
e n v i r o n m e n t .
IDA advocates for
b e s t p r a c t i c e s
to limit our light
p o l l u t i o n , s a v i n g
energy and enhancing
human and creature
health and safety in
the process.
We who spend most of
our evenings inside bathed
in electrical lights and watching
glowing screens—might we balance
that with some family time at night
outside? Get comfortable, look up, and
talk together about what you see and what
you've learned about the night sky. It takes
about 20 minutes for our eyes to fully
e night sky is constantly changing,
rising in the east and setting in the
west. ere are occasional meteors,
the Milky Way, the stars, a few
planets, perhaps a moon.
Once you begin identifying
s o m e c o n s t e l l a t i o n s ,
t h e r e a r e e n d l e s s
h i s t o r i e s , s t o r i e s ,
and configurations
to puzzle out. And
w h i l e i t m a y b e
easier to be outside
a t n i g h t i n t h e
summer months,
on cold clear nights
the sky is incredibly
bright. I encourage
y o u t o g o o u t
and…look up!
Look for the Big
Dipper, which has been
standing on its handle
and is now moving over the
North Star and to the west,
dropping with Leo the Lion from
the zenith (the point in the sky that's
directly overhead) into the west.
And then there's winter's favorite: e
constellation Orion and, nearby, his faithful
dog, Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star
in the sky, will all stand upright in the
Sky & Telescope (skyandtelescope.org).
