Blue Mountain Eagle
Journey Through Grant County
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
C9
THE GRANT COUNTY STARS INVITE YOU!
RIDQRUPDOÀDVKOLJKWPLJKWVXI ier patterns, like the Big Dipper, ers. Bring friends and share the
¿FH,IWKHUHGOLJKWLVQRWEULJKW Orion and Sagittarius. Use these experience. Have some drinks
add more layers of red if so. The as anchor points to work from and snacks available, as you
red light should only light up an DQG¿QGRWKHUVDURXQGWKHP
may stargaze for several hours if
area within three-to-four feet
Most star charts will have a all goes well. Don’t feel afraid to
away.
shaded, irregular area stretch- cut a session short. You’ll know
By John Fiedor
Initially, face either north or ing across the face of the chart, when you have had enough for
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
south, as the constellations in labeled the Milky Way. This an evening. If you need to use
these areas of sky are vertical represents the glowing ribbon the restroom, use your red light
When was the last time and easier to identify. Using of low light stretching across as you do so. Avoid white light.
you stayed out at night and just your star guide, which should our night sky, our own galaxy,
What about scopes? Initial-
gazed into the brilliant heavens? be labeled with north or south, one of billions in the universe. ly, avoid telescopes. They can
A starry night sky can stir any start by matching the brightest Our Milky Way is made up of be frustrating to use without
person with a mixture of wonder (biggest) stars on the guide with billions of stars in the distance, practice. First, become com-
and questions, smattered with a the brightest stars in the sky. The to far to see individually, but fortable just gazing with your
tincture of unease, soul-search- planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter teaming up together to cause eyes. Later, try binoculars. It
ing, and maybe peace. Stargaz- and Saturn – can be brighter the glow. In the darkest areas, will change your views greatly,
ing is so easy to do, inexpensive than the brightest stars. If you Grant County offers a spectacu- bringing the stars and planets
and quite rewarding – a life-long ¿QGDEULJKW³VWDU´QRWRQ\RXU lar view of the Milky Way, best closer and brighter, but so close
enjoyment. Still, though some star guide, it is most likely a seen with the naked eye.
you cannot see those large con-
may be curious, many are not planet. Online charts that are
What other items might you stellations. The general favorite
sure where to start to explore, or updated by month will usually have with you when you star- in binoculars for stargazing is
how to get started as a stargazer. have the planet positions noted JD]H"<RXGH¿QLWHO\ZDQWFRP the 10x50mm size. At night, it is
This article may help.
along with the stars.
fort in this type of recreation. important to get as much of the
First, give in to your curios-
A constellation is a group of How about a nice blanket to lie
starlight into your
ity, your desire to learn about stars in the night sky that form a upon and some soft ground, and
eyes as pos-
the night sky. In the least, it only recognizable pattern traditional- perhaps a pillow to prop your
sible to see
takes time and a clear night sky. ly named after its apparent form head? Standing or sitting in a
stars at their
We are very fortunate as Grant RU LGHQWL¿HG ZLWK D P\WKRORJ chair is okay, but remember
brightest.
County has one of the most pris- LFDO ¿JXUH 7KH VWRULHV EHKLQG your head may have to
The 50mm
tine, most beautiful, night skies WKH P\WKRORJLFDO ¿JXUHV DUH tilt back awkwardly
wide lens
in the country. Add a few sim- fascinating. The book Urania’s for long periods
grabs a lot
ple, inexpensive items, plus a bit Mirror, published in 1824, is to look straight
of starlight and is about
of guidance and you are ready to worth a look, as it visually paints up. Dress for
as big as binoculars can
explore the wonders of a starry those mythological stories. P.D. the weather.
get without becoming too
night.
Hingley calls it “One of the most It does tend to
heavy to hold steady by
So, how should one prepare charming and visually attractive get chillier after
hand. Whatever binoculars
and get started? Here are a few of the many aids to astronomical dark, so bring extra lay-
you may have on hand,
VXJJHVWLRQVIRU\RXU¿UVWQLJKWV self-instruction produced in the
out, some adapted from Ken early nineteenth century.” On-
Graun’s, “Guide to the Stars” line, search for Urania’s Mirror.
planisphere – available online
Modern astronomers have
with a Google search. Start divided the sky into eighty-eight
E\ OHDUQLQJ DERXW DQG ¿QGLQJ constellations, of which most
individual stars, and then the can be seen from Grant County
star patterns in the night sky in locations throughout the year.
the form of the constellations. The constellations are much big-
You can jumpstart the learning ger than you might expect. The
process by enlisting the help of constellation Orion is the height
someone who is familiar with of a hand span with your arm ex-
the night sky or attend a local tended. The Big Dipper is great-
night sky program, one that er than the length of a hand span.
gets you out under the stars and ,I\RXDUHKDYLQJWURXEOH¿QGLQJ
points out features.
any constellations, try to identi-
If you have to learn by your- fy a few of the brighter and eas-
self, don’t despair. A great tool to
have at the start is a planisphere.
$ SODQLVSKHUH LV D ÀDW KDQG
held star chart that rotates, usu-
ally made of two plastic layers.
It can be adjusted to display the
visible stars, and constellations,
for any time and date. They are
very inexpensive, a good one
costing less than $20. Should
you have the technology, you
FRXOG ¿QG ± DQG FRS\ ± D VWDU
chart online. The source I use
often is at www.telescope.com,
Monthly-Star-Chart, offered by
Sky and Telescope.
1H[W\RXQHHGWR¿QGDGDUN
area away from car and other
bright or glaring lights. Need-
less to say, clouds will obscure
portions, or all, of the night sky.
Many times they will clear off an
hour or two after sunset in East-
ern Oregon. Though the moon
is a wonderful sight and worth
later exploration with binocu-
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
lars or a telescope, avoid nights
Stop
when the moon shines bright
and
see
as it will make the stars more
bar
built our
GLI¿FXOWWRVHH<RXVKRXOGVWD\
186 in
outside in the dark area at least
4!
15 minutes to let your eyes ad-
just and acquire your best night
vision. The iris in each eye will
open to its maximum and allow
the most light into the eye. You
may be surprised how much you
can see in what you thought was
total darkness.
To see your star guide in the
dark, or to move about more
VDIHO\XVHDUHGÀDVKOLJKW5HG
Located at Austin Junction (HWY 26 & 7)
light is best at preserving your
one mile from Bates State Park • 541-448-2526
night vision. Placing red cello-
phane, or red paint, over the lens
www.austinhousecafecountrystore.com
Give in to curiosity
and learn about
the night sky
give them a test at night. You
can also go online and search
for “astronomy binoculars” for
more advice.
When using binoculars for
stargazing it is important to sta-
bilize them for steady viewing.
Laying on a blanket steadies
your whole body and allows
you to use your elbows to steady
your view overhead. A tripod is
also great, but added equipment,
and some tripods won’t allow a
view straight overhead.
What is there to see the next
few days ahead? A good online
site, one I use for checking what
to look for in the week ahead, is
www.skyandtelescope.com/ ob-
serving/sky-at-a-glance. Other
such sites are also available if
you search for them.
5HJDUGLQJ PHWHRU VKRZHUV
there are several periods during
the year when these occur on a
regular basis, and are best seen
with the naked eye. Each shower
will vary in the number of mete-
ors, even from year to year. They
are best seen when the moon is
not visible, the sky at its dark-
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est. On August 11-12, 2015, the
Perseid Meteor Shower looks
to be a night of potential, with a
moonless, dark sky, and possibly
120-160 meteors per hour. With
the widest view of the night sky
DV\RXFDQ¿QGOLHRQ\RXUEDFN
and get comfortable. Aim your
feet to the north as that is the di-
rection the meteors will emanate
from as they streak across the sky
above. I like to imagine the earth
I am pressed against as a space-
ship hurtling through space. But
that’s me.
Hopefully you now have
enough tips and encouragement
to get started and to step out un-
der a clear night sky and do a lit-
tle stargazing. Believe me, once
you become fairly familiar with
the starry night you’ll become
used to being out in the dark.
The stars and constellations will
actually welcome and comfort
you in spirit, as friends.
John Fiedor, former direc-
tor of visitor services at the
John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument near Dayville, writes
from his Dayville home.
e
r k H o r s e
a
D G r ou
ou p
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