Time: Dark Skies Required, after 10:30pm recommended. Location: We recommend any place with dark skies and a decent view towards the east. Ex: Old Kiln Trail, Marshall Mesa, 66 S. Cherryvale or many eastern properties. Visit www.osmptrails.org to find a location near you. Optional Materials: A sky chart or a smartphone with your favorite night sky or star app downloaded to help you identify the stars below as reference. Background: Now that Summer is fully upon us, one of the largest, most noticeable asterisms of the summer skies sparkles overhead; the “Summer Triangle.” It consists of three incredibly bright stars (1st magnitude stars): Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Each of these stars are the brightest stars of their own constellations (Lyra the Lyre, Cygnus the Swan, and Aquila the Eagle). In addition, the Milky Way, the faint band of stars making up only an arm of our own galaxy, arcs directly through and parallel to the body of Cygnus. Your Mission: 1)If you plan to hike from a trailhead, use a red light on a headlamp or cover your flashlight with red cellophane so that your eyes adjust to the dark. 2)Look up and eastwards. 3)While you’re enjoying the view, here are a couple mind-blowing facts to help you orient yourself to your place in the universe. -Deneb may appear to be about equal in brightness to the other Summer Triangle stars, but in fact, it is much farther away and therefore much brighter. In fact, at about 1,600 light years away, Deneb may be 60,000 to 200,000 times brighter than our own sun! -As for the Milky Way, light from that spiral arm you see took about 27,000 years to reach your eyes. Truly our place in the universe is humbling. Register for a reminder in your inbox!
By clicking "sign up" you will receive a reminder and updates about this program.
General InfoSign Up is not currently enabled. Check the calendar for more activities
Cancel