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Posted Sunday, September 16, 2007
View All Blog Posts submitted by Alf Gordon

I just let our dogs out for their final "potty stop" before bedtime.  While I waited for them to do their business, I took a look up at the night sky.  We've recently moved into our own home and I can't help comparing the old neighborhood to the new one.  Tonight I realized one big difference - trees.  Or, in our case, the lack thereof.

 

Our previous neighborhood is a well-established one, with homes that have been around since the 70s.  As a result, the flora has had ample time to develop and thrive.  And thrive it does, with numerous trees of all types reaching well over the rooftops of the large two-story homes.  On many streets their branches actually meet in the middle of the street, making for a nice natural canopy for the residents.

 

The down side to all this growth is that there's very little opportunity to see the sky, day or night.  And for someone like me, who has had a love of astronomy since early childhood, it's a bit depressing going outside at night and not being able to see the constellations I've memorized scrolling across the sky, or to map the progress of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn against the backdrop of stars.

 

Tonight I found those options all available to me again from the comfort of my own back yard.  Our new neighborhood is just that - six or seven years old at best, with the older homes towards the front of the subdivision.  Our section has homes that have been built in the last two years.  The trees in our neighbors' yards are still sticks supported by metal posts and wires, so the sky is virtually tree-free.

 

Even with street and porch lights on, I easily found Jupiter shining like a beacon low in the western sky, and Cygnus the Swan soaring directly overhead.  I know that should I get up before sunrise I'll see Orion and Canis Major high in the southeastern sky.  The telescope that I've had packed away for the last few years will probably come out of mothballs and get some use again.  And I'll end up digging out my astronomy books to refresh my memory on the names and locations of the constellations I've forgotten about.

 

This will be like running into an old friend you haven't seen for awhile, and spending some quality time getting all caught up.  I'm looking forward to it!