badgermind

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This evening we had an unusually clear sky in Stromness, so following one of the regular reminders from Colin the Mathmo I walked down towards the Ness to see if I could see the 17:37 flyover of the International Space Station. Once it had disappeared I carried on as far as the George Mackay Brown memorial garden, with a clear view of Mars, Jupiter, and a waxing crescent moon above Hoy.

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From:

ysabetwordsmith

That sounds lovely.

I'm in central Illinois, United States of America, in rural territory so we get pretty good night skies when it's clear. Winter is very sparkly.

From:

badgermind

We have good night skies here when it's clear, usually about once every couple of weeks. Although the houses and pier near me give out quite a lot of light, it's a short walk to find much less light pollution.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Here it's often hazy in warm weather, but in cold weather there are many crisp clear nights. Our house is on the edge of nowhere, so probably about category 4. I have seen category 5 on vacation -- we did a star walk in the Badlands once, it was just breathtaking. But when my city friends come out here, they gawk at the sky. "Look at all the stars!" I think it's sad that all the light pollution has made it so most people have never seen a real night sky.

From:

badgermind

I spent the night before my 21st birthday wild camping on the slopes of An Teallach. It was a clear night and there was one light only in sight from a farm a couple of miles away, so I looked up and suddenly realised what the Milky Way was referring to.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

That is wonderful! :D

On a decent night here, the Milky Way is visible as a faint haze. On a good night, it's a brighter swath with some visible stars. On a crystal night, it's quite glittery.

Out in the Badlands, it was all stars. Vast and breathtaking.

I think people need things that are awe-inspiring.

From:

cmcmck

Of topic (although not entirely as I know Orkney well) but thanks for subscribing.

Can I ask you to take a look at my sticky intro post and if you're cool with what you find there,I'll open up for you as my blog is kept partly f-locked!