Recently, we and some friends were discussing their summer adventures: working, camping, vacations, stay-cations, family time, ball games, swimming and watching the stars.
It was the star watching that captured the most interest. The information in July about the James Webb Space Telescope and the subsequent photos brought massive amounts of information and beautiful sky images.
A visit to the webbtelescope features so many images to whet the appetite for sky viewing on a dark night. Check it out HERE, along with plenty of information about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission.
“The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier infrared space observatory of the next decade. Orbiting far beyond Earth’s moon, Webb’s sensitive instruments will detect infrared radiation from Solar System planets, exoplanets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies. These observations will help us to better understand the early universe, how galaxies and stars change over time, and the characteristics of other worlds” https://webbtelescope.org/about
Ready to see for yourself? Challenge your own mind to consider the distance to the Milky Way and the Big Dipper.
Maybe take a short trek out to a dark pasture or field with blankets, a flashlight, lawn chairs, bug spray and binoculars, ready for a few hours of star gazing. The lightning bugs were good company for several weeks. Crickets step in to serenade as the summer wanes. The mosquitoes; not so great any time for humans, are lunch for swallows and tiny bats. Stay as long or as short as you would like. It’s a Kansas night, free for the enjoying.
The James Webb Space Telescope and all its bells and whistles features elegant and breath-taking images. It boggles the mind. But just for a fun time appreciating local summer-into-fall evenings, common-woman highly recommends a few family star nights. Nothing fancy. Watch planes fly over, see the moon rise, feel the cool night air. Kansas is a pretty fantastic place to experience a beautiful nighttime sky.
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