Appreciating the night skies has become a dieing habit. Most beginning astronomers begin the hobby using their suburban homes as their observation sites. Astronomers will become familiar with unforgettable constellations (the Big and Little Dippers, Leo the Lion, Orion the hunter, Taurus the Bull, etc.), in addition to the brightest stars (Sirius, Vega, etc.) and the planets. However, given enough time, wouldn't the astronomer become bored observing the same objects every time he/she had a chance? Personally, I did; the planets, brightest stars, and unforgettable constellations were not enough to satisfy me.
Though the brightest of stars, the planets, the moon, and (on rare occasions) artificial satellites and the International Space Station are observable, the greatest of the heavenly treasures -- faint stars, nebulas, star clusters, and galaxies -- are faded out, due to various sources of light pollution. Suburban settings, even thirty miles outside of Philadelphia, are an astronomer's worst nightmare; Walmarts, Kmarts, Home Depots -- in short, Big Box Marts -- and every household generating blinding levels of light pollution. To fully appreciate the night skies, it is necessary to eliminate all the artificial lighting. Of course, that raises the question: who's going to turn off their lights? The answer is simple: very few are willing to turn off their lights. Is it a fear of the dark; a sense of security; or merely, an act of human nature -- wasting energy and resources? Whatever the reason, astronomers (amateurs and professionals) are left with very few options. I have taken an approach most amateurs and professionals take -- pack up and travel where light pollution doesn't affect the skies.
Starting in 2002, my dad and I spent a few nights observing from a site dedicated to astronomers -- Cherry Springs State Park. The site is located approximately 60 miles northwest from Williamsport, PA, and at least 14 miles southeast from the nearest town of significant size, Coudersport, PA. These distances separating the park from suburban and urban districts make it an ideal location to properly observe the starry skies. Unlike the suburbs, where the average astronomer could pick out 50 stars, navigating the starry skies at Cherry Springs can become a challenge to new astronomers. Thousands of stars fill up the night skies at Cherry Springs, creating what many can consider an astronomer's paradise. I'll admit it, with thousands of stars filling up the sky, picking out the constellations was overwhelming!
As the skies continue to darken, with each passing minute, the galactic core and plain of the Milky Way brighten up. Locating constellations along the Milky Way, such as Cygnus the Swan, add to the already overwhelming difficulty, due to the increasing number of stars. However, this difficulty adds to the enjoyment. The spaces surrounding the galactic core are occupied by various globular clusters and nebulas, such as the M22 globular cluster and the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas.
Although the Milky Way Galaxy hosts a great variety of objects to observe, I personally prefer extending out to the intergalactic spaces. Under this scenario, a telescope would be most helpful, especially when observing galaxies that are 3+ million light years from Earth. My favorite galaxy happens to be a close neighbor to the Milky Way -- the Andromeda Galaxy. Located 2.4 million light-years from Earth, the galaxy, as several astronomers have told me, can be seen with the unaided eye. Personally, I cannot see the Andromeda Galaxy without a telescope; I'll resort to using my dad's 4-inch TeleVue refractor or his 10-inch Meade schmidt-cassegrain just to observe the galaxy.
My top favorite observation at Cherry Springs occurred during the Black Forest Star Party in September of 2002. Though I had decided I had enough fun for one night, one event changed everything. Around midnight, many astronomers started shouting, "Look to the north!" Sure enough, brightly lighting up the northern skies in bands of red and green, everyone at Cherry Springs was treated to an Aurora. Remarkably, no one knew that an Aurora was to occur that night.
Stay tuned for Cherry Springs State Park -- Part 2 ...
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