Starlight, Starbright ...

[francois]

For the first time in all the years visiting Pattaya, I finally saw a few stars in the heavens. Normally there are the Moon, the planet Jupiter and the brightest star, Sirius, but tonight I viewed 50 stars from the roof of my condo.
Most prominent was the constellation Orion directly overhead.
Light pollution obscures most of the sky but tonight was a minor treat.:heart:

[arsenal]

In the taxi down I watched the biggest and brightest star I've ever seen. Initially I thought it was plane coming in to land and then I assumed it was a big light on a building such was it's brilliance and size.

[Jellybean]

In the taxi down I watched the biggest and brightest star I've ever seen. Initially I thought it was plane coming in to land and then I assumed it was a big light on a building such was it's brilliance and size.

Perhaps you should consider sending a report to MUFON, arsenal. ;)

[cdnmatt]

In the taxi down I watched the biggest and brightest star I've ever seen. Initially I thought it was plane coming in to land and then I assumed it was a big light on a building such was it's brilliance and size.


Those are called satellites.

[arsenal]

Oh dear. I'm not sure you're ready for an intellectual debate matty. Not even with dazed and confused freaky.

[DoubleDutch]

Yes, stars tonight, you don't see it often here.
Laying on sand, right across Royal Garden, 1.37am, there is a bright star looking at Pattaya. This almost never happens.

https://i.imgur.com/GPGUXsE.jpg

Listening to David Bowie "Starman" now.

[Smiles]

In Hua Hin the sky has been a brilliant blue for nearly a week now. And along with the clear sky comes an extraordinary heat wave. It's bloody boiling here!
Last week I could feel the cooling start of a Thailand winter, but it didn't last long.

[dinagam]

Those specks of light near the leaves and branches could well be from the fireflies.

[DoubleDutch]

Those specks of light near the leaves and branches could well be from the fireflies.

What!!?? These are not some bugs flying around, these are stars! Fireflies lol. What's next, mosquitoes with tiny LEDs attached to their backs?

You ruined my romantic nights on the beach with your firefly suggestions! I'm not going tonight!

[francois]

Yes, stars tonight, you don't see it often here.
Laying on sand, right across Royal Garden, 1.37am, there is a bright star looking at Pattaya. This almost never happens.



Most likely it was not a star, but the planet Jupiter.

[DoubleDutch]

Most likely it was not a star, but the planet Jupiter.

Planets do not shine, look at Earth, doesn't shine.

[dab69]

Mars has a slight red tinge of shine. Venus is often mistaken for a star.

[dinagam]

I remember seeing Venus with my naked eyes about thirty years ago, just after sunset, with the Moon nearby. Yes, I recall a rather greenish shine and remember feeling elated by the sight of it. Since that time I never had the luck to observe another planet with the naked eyes. I'm still captivated by the Moon on a clear night, every time.

[francois]

I remember seeing Venus with my naked eyes about thirty years ago, just after sunset, with the Moon nearby. Yes, I recall a rather greenish shine and remember feeling elated by the sight of it. Since that time I never had the luck to observe another planet with the naked eyes. I'm still captivated by the Moon on a clear night, every time.

dinagam, Venus is visible in the early evening and at sunrise and very bright.
Jupiter is the next brightest object in the sky, other than the Moon. Even in Thailand you can easily see Jupiter despite the light pollution (probably the only thing you may see). Most likely you have seen it but mistook it for a star. And one can see Mars and even Saturn.

And surprise, surprise one can observe another galaxy, Andromeda, with the naked eye, although it is 2.5 million light years from the Earth. But one must know where to look.

[dab69]

I have an app, Sky View LIte, to locate and identify objects in the sky.
They all look like little white dots otherwise.

[DoubleDutch]

I have an app, Sky View LIte, to locate and identify objects in the sky.
They all look like little white dots otherwise.

Thank you, great app!

I watch sky now just after midnight, and it all makes sense.

8530

8531

8532

[sglad]

And surprise, surprise one can observe another galaxy, Andromeda, with the naked eye, although it is 2.5 million light years from the Earth. But one must know where to look.

Would that be before or after three boxes of Franzia?

[francois]

Would that be before or after three boxes of Franzia?

Don't know I don't drink Franzia; but best to not drink prior to star gazing.

[christianpfc]

You ruined my romantic nights on the beach with your firefly suggestions! I'm not going tonight!
I find fireflies as romantic as stars.

The only time where I saw the sky without light pollution was during my compulsory military service in Germany, when we went for bivouac. In all my travels in Thailand (and I remember that night bus in Lao, where we stopped at night, and there were no lights other than the bus), there is always some artificial light.

The darkest sky and the most stars I have seen here were in December in Umphang (Tak province), it was cold (10 degree Celsius) and no clouds, and in the refugee camp there was no street lighting.

In Cambodia I and my travel companion stopped the car on a little traveled road, and switched off all lights, but the sky remained grey and hazy.

The range of light the eye can process is enormous, a ratio of 1 to 1 million. But complete adaptation to darkness takes 20 minutes. When entering a darkroom in a sauna, I can't see anything at first, but after a few minutes, the light of the LED from aircon is enough to make out where furniture and people are.

Being in a place so far from civilization that there is no light pollution, preferably alone (first because I don't like people, and second because it needs just one to play on his mobile phone to destroy everything), to see a black sky full of stars, is on my bucket list.

[kittyboy]

Many years ago when I was in the US Navy and was underway for 1.5 years. 6 month in the middle east and 1 year in northern Europe.
When out at sea 100s of miles from everything the sky was often bright with stars.
It was probably a view of how the sky appeared sharp and clear before industrialization with its resulting air and light pollution.
From what I have read pre-industrial people were much more aware of the night sky. The movement of observable planets etc. and the movement of the stars over time - the seasons etc. and attached meaning to what they saw.
In our modern world we are pretty much disconnected from the sky - maybe nature in general.
I think going out for a walk in the woods, camping etc. are overrated activities but maybe we have lost something by not having a sense of the larger world - both on earth and the cosmos.

Maybe - (just my own speculation) human beings being careless about the environment is partially a result from our loss of a connection to, seeing, and experiencing a larger world. Jut speculation on my part.

[francois]

Being in a place so far from civilization that there is no light pollution, preferably alone (first because I don't like people, and second because it needs just one to play on his mobile phone to destroy everything), to see a black sky full of stars, is on my bucket list.

Many years ago I was driving across Canada, in the night, and stopped for a pit stop (completely empty highway for miles) and noticed clouds in the dark sky which made no sense and there were stars in front of the clouds! I then realized the clouds were not clouds but the Milky Way Galaxy ( the galaxy we live in) and were composed of millions of stars. A sight I never saw again. Yes, it should be on everyone's bucket list.
And as kittyboy posted, maybe we have lost something by not having a sense of the larger world - both on earth and the cosmos.