Mike in the Wild

One of the many joys of summer in central Arizona is warm weather that makes for comfortable night time stargazing.  It's also a time of year when the Milky Way rotates across the celestial sphere in the early evening hours, making for an especially convenient time to see the cloudy effect that our solar system's nearest stellar neighbors paints across the sky. As always the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio straddle the galaxy in Earth's Northern Hemisphere.  And for at least part of this July, our sun's two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, joined that same area of the sky shortly after sunset.  In addition, the end of the month brought a new moon, keeping Earth's natural satellite from adding a source of distracting light.  The combination of bodies and timing created a tantalizing composition to photograph under most circumstances; if you're able to add a terrestrial landmark like Prescott's iconic Thumb Butte Mountain, it was an irresistibl...

We are not alone.  The Earth's sun is just one of billions of stars in a galaxy that is just one of billions in the universe.  There are innumerable other planets. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is partially visible with the naked eye for those who can stargaze far away from the interference of city lights.   And for anyone with a camera, tripod and patience, a long exposure photograph guarantees an exciting glimpse of our home galaxy's many stars in a detailed mosaic of lights and colors whose dense concentrations often appear cloudy. Whenever you can, try to look up at the stars and try to see your home galaxy from our far corner of it.  Depending on the Earth's rotation, the season and your exact terrestrial location, it might take some time to appear across the rotating celestial sphere that defines our night sky.   But it'll be there, stretching across the sky overhead, shining on every Earthling equally.  It'll be a reminder that you're not alone, but...