cosmos

M64 BViHalpha on Google Images

In has been unseasonably cold the last few days, 17 degrees this morning. The upside is that it we have had brilliant sun during the days, and crystal clear nights. Pete & I went out Saturday night for some star gazing. A couple of friends who had shown some real interest in astronomy were invited to join us. Pete did a fabulous job of introducing them to the wonders to be observed in the night sky; the Orion nebula, star clusters, globular clusters, and more. I was even able to bag a couple of pelts for my Messier catalog collection, M's 64 & 53, just by accident I guess. We ended up taking a gander at Saturn, proudly gleaming in the southeast. It was the perfect ending to the evening, my feet were freezing.

I saw both of these guys yesterday. They were both very jazzed about the experience, and grateful for Pete's efforts and expertise in introducing them to the inexpressible grandeur of the cosmos. So was I. Thanks Pete.

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how men would believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile. Ralph Waldo Emerson

M53 by russcope.net on Google Images