The stars are beautiful when we have a chance to see them this time of year. It's cloudy much of the time. I am amazed and mesmerized at how clear the stars are on a clear night though. I have never seen the Milky Way so full and clear. The cold temperatures and low humidity are a great advantage to stargazers.
A beautiful shot of the night stars down here. I'll have to find out if that is the Milky Way up there too. Photo courtesy of Christina Hammock.
This is a great picture of the stars making their way. Well, actually we are the ones moving. Thanks to Christina Hammock for sharing this picture of hers.
And there is another interesting fact about star-gazing down here in the Southern Hemisphere - It looks upside down from what we in the Northern Hemisphere are used to. I'm not an expert in constellations but I can see that the Moon's craters look different that what I am used to. I also saw that Orion looked like he was standing on his head. Other differences? The phases of the moon are reversed from what we are used to up north. I wanted to share some pictures that some folks down here have taken of the stars. I was hoping to get some myself but the skies have not cooperated for me when I was available for a photo shoot. You know how fussy stars and clouds can be. Sorry, I have no pictures of the upside down moon.
This is the rec hut with some stars streaking above. Photo courtesy of Eddie Quintanilla.
I'm assuming most of those reading this (like probably all) are from the Northern Hemisphere. Most everyone, even those from the Southern Hemisphere, know about the North Star. More formally known as Polaris. Navigators rely on it - more so before all the technology. Slaves escaping from the South on the quest for freedom in the North followed the North Star. Why? Because it does not move in the night sky. The earth's axis points towards Polaris in the North. Another way to think about it is if you stood at true North Celestial (pertaining to the sky) Pole and looked straight up you would be looking at the North Star, at Polaris. The Southern Celestial Pole is not quite as easy but there are specific reference points being the Southern Cross and the Southern Pointers. So this is a pretty reliable way to navigate...for now. Though it seems like the earth's access if fixed, it actually, technically isn't. It does move a little more than half a degree every century. Clearly this is not something we have to worry about. You can still rely on that North Star if you are lost in the woods, provided you can see the sky. If not, I hope you have a compass or a GPS.
This is a great shot of the rec hut and the glacier. Photo courtesy of Eddie Quintanilla.
Do stars really twinkle? As so many things, it depends on your point of view...no really. It depends upon where you are looking at them from. If you happen to be on Earth, which I assume you are, they twinkle because of the distortion of the atmosphere that the light must travel through. If you were next to the star, it would not be like a spinning disco ball in the sky. We have a disco ball here at Palmer Station by the way.
I'm going to take a few minutes to show off the Rec Hut down here. It is a great place to sort of camp when you are down here. A couple people have tents which are also great places to stay for a night. The Hut is really cozy. The left over wood from the sauna was used to build it so it smells like cedar. There are windows to watch the stars (or in my case, the clouds) all night long and into the day (sun doesn't rise until about 10am these days and is set by 2:30 or 3). Clouds or Clear, it's unbelievably beautiful and peaceful. I sat outside for awhile and listened to the waves wash up on the shore of Arthur Harbor. There were a few stars out early in the evening. Every so often you can hear the calving of the glaciers, chunks of it crashing or sliding off. At first you think you are hearing thunder. That is really what it sounds like. Then you realize that isn't happening and you remember where you are. It's a mixed feeling to hear the glaciers calving. It's impressive, even more so if you happen to be watching it, but it also is watching the glacier recede. Remember the picture I posted up here showing where the glacier was in 1965 and where it was last year? And that entire island they discovered right here?
Now this is a Room With a View! How could you not want to stay the night. The view was amazing and there are no large predatory animals lurking outside. Photo courtesy of Eddie Quintanilla.
Be it through human impact or just the evolution of nature and life or a combination of both, things are always in flux. Hey, you don't see Gondwana supercontinent anymore now do you? That was what is now Africa, South America, India, and Australia all rolled into one with Antarctica smack dab in the center.
Enjoy the stars.