Stargazing in the Southwest

I have a new hobby in life  - Stargazing! Like most newbies, I am no doubt overly enthusiastic. But on October 24 before sunrise, I trundled outside to pick up the newspaper from the driveway and, just by chance, looked up in the sky to the east.  What a sight.  Three beautiful spots of light framed by the still black sky greeted me. The planet Venus was the brightest, accompanied by a slightly dimmer Jupiter, and a smaller Mars.  Forgive me for saying the sight took my breath away.

From Sky and Telescope

I began looking forward to getting up before dawn so that I could check on the movement of the three planets.  (Yes, stargazing may change your sleeping habits!)

From Sky and Telescope

Every morning, Venus would drop a little more in the sky to a position below Jupiter, until on November 3, Venus and Mars were near each other and Jupiter appeared above them.

From Sky and Telescope

I was hooked on the possibilities for stargazing in the Desert Southwest.  Our area of the United States has temperate weather almost year round and lots of wide, open spaces. optimum viewing conditions if one can escape the city lights. 

Now it was time to gather my resources for stargazing.  First I put a Star Walk app on the iPhone and the iPad. Then I checked out books on astronomy (rather too technical) and stargazing from the public library.   And then I signed up to receive emails from Sky and Telescope and Cosmic Pursuits. Flipboard on the iPad also has several sources on Astronomy that I am now following. Talk about TMI!  It was a flood of information.

My plans for the future include investigating Stargazing Parties in West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  And my husband Wayne keeps asking me if I am ready for a telescope for the bedroom balcony.  Thanks, but not yet, I say.

I am still enjoying just looking up at the sky before dawn and after sunrise to see what sights I can discover.