When I visited my father in Hollywood, Florida earlier this week, it was naturally my time spent with him that highlighted the all-too-short stay. But I did manage to get out and do some other fun things (for me, that is). I already wrote about a couple of them: running my old school "block" and riding a super-cool, excellent wooden roller coaster (the Dania Beach Hurricane). But there was one other endeavor that I wanted to accomplish on my stay: to observe the constellation Crux (the Southern Cross) and the star Alpha Centauri (a.k.a. Toliman, in the constellation Centaurus), only visible in the continental U.S. from the southern tips of Florida and Texas.
My original idea was to get in my car at night and drive out to southern Dade County and find a spot away from the city lights with a clear view of the southern horizon where these celestial sights would be visible in the evening at this time of the year. Looking from my father's house in Hollywood would present too much difficulty, since it is further north and the view would be badly hindered by greater Miami's city lights on the southern horizon.
But my stay was only for two nights. The first night I was too tired after driving down there from Gainesville. And the second night was plagued by overcast skies. Oh well.
I think, anyway, I would prefer to be in a setting that was much more conducive to observing the southern celestial sky at night. And that means only one thing: go visit somewhere south of the Equator with generally clear skies. Then I could take it all in!
But then again, I have never visited the Florida Keys, even though I grew up not that far from them. Maybe a family excursion down there might do the trick. And I could rack up some southern star sightings to boot!
My original idea was to get in my car at night and drive out to southern Dade County and find a spot away from the city lights with a clear view of the southern horizon where these celestial sights would be visible in the evening at this time of the year. Looking from my father's house in Hollywood would present too much difficulty, since it is further north and the view would be badly hindered by greater Miami's city lights on the southern horizon.
But my stay was only for two nights. The first night I was too tired after driving down there from Gainesville. And the second night was plagued by overcast skies. Oh well.
I think, anyway, I would prefer to be in a setting that was much more conducive to observing the southern celestial sky at night. And that means only one thing: go visit somewhere south of the Equator with generally clear skies. Then I could take it all in!
But then again, I have never visited the Florida Keys, even though I grew up not that far from them. Maybe a family excursion down there might do the trick. And I could rack up some southern star sightings to boot!
[Star chart courtesy of Wikipedia]
No comments:
Post a Comment