Sedona is a 'dark skies' town. So much like the early days. And the stars are soooo bright, you can almost touch them! And appreciate the Creator.
We've got a treat for you star-gazers. Included are the months below, and what the sky generally looks like for that month, here in Sedona. Plus, the positions of the planets relative to Planet Sedona! For you romantics we also show the brightness of the moon (which of course is tough for stargazing). But then, Sedona is ALWAYS romantic, no matter the moon.
What a deal! Just print out your month, walk outside and align the map relative to where you are in Sedona. How easy can it get? Data is is taken at mid-month at 8pm.
BEST ASTRONOMY CLUB IN THE (Sedona) UNIVERSE:
Astronomers of Verde Valley (Clarksdale)
INFO
INTERESTING INFORMATION
How many stars can you see unaided? About 3,000 or so.
How long does it take the sun to circle our galaxy, the Milky Way? 225 million years. Geologically, 225m years ago is during the dinosaurs, just AFTER the permian when most of the Sedona rocks were deposited. Sedona's been here before!
How far away are most of the stars you can see unaided? An average of 100 light years. That means the light started its journey to us about the time of Teddy Roosevelt.
When will our Milky Way galaxy run into the 'nearby' Andromeda galaxy? That would be about 5 billion years, or a 'little' more than the age of the earth.
Why do stars shine? It's due to extreme gravitational pressure, creating fusion and turning hydrogen into helium and light. Lots!
How do scientists tell how far stars are away? They compare the view of the star relative to the sun in June and December and then use trigonometry from high school (pretty much).
Is Polaris, the North Star in the celestial north? Sort of. It's about 2 degrees off from the celestial north.
Is the name of the big dipper the same around the world? No ... that's the American name. The Britons, for example, see a plough.
What's unusual about Ursa Major? The big and little dippers are Ursa the Bear, which is oddly common among the early civilizations.
Copyright ©, 2010, dmbarnhart
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