stargazer77:

OH and now that I think of it..is there any way to change the time on here? Because I was just looking at this post and it said that I posted it at 12:22 (well, before I made this edit, that is.) I looked at my clock and it's only 10:22. Is there any way to make it so it's the same time as mine? Or is it just what time zone it's in?

If you check to the right, you should see under "My Profile" and your screenname, an option to "Update Profile."  Click this and then select the "Site Options" tab. Toward the bottom, you should have a drop-down option to select your time zone.  Select your time zone and then remember to Save before leaving that screen.  That should adjust your time zone going forward.

I'm jealeous man!  Here in Northern CA all I've had is cloudy skies!    Hopefully that will end soon and I'll be able to get the scope back out.  I'm looking forward to seeing Jupiter!

I was typing in the answer to your time zone question, but then found the above post!  Thanks for answering in a more timely fashion than I Treehopper!

Yes, thank you very much, TreeHopper! I'm not all confused now..lol!!

As of right now I am in Circus Circus, a hotel/casino in the fabulous Reno, Nevada!!!(Where you have to pay 10 bucks to get 24 hours of internet time )The biggest little city in the world! XD Although on my whole trip from Idaho to Utah to Reno and back to Oregon I didn't bring my telescope. And there's like, 500 miles of nothing but desert from Salt Lake City to Reno. No streetlights, no cities, nothing. So during the various long hour car drives to our destinations, I was thinking of how cool it would be to set up my telescope right there in the middle of nowhere. Because in my hometown, I'm surounded by light poltuion, cars driving by creating more polution, and trees so the whole southern sky is compeltely blocked. If I were to drive out there in the desert to the middle of nowhere, could I see the Milky Way band like SO many pictures have it look? I've heard if you go up to the mountaints, the startlight is bright enough to cast a shadow, is that the same for desert-like places too?

 I'm not sure how I would describe the feeling, but I can kind of describe what I think it looks like for me... My mother and I do some homebrewing of beer and wine so looking out at the stars always reminded me of cloudy looking beer. All that yeast in suspension reminds me of Earth drifting through space. That stops when most of the yeast dies and settles on the bottom and the beer clears up though, but then I guess that could be like the universe collapsing back onto itself in a sense lol...

 Star Voyager I have gotten to see Jupiter a few times, it looks wonderful! Although I must say, it takes a lot of focus to see it through my 6 inch reflector, even with the 75X eyepiece. I can make out the different colors a little if I squint, and I can see 4-5 moons, too! I'm excited to see what the other planets have to offer in the future. 

Chaoticgeek that's really cool that you and your mother brew your own beer. I've never see home brewing in the proccess so I have no idea what it looks like, though. It's great that you can relate what the sky looks like to something you like to do!

If I were to say what the sky reminds me of, I would say it reminds me of looking at city lights at night. Have you ever been in a hotel room that was on a high floor, or even just driven by a city at night? It looks so Pretty! Especally when you can see the different colors of light, like the regular white light bulbs, and some orange and red in there. Last night I went to the top floor of the hotel I'm staying in here in Reno, it was the 28th floor and the hotel is sort of on the edge of the city, Let me tell you, the whole city was just Right There. It was like you could see for miles and miles. I think they should have like, one of those tram things that are up in the sky that go along a cable (I can't remember what those are called, but they have them in Portland) And it should go across the whole city at night so you can see all the tall buildings and the flashing signs and all those goodies! and WOW have I gotten off-topic..  

haha, anyways

 Thanks for sharing, Chaoticgeek.

There is excitement every time I set up my scope. Wonder and awe are what comes to mind when looking through the ep.

jodoak:

You are looking at reality at its most basic level. It’s not a computer, TV or any other earthly mode of visual aid, so no one can mess with it.

Ditto!

 its hard to explane to anyone but another astronmer isnt it. But i can spend hours not doing anything but stering down my telescope the feling you get when your mind trys to comprehend the sher size and distance of objects and you get that feeling of how small we all are and that feeling is the basic behind any astronmer and ther love of the stars.

 So it's starting to clear up over here in Portland, we just had a rain streak for about a week and BOY did it feel good. I love the earth right after it rains, how it smells, how it looks,and not to mention how it just makes the sky look so much clearer for awhile, and while it's raining, have you ever noticed that no two drops ever fall in the same place? Yes, that's right, I sit for hours and just watch the rain. I love the little creeks it makes by the curb and the driveway, it's fun putting leaves and twigs in them and watching them float by.  

I was laying out on my trampoline in my back yard. My bro had 3 friends over, which are my friends, too, and they were sitting at the table in the back yard, and even though they're my friends, I know my bro needs some time with the boys alone, so I decided to go and lay on my trampoline, which I do a lot, so I didn't mind. I was out there from 1 to about 4:30, and by that time, my eyes had gotten SO adjusted it was unbelivable. I could actually see the faint glow of the Milky Way, from Portland!! Anyways, I was just having a ball looking up at the stars. I like that because, even without my telescope to see the true gems of our universe, just looking at the stars from my trampoline gives me that amazing feeling. I saw 4 shooting stars (yes I still call them shooting stars) in a matter of not even a half hour, I assume they were the last bit of the Perseids. I love looking at stars, cause it gives me the feeling of being in deep thought, but at the same time, thinking about nothing at all. I was right in the middle of this when it hit me. Well, it didn't really "hit" me, it just kind of dawned on me that I was looking at things that are millions and billions of LY away and it felt so weird to look at it like I was actually seeing through Earth's atmosphere. Aghh it's so hard to explain!! Haha, but it was truely "Extreme" and a night I will never forget.

stargazer77:

I love looking at stars, cause it gives me the feeling of being in deep thought, but at the same time, thinking about nothing at all.

You have touched the heart of the matter on while we all do this. It can be thought provoking, it can be exciting and beautiful when using a telescope or binoculars, but sometimes it is best to just sit back, clear your mind of the daily cares and needs of the world around you, and just stare out into space with your own eyes leaving your mind free to wander paths that can only be taken when one is quiet and reflective. 

I envy you your time spent with dark adapted eyes and quiet thoughts under the Milky Way.

Thank you for expressing your thoughts about what was seen and felt while you explored the universe around you.

L

 OH MY GOD!!!

I figured out why pirates wear eye patches!!! And it's not to keep their bird from pecking their eye out with their beak.. They put the patch over one eye during the day, then when it comes to night, they switch the eye patch to the other eye so they have instant night-vision!!! That's crazy, but a Really good idea I have to admit, although I may look weird wearing an eye patch all day..haha. 

But yeah, Leo731, sometimes I actually would rather just take in the whole sky using my own eyeballs then focus on 1 object at a time through a telescope. I'm not sure why, but it kind of reminds me why I love it so much (Not that I need to be reminded =p) It's one of the Only things that can be so rewarding, so amazing, and yet be completely free. You don't have to buy special  memberships, or tickets or anything like that to see it. And every night it's something different!! I Love It!! Other than that HUGE reason, It was kind of easier just looking up at the stars without my telescope so I didn't have to carry it out of my room, set it down, open the back door, go outside and set it on the table, and close the door. Then try to do the same thing in the dark..haha. I'm not saying it isn't worth that little trip, it really truly is,  but this was at 1am, my parents were fast asleep and I didn't want to trip over something and crash on the floor and make them think they were getting bombarded by lunatics or anything.

The feeling I got that night..I still can't explain it..but it was the first time it had ever happened. I looked at the sky differently, you could say. I tried to stay still and focus hard enough to see if I could actually see the Earth spinning, I thought I could a few times, but I wasn't sure. It felt overwhelming..but in a GREAT way. I guess it's sort of an intention for me to see the sky as one flat sheet of stars because they all LOOK the same distance away, but during that time, that thought went away and I actually saw the sky as the whole universe, like I was actually looking at "The Universe" 

It was crazy.

stargazer77:

The feeling I got that night..I still can't explain it..but it was the first time it had ever happened. I looked at the sky differently, you could say. I tried to stay still and focus hard enough to see if I could actually see the Earth spinning, I thought I could a few times, but I wasn't sure. It felt overwhelming..but in a GREAT way. I guess it's sort of an intention for me to see the sky as one flat sheet of stars because they all LOOK the same distance away, but during that time, that thought went away and I actually saw the sky as the whole universe, like I was actually looking at "The Universe" 

You have a great perspective of the universe around us and I sure hope you get to take it a lot further.

Good Views

 Come to think of it..I wouldn't really describe it as a feeling..more like a state of mind.

 It's when hours feel like minutes, feelings change from mental to physical, when all the things that didn't go right that day, the drama, the arguments, they suddenly don't seem all that big. When you look at some deep space object, or a random star, you realize how small and insignificant we all really are. It's when you've been hunting for an object for what seems like hours, and it finally shows up in your eyepiece and you get that rush of excitement.

At least that's what it is to me.