STARGAZING IN SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Last night I attended a public stargazing event in Seal Beach, which was sponsored by Bogart's Coffee House on Ocean Ave. Out on the green lawns next to the pier, a few local astronomers set up their telescopes and happily shared their knowledge with those of us who came to view the heavens.

My previous experience with the Andromeda Society in Joshua Tree, CA was so exciting that I knew I couldn't pass up this local opportunity when my sister told me about it. Though the gathering was small, I'm glad I made it.

The first telescope my group gazed into revealed an eerie, gray, pock-marked moon. Such a sight was a humbling reminder of how miniscule we are down here on Earth.

The second peek into the dark and sparkling galaxies gave us a look at Venus. A small, moon-like planet, shining white from being near the sun.

Our next viewing, thanks to Michael Beckage, took us one billion miles away into the depths of the black, black sky. Beckage, who set up his C-14 (Celestron 14") telescope with a concave mirror to collect light, focused on Saturn--a true stunner. Each of us who looked through the lens made comments like,

"No way! That's not real!"
"That looks like a stencil! A painting!"
"How could that REALLY be Saturn?"

Well, it was.

Even my sister, 16 year-old cousin and 12 year-old daughter were impressed.

That made my little jaunt from Long Beach to Seal Beach well worth the mother-daughter struggle:

"Do I have to go?"

"Yes."

"I'm tired."

"The stars will be spectacular. You'll wake up."

Nothing like stargazing to get a preteen out the door...

Nasa Astronomy Picture of the Day
Andromeda Society in Yucca Valley, CA
Bogart's Coffee House

Visit Sarojni's website
Email Sarojni

photo of Saturn courtesy ©Michael Beckage