Commuter Astronomy July 16, 2007
Posted by astroed in Astronomy, Education.trackback
Having set up this blog today I was wondering what profound post would be my first real contribution after the welcome one. Reflecting on this as I was driving home tonight I was distracted by the wonderful evening sky. Having spent many years working close to home I am now a commuter, spending an hour each way to and from work in my car. Whilst this is not recommended and certainly a less than productive use of my time there are a few meagre compensations.
Perhaps the best of these is the chance to see the variation in sunrise and sunset. I head eastward each morning and back west in the afternoon. As I leave early to try and avoid the worst of the traffic I am generally on the road well before sunrise for much of the year. I am able to note where the Sun rises with respect to the motorway on clear mornings. Similarly I am able to see where it sets behind the mountain on my trip home. The march of the Sun thus becomes an intrinsic part of my ritual drive. The solstices take on a new dimension as I try and detect the change in path of the Sun. Subtle observations such as the fact that the earliest sunrise actually occurs some days after the winter solstice have a tangible meaning to me as I crawl along in traffic.
Other pleasures come from the drive home. Tonight was an example. It has been the coldest day of the year so far and the evening sky was crisp and clear. The orange twilight blended with the darkening sky. A thin crescent Moon was high in the sky but the rest of the Moon clearly stood out illuminated by Earthshine. Brilliant Venus was much higher in the sky.
Seeing these jewels prompted me to reflect upon how many children these days seem cut off from the natural worls. How many city children actually observe the change in the position of sunrise or sunset over the year? Can they name the phases of the Moon or tell the difference between Venus and a star in the sky? Are these questions important or relevant to them? I hope to return to this theme in subsequent posts.
For now I just have to enjoy the observational delights of being a commuting astronomer.
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