About forty people came to see stars on Brockway Mountain on August 11, 2002. In the photo below, Andrew Fleming (l.) and Wellesley Pereira (r.), both grad students at Michigan Tech, set up the Conservancy’s telescope which was donated in 2001 by Art Dion.
Under the guidance of Michigan Tech professor, Robert Nemiroff, attendees viewed heavenly sights including the moon, Venus, and Andromeda galaxy. An approaching storm cut short the group’s viewing of the Perseid meteor showers.
Star watchers
Dr.Nemiroff and his students also demonstrated the concam, a specialized camera which takes “fish-eye” whole sky photographs (see examples at www.concam.net).
Efficient Outdoor Lighting Preserves a Glimpse of the Milky Way!
Everyone enjoys seeing the Milky Way, the Northern Lights, and shooting stars. Outdoor lighting can obscure our view of the heavens. However, it doesn’t have to. Here are some light saving and money saving tips that will reduce excess light “pollution” while allowing for the security and safety that outdoor fixtures provide.
1.
Don’t overlight. Use outdoor lights only where and when necessary.
2.
Aim lights down. Choose “full –cutoff shielded” fixtures that keep light from going uselessly up or sideways. (See illustrations at right.)
3.
Target the area you need to light. Aim the light at night if possible so you can see where the light goes.
4.
Select a bulb just bright enough to accomplish the task—this saves money and energy.
5.
Choose energy efficient low pressure sodium or high pressure sodium lamps whenever yellowish light will do the job.
6.
Put lights on a motion detector switch that turns them on only when someone enters the area.
7.
Ideally, only turn outdoor lights on when necessary or put them on a timer to turn them off when no longer needed at night.
