The night sky never fails to amaze me. I think it's crazy how the little lights from the stars have been traveling for years and years, but we look up and they feel so close to us. I think a full moon is beautiful and I could stare at it for hours and hours. I still get excited to see the Big Dipper, and point it out to everyone I’m with every single night I see it. I feel incredibly intelligent every time I can teach someone how to find the North Star (I'm basically a professional astronomer).
Because I love the night sky so much, living in a big city like Chicago has one key flaw: no night sky. Sometimes on a very clear night you can see a few faint stars, but never enough. I'm lucky I still have an imagination, because I usually settle on convincing myself that all the planes are shooting stars (it's hard though because a wish on an airplane isn't guaranteed to come true like a wish on a shooting star is). So every chance I get to go out to the countryside, I take. It's not too often I can find a place free from city lights, so these times are sure to be special.
Over the years I have gathered a long list of things to do whilst stargazing. If you've never gone before, or you also consider yourself a professional stargazer, here is a list of the top five things to have with you when you go.
1. The Night Sky app
Never having taken an astrology class before, I know almost nothing about space. Sometimes, I think it would be cool to know what I am actually looking at. This phone app is so cool. You just hold it up to the sky and somehow it knows exactly what you're looking at and puts a label on each star. It also shows constellations and satellites and other things floating around in space. You can buy more features to teach you more about what everything is, but, at least for me, the basic version is cool enough.
P.S. If you don't tell your friends you have the app, you can impress them with all your knowledge.
P.P.S. Boys, this is good stuff to know to impress your date.
2. A recording of “The Greatest Speech Ever Made” by Charlie Chaplin in "The Dictator"
I've never seen the full movie, but guessing by this speech that it's worth a watch. The speech gets you thinking about pretty big topics, especially in this world where politics play such a huge part in a lot of social issues. But in the end it gets you thinking that maybe things can be different and work out one day soon. I like to listen to it while star gazing because it puts a lot of my personal problems in perspective. The world is so much bigger than me, but if I can help just one other person do something great, then I'll be happy, too.
3. A recording of "Pale Blue Dot" by Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan wrote this poem looking at a picture of earth from miles and miles away. Earth is literally half a pixel on a page and the poem perfectly captures all my feelings about seeing earth this small. The poem is very good and quotable all the time, but there is something different and special about listening to it while staring into space.
4. A recording of "The Most Astounding Fact" by Neil Degrasse Tyson
Similar to "Pale Blue Dot," it talks about the stars and night sky. But unlike the Charlie Chaplin speech, it makes you feel powerful and important.
5. A blanket
This might just be me, but grass is so uncomfortable. I've gone camping outdoors more times than I can count, but can never get used to the itchiness of grass and the feeling of little ants crawling all over my legs. A blanket makes the whole experience a lot more comfortable, which makes for a 10 times better experience as a whole.
