Sky Guide for Walkers

If your own “best time of day” for walking is actually at night (or before sunrise), welcome to the club!

After the dog days of summer, I watched my daily walk time dwindle for many excuses…oops...I mean for many reasons. Walk route boredom and a tightening schedule were just two factors on a long list of things that stood between me and continuing a lifestyle change to get a minimum 10,000 steps a day for health. Fortunately, learning to walk safely, very early in the morning, helped me get back on track and overcome the obstacles.

Prior to starting this practice, I had no idea how many other people also grab a daily dose of exercise, in the wee hours of the morning. Early morning steppers are often in the comforting company of racewalkers and joggers, dogwalkers and cyclists.

My real reason for mentioning this topic to you, however, is the extra special bonus that comes with pre-dawn walks: a fascinating sky. If you’re like me, the last time you gave a moment’s thought to astronomy was probably when Pluto got kicked out of the planet club a couple of years ago. But now, since observing the nighttime sky, my Web bookmarks include charts that show phases of the moon. I scour the Net for constellation names, pictures and stories I could recite with ease when I was a 3rd grader (how time flies and unused facts disappear right along with it). To easily reclaim your own command of our sky, take a look at my teeny tiny Sky Guide for Walkers, below. Enjoy it and remember to glance up next time you walk--whether day or night.

May the light in your heart illuminate every step,
Elizabeth

Sky Guide for Walkers

STARDATE ONLINE, English :: UNIVERSO ONLINE, Spanish. University of Texas McDonald Observatory – Stardate is the longest running national radio science feature in the U.S. Its domain? All things ‘sky’. The website's homepage has six major menu tabs in a green bar across the top. Click the first one, “Stargazing” and check out each of the topics in the left hand menu. Bet you’ll find what you want…from info about the current month’s lunar phases and constellations to a comprehensive beginner’s stargazing guide. Note: You can listen online or subscribe to the podcast, or look up airtime on your local station.

SKYCAL. U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Create your own personal calendar of ‘must see’ sky stuff using this interactive tool.

YEAR OF ASTRONOMY. International Astronomical Union (IAU) - Learn ways you can enjoy the global celebration of astronomy and its contribution to culture and society, throughout the year 2009. The IAU will explore the theme, “The Universe: Yours to Discover” and everyone can participate.

Photo Description: The Pleiades (also known as M45, the Seven Sisters) is a well-known star cluster, relatively close to Earth and striking to the naked eye.

Tags: walk at night, astronomy