September 13, 2003
The Final Frontier
I went up to the Chabot Space & Science Center last night. Roommate and I were looking at Mars through his "big eyes," a set of high-power binoculars, and we decided to go up to the observatory to see with even bigger eyes.
It was a beautifully clear night, and there were hundreds of people there who wanted to see the same thing. I was able to see Mars through a 16 inch telescope that was powerful enough to show me the polar ice caps of Mars. I was amazed. We went into the big dome of the observatory to see a star cluster, M15, about 40,000 light years away and orbiting our own galaxy. This telescope was a 20-inch refractor named Rachel, and almost a hundred years old. The view was phenomenal. But my favorite part was viewing the Moon through someone's personal telescope. It was so incredible and bright. You could see in three dimensions the surface of the Moon and the depth of its craters.
When I was like seven, my grandmother gave me a telescope. It was a simple little thing, but after I spied on my neighbors and the street lights a bit, I looked up at the moon and I have never stopped looking since. I can't help be fascinated by how beautiful it is. And it's always up there, just hanging around.
So I think my next big hobby will be astronomy, specifically either buying or making my own telescope. I think making the thing would be a little more ambitious than buying one, though. I love looking at the stars.
It's miserably hot again today, and while the temperature was at 98° F (37° C) at noon, it's 92° F (33° C) now, and it's still nasty. If my blisters weren't raw and still a little bloody, I'd be soaking in the Bay right about now.
It's too hot and I'm a wimp. Bye.
