26.04.2014 / Sutherland, South Africa

WORDS ONLY
It’s a ‘words only’-post today. I was forwarded a circular e-mail by the founder of Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT), one of my collaborators on this project, which I would like to share because it fits the approach of the ‘deep dark pale blue’-project very well. He is currently working at their Chile-site – which I will be visiting as well -, from where he sent the following:
“I woke up about 6AM local and decided to turn no lights on while getting ready to go to site. When I got to parking lot the sky was absolutely incredible. No scintillation (twinkling in common language) at all. Milky Way stretching from Cygnus rising, to Scorpio almost overhead and then down to Southern cross.   Galaxy plane sharply cut off by horizon.  No serious fading at Airmass > 10*.  Coal Sack clearly defined by lack of stars. Sagittarius was so bright I could not detect the pattern for a while (Teapot was upside down.) We should never forget native curiosity about the sky was a key driver for why we are what we are, and Astronomy is the mother of Science.”