"Yowie" wrote in message
...
Even before I knew the word 'witch' or 'pagan' I used to talk to the
moon (and Antares, my favourite star), have always looked out for
Her in the sky. My Full Moon ritual is barely a ritual, but I've
shared it with the Yowlet, and now we both go out and howl and the
moon when She's at her brightest. I've always been innately aware of
her Cycle, and would be at a loss without Her in the sky.

Last night was the first clear and not
bitterly-cold-and-howling-a-gale night since I got my telescope. Its
a crappy telescope, I admit, barely better than binoculars, but it
was free, and I've wanted but haven't been able to afford one since,
oh, I don't know, for as long as I've been talking to Her in the
Sky.

I started off trying to get a view of Jupiter, but gave up in
frustration after an hour or so. After another hour or so of cursing
and muttering about bad design, I finally got my first ever glimpse
of Her under magnification. I was astonished, astounded and more
deeply in love than ever.

After fiddling with the eyepieces some more, I settled on 'medium'
magnification (and sorry, i don't know what magnification it was, I
don't know about the technical side of the telescope) - high
magnification didn't allow a stable enough image, with the wobbly
tripod and worn out mounts. But medium magnification allowed me to
see the craters, and the seas, allowed me to watch contentedly as
she slowly 'sailed' past my little viewing aperture.

Joel dragged me in at 11:30pm and told me off for staying out so
late on work night and for being out in such frigid temperatures
with just t-shirt and jeans. I had not noticed the time pass, nor
the temperature drop. I am in love all over again.


There are web sites that have star maps. You can tell them where you
live and you will get a map of the sky for the day and time.

But first to get familiar with the moon and the scope you have
available.

Best mistake we ever made. When Charlie and I first got married, we
were shopping for Christmas presents for my sisters kids. We picked
out an inexpensive telescope for her son. Only to find at the
checkout we had actually picked up a much more expensive one. The
store was crowded, the lines were long, so we decided 'oh what the
heck' and bought it anyway.

My now fifty year old nephew is still quite the amateur astronomer.

I wait every fall for Orion to come back.

Jo