sleeping on the roof

the sky at night
so there I was, dozing on the hammock (it's amazing how cool it is up there!) star spotting. . . finding the North Star (α UMi / α Ursae Minoris / Alpha Ursae Minoris, commonly North(ern) Star or Pole Star, or Dhruva Tara and sometimes Lodestar; the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor; very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star; about 430 light-years from Earth; Polaris has numerous traditional names: Alruccabah, Cynosura, Dhruv, Phoenice, Tramontana, Angel Stern, Navigatoria, Star of Arcady, Yilduz, Mismar, Gwiazda Polarna, Polyarnaya, Midnight Star; Cynosūra is from the Greek κυνόσουρα "the dog’s tail"; Yilduz is from the Turkish word for "star"; the most commonly known name is the Pole Star), The Plough. . .remembering the ryhme "follow the arc to Arcturus. . . . . .then speed on to Spica"(only Spica was below the horizon when I eventually drifted off, and when I woke up at half four the dawn had dawned)

11 comments:

Dave said...

Oooooh. If we look on Google Earth do you think we will find you?

I trust you were properly dressed.

Christopher said...

Fascinating! But I'm surprised the London light pollution enables you to see anything.

Mel said...

What a great thing!

'Bout time. :-P

Spadoman said...

"Just imagine that you're sitting on a planet that's revolving....."
Made me think of the Python's wonderful song.
Thanks for the stargazing lesson. I'll look for them. I always spot the big dipper.

Peace.

Dave said...

Are you still stuck up there?

Christopher said...

I got up briefly at 1am this morning to 'Speed on to Spica', never having heard this before, and there she was, lying low on the western horizon. Now I've just thought of a poem by Auden about sleeping out beneath Vega, so I'll break off while I try to find it. Back later...

Christopher said...

...here we are!

Auden's 'Summer Night':

Out on the lawn I lie in bed,
Vega conspicuous overhead
In the windless nights of June,
As congregated leaves complete Their day's activity; my feet Point to the rising moon.

Lucky, this point in time and space
Is chosen as my working-place, Where the sexy airs of summer,
The bathing hours and the bare arms,
The leisured drives through a land of farms
Are good to a newcomer.


(continues for several verses. I don't know how this compares with your rooftop?)

Mel said...

Ohhhhhhhh.....now I haffta check for meteor showers that are upcoming!
:-)

IF it ever stops raining. *sigh*
It will stop raining.
When it stops.....LOL

Anonymous said...

For Zigs...yes, a partial eclipse, the other day, but only visible from the Eastern Pacific. Big crowd at Easter Island, apparently.

Thankyou for the astronomy lesson.I'm rubbish on stars. But I did like Robert Mitchum.

Dave said...

Missing you...

mig said...

I wish I could stay out till dawn. Unfortunately, I just go to bed late and then sleep through it.
Such lovely wanderings through the heavens. I shall look for some of those when I next get a clear night sky.
(Is that little cluster just next to Arcturus the Seven Sisters?)