The Milky Way!

[robbieboy]

I have just returned from a trekking holiday in Peru. Apart from being excited about the holiday I was equally excited about seeing the stars with truly dark skies. The third night was said to be the best night with 360 degree panoramic views, so I waited with my fingers crossed for good weather. The third day came and it was not looking good. Heavy cloud was the order of the day with rain. We didn't see any of the mountain views and when we got to the camp site we sat in our tent looking out the unzipped door not being able to see more than 10 feet in front of us. I went to dinner with a heavy heart thinking, all I wanted was one clear night is that too much to ask for? We finished dinner and came out the dinner tent and wow! The cloud had dropped below us and left a crystal clear night. The Milky Way arched above us from horizon to horizon. I can just see the Milky Way from were I observe at home but this was something else! It was so clear and bright! I could hardly believe my eyes. All the dust lanes were clear and I just stood there a gasp as to how beautiful it all was. One of the the magallanic clouds was on the left hand horizon but apart from that I couldn't really recognise any other constellations. Should have done my homework before. Then just before I headed back to the tent on the right hand horizon I could see a hazy diagonal smudge which was Andromeda as the square of Pegasus was diagonally left below it, just above the peaks of the mountains. This was truly an unforgettable night for me. I really wish my skies at home were like this as I would never be in the house. I climbing into my sleeping bag feeling so happy as to what I'd seen and its a memory I will never forget.

[dick_dangerous]

I had similar views of the Milky Way when trekking in Colca Canyon - it was June so I had the galactic centre pretty much overhead. A truly awe-inspiring experience.

DD