Skip to content

Random Connections

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Photos
  • Resources
  • Other Voices
  • Post Archives
  • Home
  • Local
  • Leonids – the search for dark skies

Leonids – the search for dark skies

Posted on November 19, 2006 By Tom No Comments on Leonids – the search for dark skies
Local, Photography, Science

Saturday night was the peak of this year’s Leonid Meteor Shower.  Weather conditions were supposed to be near-perfect, and they had predicted a good showing from around 11:45 PM until 1:30 AM.  Without Sunday morning obligations, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to view the meteors.

Finding dark skies in Greenville County has really gotten to be a challenge.   With the lights of Haywood Mall hovering over our backyard, staying at home was not an option.  At about 10:30 I headed out to see if I could find a good viewing area.

First I drove up to Marietta and took the Dacusville Road westward.  Skies seemed to be dark enough, but I didn’t want to just pull off and risk getting shot.  I took a couple of back country roads and wound up in Dacusville proper at the Recreation Center.  There was a great place to pull off, but lights at the center made it less than ideal.  Time to move on.

I drove on through Pumpkintown, and find a great pull-off on Highway 8 just north of the community.  I was able to view an incredible fireball, and thought I had found my viewing spot.  However, Highway 8 proved to have too much traffic for my taste, so I was constantly shielding my eyes to preserve night vision.

Continuing up 8, I made it to Highway 11 and turned west again.  I turned into the Table Rock headquarters, and should have just set up shop there in front of the locked gate.  Nervousness at being asked what I was doing there made me move on, though, before I could see much.

Back on the road, I headed up Highway 276 toward Caesar’s Head.  My goal was Bald Rock, with it’s fantastic views southward toward Greenville.  Unfortunately, many teenagers had the same thought.  I actually parked and started toward the trail, but the sounds of partying made me decide otherwise.  I eventually made it back down to Wildcat Wayside, where I had the pull-out all to myself.  It actually had as much or more traffic than Highway 8, but by this point I was desperate for any viewing area with dark skies. 

I saw a few sporadic meteors, but nothing like the fireball of earlier.  I also set up the camera to do some long exposure shots.  The image below is of the constellation Orion.  In the larger view you can see the blurring caused by the Earth’s rotation.  You can also clearly see the red coloration of Betelgeuse, the Red Giant in Orion’s shoulder.

Orion 

I could only set my camera for 30 second exposures without manually holding down the shutter release.  I’m either going to have invest in a remote shutter release, or reread my camera’s manual to see if there is something I’m missing for long exposures.

I’ve got several friends that live in dark-sky areas.  I guess I’m just going to have to plan ahead and convince them that I need access to good viewing.  The Orionids are coming up in December.  I may just have to make a few calls.

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: UFO
Next Post: A New Bond ❯

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

  • EdTech (200)
  • Entertainment (202)
  • Family (121)
  • Gear (115)
  • General Technology (99)
  • Geocaching and Maps (208)
  • History and Genealogy (265)
  • Internet (144)
  • Local (450)
  • Miscellaneous (550)
  • Music (196)
  • Paddling (248)
  • Photography (779)
  • Podcast (6)
  • Rambling (227)
  • Rants (161)
  • Recipes (34)
  • Religion (48)
  • Restaurants (165)
  • Science (48)
  • Things Overheard (29)
  • Travel (411)
  • Uncategorized (129)
  • Washington Sabbatical (113)
  • Weirdness (60)

Recent Posts

  • The Phoenix Riots and Dr. Benjamin Mays – An MLK Day Ramble
  • An Obsession with Steak Knives
  • An Epiphany on Patriotism
  • Kayaking Bates Old River and Running Creek
  • One Step Closer

Recent Comments

  • Joel Nagy on Old Pickens Court House
  • Derek May on The Haunting of Farr’s Bridge
  • Roger Combs on Mystery Cemetery
  • Roger Combs on Mystery Cemetery
  • Roger Combs on Mystery Cemetery

Tags

blogging cemetery Christmas Columbia Edisto River edtech Entertainment family Flickr Florida Furman Furman University gear Georgia geotagging Ghost Town Ghost Towns Google Earth Google Maps GPS Greenville Greenville Chorale history Instructional Technology kayaking Lake Jocassee LCU Lowcountry Unfiltered maps Music North Carolina Paddling Photography rambling restaurant Restaurants review singing social networking South Carolina time-lapse Travel video Washington Washington State
January 2023
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Dec    

Copyright © 2023 Random Connections.

Theme: Oceanly by ScriptsTown