Star gazing at the night sky – May 4

Jim Lattis is setting up the telescope at the Playing fields, University Bay.

After a week of solid clouds, it was a treat to have a cloudless night for stargazing at the Preserve. About 20 of us showed  up for a tour of the sky. Jim Lattis, director of the UW Space Place, was a superb trip guide, showing us Venus, the first “star” to appear. This was followed by a quick tour of the stars in the Zodiac, making our way across the sky to Jupiter. When Jupiter was high enough, he introduced us to its belts and moons. We also gazed at binary stars and a wispy star cluster. Linda Deith, who was the Friends host for this field trip, provided the report and stunning photos.

Star gazing into the dark night sky against the brightly lit soccer fields and hospital area