Space=Big, Green Laser Pointers=Cool

Last night Janelle, Austin and I went to the Chamberlin Observatory. We attended a short lecture about planetary nebulae/star nurseries and then looked through the telescope. First we looked an Uranus which was looking fuzzy and blue and far away.

Next we looked at Venus. Bright. Almost eye hurting bright and pretty.

We went downstairs and finished the 2nd half of the lecture. By then the dorks present were starting to sweat since they didn't plan on a young woman attending the lecture. We went back up to the telescope and looked at the Orion Nebula which was faint green and much more "nebula-y" than I expected it to look through a telescope.

We looked at one more star whose name I don't recall but it was brilliant bright blue and twinkly.

After that we stepped out onto the balcony and one of the guys started naming stars and pointing at them with a green laser pointer whose beam was visible enough for him to point at the stars and everyone to see a straight line in the sky directly where he wanted us to. Cool.

Janelle and Austin went downstairs and they guys brought up a view of the SS Sulaco for me which was cool too because I always wanted to see the ship where Ripley finally got inpregnated by a face-hugger.

I snapped a couple of pics. they didn't come out great but hey, its a cell phone camera in a dark dome in the middle of the night, lay off me.