PSYCH!

I love UPS. A. got her present this afternoon (there). I had only her work address, so I was afraid it would get delivered Saturday and she wouldn't have it until after Xmas. :-)

(no subject)

for my British friends, garnered from one of my e-lists:

The British Astronomical Association' s Campaign for Dark Skies has joined with the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to organise a simple star count. People everywhere in the UK can take part during the nights running up to Christmas. Its aim is to help gauge the extent of light pollution, and to raise awareness about the issue. This is what you do:

If the sky is clear, without obvious haze, on any of the nights between December 21 and 24, find the constellation of Orion between 8 pm and midnight and count how many stars you can see within the rectangle of Orion (bordered by his shoulders and feet). The more stars you can see, the less
the light pollution. You can enter your findings on the BAA website or by post.

To find out more and take part, visit the Star Count web page at:

http://britastro.org/starcount

If the weather fails to co-operate during the next few nights, the BAA is repeating the exercise on January 14-21, so you'll have a second opportunity then.

(The referenced page emphasises that you should allow at least 10 minutes in the relative dark before formally starting the count. It is quite astonishing how different the night sky looks once your vision has become at least partially dark-adapted. )

[And with that, I'm off to my parents'; have a good weekend, everyone, and Merry Christmas!]