WEATHER BLOG: Crystal Clear Skies

Hi Everyone!

We continue with crystal clear skies day, and night side. What a run of fine weather we are on. And these clear skies have made my morning drive just spectacular. Let me explain.

I loathe getting up at 3 a.m. Hate it. But this is my job, and it is what it is. Once I get going, though, I actually kind of enjoy the quiet of the overnight especially during my drive in. And mornings, errrr I mean overnights, like we have recently had have been BEAUTIFUL. (In the dead of winter when these big Canadian domes of high pressure sit over us we see the same type of crystal clear conditions. The star, and planet filled sky now, and then is something to savor. Many times I pull over next to a dark field near my home and just have a couple of sips of coffee and look up. These days Venus shines like a flashlight in the eastern sky. And now, Orion has made his return to our night sky.

Orion.. big, bold, and beautiful. The stars that make up his belt, shoulders and legs make him totally recognizable in a constellation filled sky. Some of the biggest stars in our galaxy make up his body. Check out what I found on a constellation guide online:

"The constellation Orion contains two of the ten brightest stars in the sky – Rigel (Beta Orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) – a number of famous nebulae – the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), De Mairan's Nebula (Messier 43) and the Horsehead Nebula, among others – the well-known Trapezium Cluster, and one of the most prominent asterisms in the night sky – Orion's Belt."

He is not seen here during the mid-spring to late summer months due to the tilt of the Earth. Well, now that the movement on our axis is again pushing us back North Orion has returned. THAT is my sign that Fall is here.

Forget the leaves, the trees changing, the temperature and such. All of that can vary from year to year, but the stars are a constant. To me the new season, and what lay ahead, are the reality seen above.

If you get up early, and leave home before sunrise over the next few calm days,  find ya some "me time" and take a look up. You won't regret it. If you sleep in until sunrise…oh you lucky dog….I mean, sorry you'll be missing it.

MB