Stars Over the Appalachian Trail

Yes, even though this is a rural area, the towns and commercial sites around put up a good amount of skyglow. Above us was the very faint mist of our Milky Way galaxy, but closer to the horizon, South Mountain in this case, the light pollution totally hides it.

Still, we had a fine view of the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion, the Big Dipper, Sagittarius, and some other constellations. Just down the road, at the Breyermesser Farm, they were putting away some farming equipment and we could hear talking and the engines finally come to a stop. In the distance, we could hear frogs singing their songs by the Yellow Breeches Creek and fireflies were lighting up the fields where the Appalachian Trail comes down from the mountain, past the old ore pits and wagon path, and out of the trees to cross the valley through farm fields and then into Boiling Springs, past the old iron furnace.

The sky was alive and sparkling, and I wondered about what it was like when the Lenape and others lived here. What was the night sky like 500 years ago and what stories were told about the sparkling stars and the figures formed by those stars. Even in the 1700's, this was the American frontier. Carlisle was the edge of civilization and beyone there, trails went into the great woods. The night sky had to be brilliant and stunningly beautiful.

Back to the present, I watched as my 21st century automated telescope searched for a certain star cluster. It found itself on Earth via GPS, and identified where it was in the sky via its integrated starmap and cameras. With my iPhone, i was able to capture a scene I could not quite see with my own eyes. The stars of Sagittarius outlined where the center of our galaxy shines, out-billianced by skyglow from over South Mountain. Like magic, on my iPad, a wonderful image of Messier 4, the Heart of the Scorpion, slowly revealed itself.

Messier 4 Star Cluster "The Heart of the Scorpion"

At once, I was lost in the moment, pondering the sky's vast beauty and immersed in a wonderful landscape, full of life despite what we perceive as darkness, and full of stories whispered by ancient storytellers, maybe on this very spot. Good night, SkyBear. Good night, Alunkok. Nemachi nta, Oney,