Ad Astra Observatory

I’m in Chennai, India for 2 weeks. As the plane pulled up to the airport terminal, I saw a sign showing the lat/lon of the city; it’s at 12°N latitude, pretty close to the equator, but I still can’t claim to have gone to the Southern Hemisphere. Oh well.

The light pollution and muggy weather combine to wash out everything except the mag 1 stars, but I was able to pick out Jupiter *way* higher in the sky than I’m used to. Also, the night I landed was full+1, so the moon was up and bright, too. Also way higher than I’m used to. Twenty degrees of latitude makes a big difference.

A few nights later, I was able to see the Summer Triangle (plus Sadr), and also Fomalhaut. The autumn skies devoid of bright stars and the crazy light pollution made everything else just disappear. I haven’t even come close to finding The Dipper, Cass, or Polaris.