Starry Skies South

I had a small Sears refractor when I was a kid. I can remember seeing the Milky Way from my suburban driveway. Forty years later, I see only the brightest stars from my house in Birmingham.

I enjoy living in Birmingham. I take advantage of the great restaurants, the mountains, the natural beauty, and the history. But I miss the stars. If I grew up now, I wouldn’t even realize the splendor of a dark sky.

I often go to my backyard and look up at Arcturus or Mizar or others. Arcturus doesn’t care what happened at work today. There is comfort in that. I wish that comfort for all people of Alabama. I also wish for the children of Alabama to have a dark site where they can see the Beehive, Orion, or the Pleiades with nothing but their eyes….and to find wonder and beauty in them.

My interest in the IDA is to help establish a dark sky place here in Alabama.