The Winter Night Sky
There is no place better than the Driftless region, of Southwest Wisconsin, to view an unobstructed winter night sky. The small towns that are scattered about emit very little light pollution that diminishes one’s view of a dazzling winter night sky. During the cold winter months, crisp and clear nights provide an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate the quiet majesty of the universe.
Long winter nights, dry air, and billions of distant light sources from our very own galaxy, provide the ideal conditions for studying or enjoying the star-studded canopy above. This perfect combination cannot be matched at any other time of year. Earlier sunsets and later sunrises provide additional hours of star gazing that are not available to us during the warmer months.
For some observers, it may be difficult to identify certain constellations because of the countless number of stars visible across the night sky.
Earth is the only life sustaining planet in our solar system with a small star, the sun, at its center. Our solar system is but a tiny speck at the outer edge our galaxy which is a part of the Milky Way. The Milky Way sprawls out across trillions of miles of the night shy. This huge flat ribbon of stars is comprised of 100 to 400 billion stars, most with their own planets orbiting about them.
When looking up on a clear night, find the winter constellation “Orion the Hunter.” Once you find it, you will see that the Milky Way ribbon of stars passes through it.
Shooting stars (meteors) appear as streaks of light racing across the night sky. These meteors are rocks or space debris, of various sizes, entering the Earth’s outer atmosphere, becoming super-heated bodies, and burning up before reaching the Earth’s surface. Meteors that reach the earth are called meteorites and are gathered and studied by those who look for them.
As a former scout leader, I taught Orienteering (the process of determining one’s location based on compass and map readings, topography and the position of stars in the night sky) to scouts while sitting around a campfire. Now my wife and I live on the top of a ridge in Richland County, Wisconsin. We have spent many enjoyable evenings stargazing, with my old Boy Scout Manual in hand, reacquainting ourselves with some long-forgotten constellations. We also enjoy tracking satellites and jets as they move across the winter sky in all directions. We both love the sights and sounds of the rural winter nights.
This is a great way to get in touch with yourself once again and put human concerns aside for a while. It’s a time to reconnect with Mother Earth and the vastness of the universe we tend to lost sight of in our busy daily lives. Treat yourself to an evening outdoors alone, with a friend, or a loved one. You’ll be glad you did!
About Contributing Writer, Lee D. Van Landuyt
Lee was born and raised in Kenosha, WI graduating from High School in 1962. He fell in love with the great outdoors as a youth and was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America for over 35 years.
In 1964, Lee enlisted in the United States Air Force. He entered the Air Force Academy Preparatory School - graduating in 1965. With no available appointments, he attended the A.C.&W. Radar School in Mississippi. From there, he was assigned to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. He traveled through Germany, spent time in Berlin and saw duty in France and England during the Cold War era. Lee is a Lifetime member of the V.F.W.
Upon returning home in 1968, Lee went back to school while teaching in Kenosha. He received his B.A. Degree from U.W. Parkside and a M.S. Degree in from U.W. Milwaukee. He taught social studies (U.S. history) and English at Washington Park High School in the Racine, WI for over 30 years, retiring 20 years ago. To continue serving the community, he volunteers weekly as a Teacher’s Aide at Doudna Elementary School in Richland Center.
Lee and his wife, Cathy, enjoy everything to do with the great outdoors and nature. Hunting, fishing and exploring are always “another great adventure” to them. Lee makes good use of his knowledge of geography, things in nature and years of teaching by writing articles for the benefit of others who are not familiar with what “God’s Country” has to offer.
