report from mexico .

[messier 111]

hi all ,

report from mexico
I live with sky class 8 or 9 on the scale, seeing the sky of cancun was on my list of things to do.
the sky of cancun is class 5.
so let's see the difference.

to begin with, indeed,
the sky is darker here.
more stars and we can see a hint of the milky way.

At the beginning, it was a bit difficult to find your bearings.
then I ended up finding Orion.
then it was a bit simpler.

I found myself a corner without too much light from the hotels. (they light up the beach)
from Orion I found the constellations that I know well.
they are high in the sky compared to where I live.

on the southern horizon, I found constellations and stars that I can't see from home (a bit lost in this sky)
I had to take out my cell to start my application to find out what I was looking at.
I did not see the green comet,
I easily saw Jupiter, Venus and Mars .

I also saw,
The Large Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carina.
the little cloud was invisible.

All in all, I'm very happy with what I was able to see.
all with only my eyes.
I must say that the wind is very strong at night in Cancun.
I can hardly see installing a telescope.
but binos would be very good.
so next year I'm taking them with me.

next year i will also go to mazatlan to see the solar eclipse
Here is my report, I hope you liked it.
Thanks for reading me .

[Juno16]

Very nice report Jean-Yves!

I enjoyed reading about your sightings very much. I definitely know where you mean about getting your bearings with a darker sky.
There are so many stars!
I remember someone posting several years ago that they were in a dark place and really had trouble identifying Polaris because there were so many stars in the area.
Definitely bring the binos next year. They will really increase your viewing experience!

[Ylem]

Thanks for sharing Jean-Yves!

A very enjoyable read, I enjoy astronomy from different locations, from home.
I also find observing in light polluted skies challenging and fun, especially with a smaller scope or bins.

[Bigzmey]

Darker sky is a treat. I am glad you are enjoying it also with opportunity to explore southern skies. That should make quite a difference compared to Canada.

I wish they don't flood-lighted the beach, but it seems they like to do it in many resorts we have visited. Safety issue perhaps.

[SkyHiker]

I was in Cancun once on a special company outing engineers included. Beautiful bright blue water beaches to the South. But I was intrigued by the other side, wanting to go on a kayak trip. The guy who rented it to me pressed me not to go to the islands visible on the other side of the lagoon. Of course, that's where I went, curious to see what was out there. In the shallow water were large sting rays. Going beyond the first line of mangroves I ended up in shallow pools within mangrove enclosures where I had to walk and drag my kayak. On the other side were speedboats that I would rather ignore. I made it back and felt very enriched by the experience, however it made me wonder if the rental guy meant to tell me to not go there because you can be eaten by alligators. In fact, I read about tourists being eaten by crocodiles, so this was not just imagination. I did not look at the stars, but I am happy for your Bortle 5 experience and feel sorry that you have to deal with Bortle 8 where you live!

[kt4hx]

Very nice Jean-Yves, and glad you are having a good time with both darker and more southerly skies. I don't think you would see the comet without optical aid as it is now about mag 8.0. Nonetheless it is always fun to explore areas of the sky you cannot see from home. I have observed from a latitude similar to where you are, plus near the equator. So the thrill of seeing the sky from a different perspective is a memorable experience. Have fun and be careful down there.

[Makuser]

Hi Jean-Yves. A very nice naked eye observing report from Cancun and it looks like you had an enjoyable time there. Thanks for your report Jean-Yves and remember to take your binoculars next year on your trip to Mazatlan.

[helicon]

Very nice naked eye report Jean-Yves and you managed some of that new southern sky eye-candy.

Congrats on seeing so many stars, for locating Orion, which has so many faint background stars that it looks amazing in dark skies compared to the typical urban/suburban backyard. Congratulations on obtaining the TSS VROD for the day! To add to Jim's comment, during my last session I got a bit disoriented by the location of Polaris - it was far higher than from California but all of Ursa Minor was visible easily, which I am not used to. On the other hand Orion was somewhat lower in the sky. Last time I was in Cabo (2011 think) they also had basically floodlights lighting up the beaches at night.

[Butterfly Maiden]

A great naked eye observing session Jean-Yves, and congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD award for your effort.

[pakarinen]

report from mexico

I also saw, The Large Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carina. the little cloud was invisible.

My son who lives in LA spends a lot of time in Mexico since he can work remotely. He keeps suggesting I bring a scope down. Maybe one of these days...

[Frankskywatcher]

Thanks for the report !
I thought I was in a bad way being in a Bortle 4 sky so you just made me feel a lot better LOL

[kt4hx]

Thanks for the report !
I thought I was in a bad way being in a Bortle 4 sky so you just made me feel a lot better LOL

Yeah, you are in pretty good shape with Bortle 4 Frank. Enjoy it as long as it lasts, cause it is unfortunate that the vast majority of us have rising levels of sky glow due to urbanization and suburbanization. Case in point, just a few short years ago, we were a solid Bortle 5 quality, and I could do a fair amount of quality observing here from our backyard. However, the constant creep of "civilization" has pushed us to Bortle 6 quality. While noting compared to what Jean-Yves deals with at home, it it is still very noticeably degraded from before. Fortunately we are blessed to have the other property in a solid Bortle 3 location which is simply amazing as compared to being at home. Even sliding one spot on the Bortle scale can make a huge difference (which I can attest to). So moving three spots from our backyard to the other place is astronomical indeed. Bottom line, I truly wish I had your Bortle 4 quality at home!

[messier 111]

Very nice report Jean-Yves!

I enjoyed reading about your sightings very much. I definitely know where you mean about getting your bearings with a darker sky.
There are so many stars!
I remember someone posting several years ago that they were in a dark place and really had trouble identifying Polaris because there were so many stars in the area.
Definitely bring the binos next year. They will really increase your viewing experience!

Thanks for sharing Jean-Yves!

A very enjoyable read, I enjoy astronomy from different locations, from home.
I also find observing in light polluted skies challenging and fun, especially with a smaller scope or bins.

Darker sky is a treat. I am glad you are enjoying it also with opportunity to explore southern skies. That should make quite a difference compared to Canada.

I wish they don't flood-lighted the beach, but it seems they like to do it in many resorts we have visited. Safety issue perhaps.

I was in Cancun once on a special company outing engineers included. Beautiful bright blue water beaches to the South. But I was intrigued by the other side, wanting to go on a kayak trip. The guy who rented it to me pressed me not to go to the islands visible on the other side of the lagoon. Of course, that's where I went, curious to see what was out there. In the shallow water were large sting rays. Going beyond the first line of mangroves I ended up in shallow pools within mangrove enclosures where I had to walk and drag my kayak. On the other side were speedboats that I would rather ignore. I made it back and felt very enriched by the experience, however it made me wonder if the rental guy meant to tell me to not go there because you can be eaten by alligators. In fact, I read about tourists being eaten by crocodiles, so this was not just imagination. I did not look at the stars, but I am happy for your Bortle 5 experience and feel sorry that you have to deal with Bortle 8 where you live!

Very nice Jean-Yves, and glad you are having a good time with both darker and more southerly skies. I don't think you would see the comet without optical aid as it is now about mag 8.0. Nonetheless it is always fun to explore areas of the sky you cannot see from home. I have observed from a latitude similar to where you are, plus near the equator. So the thrill of seeing the sky from a different perspective is a memorable experience. Have fun and be careful down there.

Hi Jean-Yves. A very nice naked eye observing report from Cancun and it looks like you had an enjoyable time there. Thanks for your report Jean-Yves and remember to take your binoculars next year on your trip to Mazatlan.

Very nice naked eye report Jean-Yves and you managed some of that new southern sky eye-candy.

Congrats on seeing so many stars, for locating Orion, which has so many faint background stars that it looks amazing in dark skies compared to the typical urban/suburban backyard. Congratulations on obtaining the TSS VROD for the day! To add to Jim's comment, during my last session I got a bit disoriented by the location of Polaris - it was far higher than from California but all of Ursa Minor was visible easily, which I am not used to. On the other hand Orion was somewhat lower in the sky. Last time I was in Cabo (2011 think) they also had basically floodlights lighting up the beaches at night.

A great naked eye observing session Jean-Yves, and congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD award for your effort.

report from mexico

I also saw, The Large Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carina. the little cloud was invisible.

My son who lives in LA spends a lot of time in Mexico since he can work remotely. He keeps suggesting I bring a scope down. Maybe one of these days...

Thanks for the report !
I thought I was in a bad way being in a Bortle 4 sky so you just made me feel a lot better LOL

a big thank you to all of you, thank you also for the vrod really appreciate.

[Frankskywatcher]

Thanks for the report !
I thought I was in a bad way being in a Bortle 4 sky so you just made me feel a lot better LOL

Yeah, you are in pretty good shape with Bortle 4 Frank. Enjoy it as long as it lasts, cause it is unfortunate that the vast majority of us have rising levels of sky glow due to urbanization and suburbanization. Case in point, just a few short years ago, we were a solid Bortle 5 quality, and I could do a fair amount of quality observing here from our backyard. However, the constant creep of "civilization" has pushed us to Bortle 6 quality. While noting compared to what Jean-Yves deals with at home, it it is still very noticeably degraded from before. Fortunately we are blessed to have the other property in a solid Bortle 3 location which is simply amazing as compared to being at home. Even sliding one spot on the Bortle scale can make a huge difference (which I can attest to). So moving three spots from our backyard to the other place is astronomical indeed. Bottom line, I truly wish I had your Bortle 4 quality at home!

Man you nailed it when you started talking about the creep of civilization !
I moved to South Carolina two years ago,the fastest growing state in the country and I moved to the fastest growing county in that state, Horry County and they are throwing up two and three hundred home developments everywhere.
I’m out in the countryside on a two lane country road where thank God there are no street lights however they built a home in a big empty area between me and my other neighbour and this guy is polite and tries to keep some of his lights off on my side but it’s hit or miss.
I wish they would be more forward thinking when building these big developments and follow the dark sky society’s guidelines and make them law.
https://www.darksky.org/

[kt4hx]

Thanks for the report !
I thought I was in a bad way being in a Bortle 4 sky so you just made me feel a lot better LOL

Yeah, you are in pretty good shape with Bortle 4 Frank. Enjoy it as long as it lasts, cause it is unfortunate that the vast majority of us have rising levels of sky glow due to urbanization and suburbanization. Case in point, just a few short years ago, we were a solid Bortle 5 quality, and I could do a fair amount of quality observing here from our backyard. However, the constant creep of "civilization" has pushed us to Bortle 6 quality. While noting compared to what Jean-Yves deals with at home, it it is still very noticeably degraded from before. Fortunately we are blessed to have the other property in a solid Bortle 3 location which is simply amazing as compared to being at home. Even sliding one spot on the Bortle scale can make a huge difference (which I can attest to). So moving three spots from our backyard to the other place is astronomical indeed. Bottom line, I truly wish I had your Bortle 4 quality at home!

Man you nailed it when you started talking about the creep of civilization !
I moved to South Carolina two years ago,the fastest growing state in the country and I moved to the fastest growing county in that state, Horry County and they are throwing up two and three hundred home developments everywhere.
I’m out in the countryside on a two lane country road where thank God there are no street lights however they built a home in a big empty area between me and my other neighbour and this guy is polite and tries to keep some of his lights off on my side but it’s hit or miss.
I wish they would be more forward thinking when building these big developments and follow the dark sky society’s guidelines and make them law.
https://www.darksky.org/

Unfortunately most communities could care less about the night sky. While some have come on board with the IDSA, the majority never will. Our second property is in the least populated county in Virginia that is completely rural and tucked away in the mountains along the border with West Virginia. They like it being low population, with a simple life devoid of industry and are proud that their skies are dark. I have seen just a very slight uptick in light domes from more distant areas, but it is still a very nice oasis indeed. I hope your light creep is slow and you have several more years of what you have now.

[Ylem]

Congratulations on the well deserved VROD Jean-Yves!

You will most likely have that evening "sketched" into your mind for life

[Frankskywatcher]

KT4HX right again !
One quarter of a mile away from me but right off my two lane they cleared hundreds of acres of land from a lumber company and I pray they just logged it and don’t build ont it.
I went out to this place with a set of binos after the house being built next to me as a potential “ dark sky “ site close to home.
I could see “ night glow “ from past the areas that were logged and I amazed at how much light pollution there was!
Wherever you see the tree line in these photos, at night the sky above the tree’s,was “ lit up” !

[Nakedgun]

hi all ,

report from mexico
I live with sky class 8 or 9 on the scale, seeing the sky of cancun was on my list of things to do.
the sky of cancun is class 5.
so let's see the difference.

to begin with, indeed,
the sky is darker here.
more stars and we can see a hint of the milky way.

At the beginning, it was a bit difficult to find your bearings.
then I ended up finding Orion.
then it was a bit simpler.

I found myself a corner without too much light from the hotels. (they light up the beach)
from Orion I found the constellations that I know well.
they are high in the sky compared to where I live.

on the southern horizon, I found constellations and stars that I can't see from home (a bit lost in this sky)
I had to take out my cell to start my application to find out what I was looking at.
I did not see the green comet,
I easily saw Jupiter, Venus and Mars .

I also saw,
The Large Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carina.
the little cloud was invisible.

All in all, I'm very happy with what I was able to see.
all with only my eyes.
I must say that the wind is very strong at night in Cancun.
I can hardly see installing a telescope.
but binos would be very good.
so next year I'm taking them with me.

next year i will also go to mazatlan to see the solar eclipse
Here is my report, I hope you liked it.
Thanks for reading me .

~

I have been to dark enough skies to become disoriented as to just what I was looking at, constellation-wise. It is quite an experience.

Wait, you traveled that far from home without binoculars?!



.

[messier 111]

hi all ,

report from mexico
I live with sky class 8 or 9 on the scale, seeing the sky of cancun was on my list of things to do.
the sky of cancun is class 5.
so let's see the difference.

to begin with, indeed,
the sky is darker here.
more stars and we can see a hint of the milky way.

At the beginning, it was a bit difficult to find your bearings.
then I ended up finding Orion.
then it was a bit simpler.

I found myself a corner without too much light from the hotels. (they light up the beach)
from Orion I found the constellations that I know well.
they are high in the sky compared to where I live.

on the southern horizon, I found constellations and stars that I can't see from home (a bit lost in this sky)
I had to take out my cell to start my application to find out what I was looking at.
I did not see the green comet,
I easily saw Jupiter, Venus and Mars .

I also saw,
The Large Magellanic Cloud, Eta Carina.
the little cloud was invisible.

All in all, I'm very happy with what I was able to see.
all with only my eyes.
I must say that the wind is very strong at night in Cancun.
I can hardly see installing a telescope.
but binos would be very good.
so next year I'm taking them with me.

next year i will also go to mazatlan to see the solar eclipse
Here is my report, I hope you liked it.
Thanks for reading me .

~

I have been to dark enough skies to become disoriented as to just what I was looking at, constellation-wise. It is quite an experience.

Wait, you traveled that far from home without binoculars?!



.

uhhh no no, uhuuu maybe,
I promise I won't do it again, lol

[John Baars]

Congratulations on the VROD!