Mees Observatory Visit - For Monday, August 12th

       Since I was down at the Outer Banks a few years ago, I had never really had the chance to stargaze in it's full glory, with a clear sky, good visibility, and that faint glow of the Milky Way.  Luckily, our Mees observatory visit remedied that.  Before we got to the observatory, we stopped by Mendon Ponds park and had a chance to eat dinner (some Sticky Lips BBQ, graciously provided by RIT), and just chill a bit.  At about 7-8 we headed off to the observatory down near Canandaigua Lake, and were given a nice, informative presentation about the history and components of astronomy and similar space-related fields.  Once it got dark, we headed up to the observatory and had the chance to see, close up, some cool astronomical oddities (my favorite was the globular cluster) through the telescope.  But just stargazing with the naked eye was equally impressive that night, as it was clear (clear enough to see the Milky Way dimly), and there was a meteor shower going on.  I find myself very lucky to have had the chance to see a few shooting stars and, if you want to see them, there should be more entering our atmosphere tonight.  All things included, it was a very enjoyable evening.