Emiliano Benny

MLO Trip Summary

The MLO trip was a really great experience for me. We first took a look
at the band of the milky way in the sky prior to viewing the telescope. I
learned a lot from just observing the sky, I was able to learn where the North
Star, Polaris, was, where the stars of the summer triangle were located, and
where some the Orion nebula was. This helped with my understanding of
astronomy because by learning where these things were, I was able to
determine which direction I was facing and where the celestial poles were as
well. Following observing the sky with our own eyes, we took a look at things
through the telescope within the dome. It was such a cool experience looking
into the telescope and vividly seeing the Orion nebula and being able to
observe a red and a blue giant so close. Along with this, I was able to move
the telescope around and adjust the coordinates to see specific
constellations and stars. Unfortunately, the sky was very cloudy and we were
unable to observe much, but it was still a great time and a great experience
for me. All in all, I think the trip helped contribute to my understanding of
astronomy by allowing me to vividly observe stars and learn more about the
significance between observing stars through your own eyes and through a
telescope.