We just got back from Pennsylvania. I could've at least brought my small telescope down but opted not to because I didn't want to be crammed to the gills with baggage and Christmas presents. (As J later pointed out, I would've had all of the room that her suitcases were taking off since we dropped her off at Dulles before returning.)
The sky in Hanover was incredible. There was immediately less light pollution, the temperature felt positively balmy, and there were two perfectly clear nights without even any moonlight obscuring the stars. I showed Jupiter and Saturn to two of my little nephews and wished that I'd brought a telescope down with me.
Even on the drive back to Rochester I was aware of how clear the skies were as it began to get dark. It was dark and clear at the border, dark and clear in Corning, and dark and clear in Geneseo. And it was dark and cloudy in Rochester. And cold.
Last night I had a late afternoon rehearsal, and it was, as ever, cloudy. I actually fell asleep in the backseat of my carpool. I awoke just as we were pulling into the Victor park and ride. Just above some fir trees, gloriously, was Venus right next to a waxing crescent moon. All else was obscured by clouds, but just for one patch of sky there was a glorious sight. I drove home planning on getting out as soon as possible. By the time I got back it had all clouded over again.
Part of this is on me. If I really wanted to see some stars I could go out with a mug of tea and wait for cloud breaks. I'm out running at about 6 AM most mornings, and I can usually find a patch of sky somewhere with at least a little visibility.
But it's hard to want to go stand outside in the cold and to just get colder and colder. I'll do it, eventually.
But it would help if Rochester wasn't so cloudy. (And cold.)
