Sailing under the dome

[H165]

I've been fortunate enough to sail in a small sloop running no lights on a moonless night in water remote enough to completely eliminate artificial night light and visible air pollution to all points of the true blue-water horizon. This resulted in seeing a solid dome of bright crystal clear stars right down to the horizon; 360º.

It is one of the highlights of my life Anyone else done this?

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by H165

I've been fortunate enough to sail in a small sloop running no lights on a moonless night in water remote enough to completely eliminate artificial night light and visible air pollution to all points of the true blue-water horizon. This resulted in seeing a solid dome of bright crystal clear stars right down to the horizon; 360º.

It is one of the highlights of my life Anyone else done this?

Not always the sailing, but yes for the ski in amazing locations.

No place so far from land in our Laser, a neat daring sailboard session, and yes for remote canoe trips. With someone else sailing yes way out in Lake Michigan but I did not enjoy a big sailboat like small ones.

Not sailing but super cool for night sky is our passion for Lake Superior north shore and Keweenaw peninsula. We go back country skiing and trail riding there. Skies can be amazing including the increased chance of norther lights.

[edcmat-l1]

I have been in the middle of the GOM, in the middle of the summer, no waves, slick calm, no ambient light, noise, anything. Turn off all power, all lights and it is a darkness and silence you can't imagine. It's almost an absence of sound. No ripples licking at the hull, nothing. One of the most peaceful, and incredible experiences in my life. It will lay down so flat down there you can see the stars in the water like it's a mirror.

[Mr. Jelly]

I have been on top of mountains in Colorado, away from lights, after a rain.

[Talk2Me]

I've had a similar "dome" experience in the deserts of the Southwest USA.

[llew]

Some years ago on a dock out in the Sea of Abaco just off Lubbers Quarter Cay across from Tiloo Cut which takes you thru the reef out to deep blue Atlantic. First time I saw a satellite. The star canopy was astounding. My wife and I and a blanket...woke up before sunrise which is also a sight to behold in that same location.

[MrDB]

From a cruise ship in the Caribbean sea. Not silence as it's a cruise ship but the night sky was breathtaking.

[Aspiring]

I've been out several times at night on the sailboat including the opposite of the above surfing some nice rollers under Spinnaker on the Newport Ensenada race with cloudy skies the only thing we could see was the spray coming up off the bow reflecting back from the front nav light.

I had a couple nights offshore in the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

But the best was hiking in the North Cascades NorthEast of Mt Baker camping at about 8000 ft with an absolutely clear sky.

[jp2558]

Dark Sky country in SW Colorado, for the Perseids meteor shower on a moonless August night in 2015. It was a bucket list event after the fact. The Milky Way went from one end of the horizon to the other, the full 180 degrees.

Samara, on the pacific coast of Costa Rica, also on a moonless February night in 2018.

No sailing, but incredible nonetheless.

[tinnitus]

20 years working for Navy, half of that on US warships that run dark at night.

Yes, the dome is incredible.

A 5-year civilian DoD gig after that also put me out to sea and ashore in some very southern latitudes. 50-75% drunk a few times in liberty ports, it felt a bit unsettling to look up at unfamiliar constellations (sort of like one of those fever dreams where things never quite add up).

Decades later, it's still interesting to me because I can only name 5-6 constellations here at home, but they pretty much all looked "wrong" from the south end of Australia.

[H165]

It was a bucket list event after the fact.

Well said It certainly applies to my trip.

[Nama Ensou]

My best memories of the view of your dome have been laying on my back in the Alaskan snow; sometimes nothing but stars, but most times what made me lay down was the aurora overhead with the stars in between.

Ironically my favorite auroras aren't the ones that look so amazing in photographs, but the pulsating, gentle cloud-like formations that come and go. Laying on the ground during the endless Alaskan night and watching the undulating sky which almost always follows on the heels of strong auroras is one of my great pleasures and makes it worth going out at -30 below.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

My best memories of the view of your dome have been laying on my back in the Alaskan snow; sometimes nothing but stars, but most times what made me lay down was the aurora overhead with the stars in between.

Ironically my favorite auroras aren't the ones that look so amazing in photographs, but the pulsating, gentle cloud-like formations that come and go. Laying on the ground during the endless Alaskan night and watching the undulating sky which almost always follows on the heels of strong auroras is one of my great pleasures and makes it worth going out at -30 below.

Though I’ve never experienced such as has been described in this thread, the expanse of it must be absolutely incredible and wondrous. The closest I’ve come was a particular experience about 30 years ago while camping with my wife and sons in Quebec where the dancing aurora borealis filled the night sky, appearing so close as to be able to reach up and touch it. Burned in my memory.