92°F
weather icon Clear
Boulder City NV
Opinion

Nature’s wonders abound

By Hali Bernstein Saylor Hali’s Comment
July 22, 2020 - 4:15 pm
 

Call me crazy, but Friday night I convinced my husband and parents to go out to a remote area of the desert in the blackness of night to see a comet.

And am I glad that they didn’t think I had lost all my marbles.

The newly discovered Comet NEOWISE was visible to the naked eye in the northwestern sky. Just like you would expect to see, this comet had a bright point and large tail thanks to a recent pass by the sun that expanded its size.

NASA’s infrared space telescope discovered the comet in March and says its nucleus is covered with sooty material dating to the origin of our solar system some 4.6 billion years ago.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience as this comet won’t be passing close enough to see again for about 6,800 years.

For those of you who missed it, the comet can be seen until the end of the month, but now only through a telescope.

The last time I chased a comet in the middle of the night was 1986 when Halley’s Comet passed by. I took an astro-photography class so that I could take photos of the comet through a telescope.

I have seen such beautiful photos of Comet Neowise. In fact, it was a friend’s photo of the comet shining through the Seven Magic Mountains that prompted our nighttime excursion. It was also one of the sites recommended by the Las Vegas Review-Journal as a nearby dark spot that would make it easier to see the comet.

Little did I know that we weren’t the only crazy ones heading out at 8:30 at night to go comet watching. For a place that was supposed to be isolated, it was packed. Cars constantly pulled in and out of the parking lot and there was a steady stream of traffic on the road leading to the art installation in the middle of nowhere.

This time, however, I didn’t have access to a good camera or telescope but binoculars provided a splendid view and I will have to commit my views to memory. But that’s OK.

While seeing the comet was exhilarating, it was equally exciting exploring the night sky. With the help of a star tracking app, I was able to point out several constellations and planets.

It more than made up for the excursion I planned a couple of years ago to Great Basin National Park near Ely to ride Northern Nevada Railway’s Star Train with Dark Rangers to a night of stargazing. We arrived, rode the train and stopped at the appointed site but clouds played havoc with our view of the heavens above.

It is a beautiful sight, comet or not. Every once in awhile you need to be reminded of the wonders of nature around us. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait until 6,800 years to do so.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
 
More simple, carefree days needed
By Hali Bernstein Saylor Hali’s Comment

Life here on Earth hasn’t gotten much better in the past few months as COVID-19 continues to ravage communities and limit some of our activities.

Each of us can do our part to fight COVID
By Kiernan McManus A Word from the Mayor

Are we able to make a difference in the threat that the COVID-19 virus presents? I believe we can make a big difference in lessening that threat. In fact, we are making a difference.

Let’s not make another mistake with SNWA
Let’s not make another mistake with SNWA
By Greg T. Todd Special to the Boulder City Review

Every resident and business in Boulder City pays a wastewater charge. Boulder City wastewater is treated to Southern Nevada Health District standards for discharge into the desert and returned back to the aquifer.

Councilwoman Claudia Bridges
Facts over fear
By Claudia Bridges Boulder City Review

After reading last week’s lead article about the Boulder City Wastewater Pipeline proposal, I knew that it was incumbent upon me to defend both my support for the proposal as the city’s representative on the Southern Nevada Water Authority board and my honor. This proposal is an opportunity to divert over one million gallons a day (peak flow) of our wastewater (effluent) back to Lake Mead at no expense to Boulder City and was recommended by the Integrated Resource Planning Advisory Committee on which we, as a city, also have representation.

G. Kevin Savord
Nation does not need groups the espouse division
By G. Kevin Savord Boulder City Review

“Black Lives Matter.” The statement itself is true; of course they matter. Brown lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter. We all matter. It is important to understand that the group that calls itself “Black Lives Matter” has very little to do with black lives. It has virtually nothing to do with a skin color or race.

Summer heat makes us want to (s)cream
By Hali Bernstein Saylor Hali’s Comment

To say that summer arrived with a vengeance would be an understatement. On Sunday, the mercury topped out at 115 F at the official weather station at the municipal airport, and it reached 120 F when I was driving in my car that afternoon.

Rose Ann Miele
Sharing knowledge part of identity
By Rose Ann Miele Boulder City Review

Did you ever wonder who you are and what your life is about?

Congress appears to be absent
By Harold Begley Special to the Boulder City Review

This is what I have observed from a number of open sources regarding congressional sessions.

Recalls not effective way to govern
By Preston Wright Boulder City Review

Elections have become increasingly ugly affairs. Even in, “Be Kind, Boulder City,” we can be wonderful to our neighbors and very tough on our politicians. A certain level of this is needed to keep politicians in check, but perhaps we are taking it too far. There is so much negativity that no matter who wins we often feel less than thrilled.