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Winter Stargazing

There's something truly awe-inspiring about looking up at the night sky during the crisp, cold nights of mid-winter. Stargazing is as old as humankind itself -- the practice connects us to a time long ago when our ancestors looked up at the same sky and saw both divinity and functionality. They planned their future journeys, harvests, and lives by what they read in the sky. 

This time of year, the night sky tends to be the clearest and there’s less light pollution. Though the evenings might be cold, in winter constellations like the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, are easier to see and identify.

So on the clearest nights, I’ll bundle up, fill a mug with steaming hot tea and set off in search of darkness and a deep connection to our past.

W. Brooks Paternotte took the helm of Irvine Nature Center as executive director in July 2013 and immediately began building on the strong 35-year foundation. Brooks is a Baltimore native who was a teacher, coach, advisor, dean and Head of the Middle School during his 13 years at Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore. He is also an instructor and ambassador of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and is a Leave No Trace Master, as well as an avid outdoorsman and a features writer for FlyLife Magazine.