stars and moonlight

Once when I was in maybe 7^th grade, the school took us on a night time field trip.  It was necessary to go at night so we could see the stars.  We were learning about astronomy in science class.  The Principal was a amateur star gazer with a personal telescope.  It was neat to see the star that had hovered over my head every night of my life. I had never really looked at them.   Each star has a unique place in the night sky.  Some shine brighter but each is special.  There used to be advertising on TV infomercials that you could call and sign up to name a star.  You would name a star and get a certificate claiming the right o name it all for a small fee. Back then, the most common price for anything you saw on TV was $19.95.  It was an evening filed trip that required all the students, teachers and parents meeting at the local Jr. High school. Then we all boarded a bus and travel about 5 miles out of town.  There was an oil well and storage tank facility on the outskirts of town.  Like most oil producers in the area, these storage tanks located just off the main highway.  Large trucks can easily access them and pump oil and water that is used in producing wells.  These large flat areas made a perfect spot for parking a bus full of kids and setting up a telescope in the open cleared area.  We would be shielded from the lights of the local town by the small hills that surrounded that side of town.  The stars and moon light were bright enough to light the area, even at night.  It only took a minute for our eyes to adjust to the dark.  The human eye is a great thing; it allows you to see more clearly even in low light.  We talked about the role of the universe and how stars are formed. We also had a general over view of what we had learned in class.  We each took turns view different constellations and clusters in the night sky.  We observed the Milky Way and the North Star.   It was a fun and different kind of field trip.  I’m sure I can’t remember everything I learned but I do remember the fact that learning was fun. Every time I look up at the stars I remember that field trip.  You don’t see many stars in the Dallas area, it would be nice to travel to a secluded area to watch the stars and enjoy the moonlight.