Why can't you see stars in the middle of the ocean?
Back during the first week in June, I was on a cruise leaving from New York and heading to the Bahamas. Several nights I went out on the deck of the boat and expected to look up into the sky and see countless stars and possibly the Milky Way, but I was met with a mostly black sky with an average amount of stars. I was extremely far off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean, so I know light pollution was not an issue. The nights were also clear so that would not explain it. I was wondering if some astrology or other science nuts could give some explanations as to why I wasn't met with a sky full of stars. Thanks!
Do you ever look at the sky at night with all the stars and find yourself at complete peace?
No.. of course it's not just you, it's not weird it's cool because not all people are able to do that because their life go fast forward I think it's great to stop for some time and think about our lives ;) Sometimes I have the same feelings too... when I'm walking on the beach.. I look up and I see the stars, moon.. and suddenly I just think that we are amazing creatures here just by the coincidence and we are so small in all the universe around us... It's good to have someone by you when you are in that feelings ;) Be proud to that skill! Have a nice day! :))
Can I see a brilliant night sky aboard a cruise ship?
Unfortunately, probably not. There are two problems. The first is that the upper decks of most cruise ships are usually brilliantly lit, so that it's very difficult to see the stars, let alone the Milky Way. If you're very lucky, or are on a cruise specifically devoted to astronomy, you might get them to turn the lights off temporarily. The other problem is specific to Alaska cruises: the midnight Sun. Even if you are south of the Arctic Circle, the sky never gets completely dark, so astronomical observations are severely limited to the brightest objects, if any. My wife and I went on an Alaska cruise a few years ago with my friend Phil Harrington (author of Star Ware and Star Watch) and his family. Neither Phil nor I bothered bringing even binoculars with us because we knew we'd never see a truly dark sky. That proved to be exactly true. Enjoy the scenery and the shore excursions, but don't expect to do much astronomy. That said, there are cruises (but not to Alaska) which feature astronomy lectures and viewing, mostly to the Pacific and the Panama Canal; friends of mine run programs like that for Holland American.