Star Party | Flight Into Dark
On a night flight to Hawaii, there is nothing below but black water. Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier are far behind. Only the constellations are familiar, their patterns a comfort as we fly into the darkness. After more than twenty years teaching physics and astronomy at UVic, it took a second career as a WestJet pilot to change how I relate to the sky. In this talk, told mostly in pictures, I'll share what the night looks like from 38,000 feet: the Milky Way shining above the haze, Venus blazing through a cloud deck before dawn, and the strange dance of satellites near the horizon. Along the way, I'll explore why the constellations have become my landmarks, what happened when I tried my hand at celestial navigation from a modern cockpit, and why the flight deck of an airliner is one of the best seats there is for watching the stars.
Geoff Steeves is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria, where he has taught since 2003. He is also a First Officer at WestJet, flying Boeing 737s out of Vancouver, a second career that gives him a regular view of the night sky. Geoff holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Alberta and is a Global Faculty Member at the International Space University.