Well, let me tell ya ’bout this Broemmelsiek Park, the one with all them stars and such. Folks call it an astronomy site, fancy name for lookin’ at the sky, I reckon.
It’s out yonder, south of Wentzville, about six miles they say. Not too far, but far enough to get away from all them city lights. You know, the ones that make it hard to see the stars. Out there, it’s dark, real dark, and that’s what you need for seein’ them twinkly things.
They got this here map, shows you how to get to the park. Handy, I guess, if you ain’t from around here. Me, I just follow the road, ain’t never needed no map, but some folks do, I s’pose.
Now, what they got there is these concrete pads, ten of ’em, for settin’ up your lookin’ glasses. Telescopes, they call ’em. Big ones, small ones, all sorts. And they got juice, electricity, for them fancy ones that need it. Keeps ’em runnin’, I guess.
I seen some pictures folks took from there. My stars! They got these wide-angle ones, shows you the whole sky, like you’re standin’ right there under it. Then they got these other ones, the infrared ones, they call ’em. Them’s the ones that show you what’s really up there, all the stuff you can’t see with your own eyes. Clouds and such, but not the rain kind, the star kind.
- They got folks out there helpin’ beginners, too.
- Showin’ ’em how to use them telescopes and point ’em at the moon.
- The moon, that’s somethin’ even I can see without no fancy glasses.
One fella, he took a picture of a comet from there. A comet! I ain’t never seen one of them in my life, but he got a picture of it. Wirtanen, he called it. Sounds like a fancy name for a dirty snowball flyin’ through the sky, if you ask me.
They say it’s open all the time, this park. Day and night. But you ain’t gonna see no stars in the daytime, that’s for sure. You gotta go at night, when it’s dark. And the darker it is, the better you can see. That’s why they built it out there, away from all the lights.
It’s a peaceful place, quiet. Just you and the stars. And maybe a few other folks lookin’ at the stars, too. But it ain’t crowded, not like them city parks. Plenty of room for everyone to set up their telescopes and have a look.
I ain’t no astronomer, mind you. I just like lookin’ at the stars. Reminds me of how small we are, and how big the world is. And how much we don’t know. There’s a whole lot of stuff up there, and we’re just down here, lookin’ up.
So, if you ever get a chance, go on out to Broemmelsiek Park. Take a look at the stars. It’s somethin’ else. You might even see a comet, or a planet, or somethin’ you ain’t never seen before. And if you don’t know what you’re lookin’ at, there’s folks there to help you. They’re friendly, most of ’em. Just don’t ask ’em nothin’ too complicated, ’cause I don’t think they know all the answers either. Nobody does, I reckon. That’s part of the fun of it.
It’s a good place, that Broemmelsiek Park. Clean, too. They keep it nice. And it’s free, far as I know. Can’t beat that. A free show, every night, if the weather’s good. Just look up, and there it is. The whole universe, right there in front of you.
Tags: [Broemmelsiek Park, Astronomy, Stargazing, Wentzville, Telescopes, Night Sky, Comet, Viewing Area, Missouri, Parks]
