Stopped using my phone for star maps after a night in my driveway last October

I used to just pull up an app on my phone to find constellations, but the screen always killed my night vision and I'd end up frustrated. Then I bought a simple rotating planisphere for 12 bucks at a local hobby shop in Portland. Now I just hold it up under a red flashlight and it feels way more natural, like I'm actually reading the sky instead of staring at a screen. The first night I tried it, I found Cassiopeia in under a minute without any backlight glare. My kids even got into it because it feels like a puzzle instead of a gadget. Has anyone else ditched digital tools for something low tech and noticed a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithg2612d ago

Oh man, that's such a good move... I've noticed lately that anything that makes you slow down and use your hands ends up being way more satisfying. Like I switched to a physical map for hiking last summer instead of looking at my phone every five minutes, and I actually remembered the trails better. It's weird how relying on a screen kind of makes your brain check out a little bit, you know?

paulperry12d ago

Oh shoot, you actually found Cassiopeia with the planisphere not the phone!