Hu Wawa | The uncertain beauty of stargazing at West Lake

Stargazing on the West Lake by boat is another highlight, and also the activity with the greatest uncertainty. I started checking the Dali weather forecast a week before departure, but the tour leader Ah Tu calmly told us it was too early, we’ll see what happens when the time comes…

Afterwards, I chatted with bird-watching teacher Wang Bin, who also mentioned that most natural observations are greatly affected by seasonal weather. If the wind is a little stronger, birds may not want to take off and hide in the reeds. On the contrary, if the wind is a little stronger, the clouds in the sky move faster and the stars may be "blown" out.

At 4pm, we were still strolling by the Erhai Lake when Brother Du came to report that "West Lake is fine and we can go there", so we immediately rushed to the meeting place. The weather changed along the way, and we arrived at West Lake on time an hour later, and a heavy rain also came. Brother Du looked at the sky and said meaningfully, "The heavy rain is coming down hard and going fast, and it will stop soon." Sure enough, the rain stopped in less than ten minutes.

Du Ge is a boatman on the West Lake. He was at the helm for two consecutive days of bird watching and stargazing. He was the first to spot satellites moving in the sky, and he could tell us how many bird nests there were in the jungle on the shore and how many weeks the eggs would hatch. His boat fare was the most expensive among the boatmen, but there was a reason for it.

We boarded the boat at about six or seven o'clock. It was still slightly light in the sky. The clouds in the sky merged with the Cangshan Mountain in the distance, forming a blue-green color. The lake was very open, and egrets and other unknown waterfowl lived in several reed marshes. The boat was not spacious, and could just fit two folding chairs side by side. The temperature difference between morning and evening in Dali was large. At night, the lake was still very cold when the wind blew. We had a charcoal stove, which could be used to heat food and keep warm. In this way, the boat set off slowly, and for more than two hours, it floated on the lake, waiting for the night to fall.

Ah Tu played some nice songs, and the surroundings were extremely quiet. If it weren't for the little ghost, the atmosphere would have been excellent. The little boy expressed his ambition several times to jump into the lake for a swim... Du Ge chose a good shelter, lit the stove, and gradually got used to the night. At this time, the first brightest star: Sirius A had quietly climbed up the sky, followed by the second, third, and fourth... Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, the heart of Leo, and the horns of Taurus... The wind blew away the floating clouds in the sky, revealing the dark night sky and the twinkling stars in the night sky. Sometimes I didn't even dare to blink, for fear that those treasures that were finally seen would suddenly disappear again. Ah Tu, who was sitting opposite, calmly turned on the laser pen and drew arcs in the dark night.

"This one is 7 or 8 light years away from us, and that one is 1,500 light years away... They appear to be very close and parallel, but in three-dimensional space..."

"Tu, do you believe in other life forms?"
"Yes, I believe it, but it may not be carbon-based."
"What about the astrolabe?"
"Forehead…"

In the dark night, I didn't take any photos, fearing that the light from the phone would affect the darkness. Picture 3 was a quick shot of the night sky at the request of Xiaogui, and pictures 5 and 6 were taken by Tu on the road with his camera at the end of the activity. On the way back, there was a small episode that touched me: in addition to us and a companion who went stargazing together, there was also Tu's mother. Auntie accompanied us all the way to stargaze with us. I don't know if she has come here many times or only had the opportunity to follow because she came here to visit her daughter. In the dark, I heard Tu say, "Mom, you are relieved this time." "Don't worry, I have nothing to worry about." ❤️