local sky. During the cometary apparitions in 1997, I was out at the marina -- where it is really darkest, but that's not saying much -- photographing with a film camera, got some nice shots but the light pollution on the horizon practically made it look like full day. Some nice star shots, too, with that same bright horizon glow. My eye picked up much less of the skyglow; it LOOKED dark to me! M42 is still quite red on film, but the digital color is much closer to what the eye sees (greenish-grayish.)

Couple of questions: can you see so many stars with your eyes alone? Does your local sky appear darker to your eye than it is in the image? And where in Europe do you go for truly dark skies? (You may have said before, but I'd appreciate a reminder!)

Cheers, BR