A quote from Michael Collins, Astronaut,in his book 'Carrying the Fire'(pg.221)on peering out of Gemini 10 before his attempted EVA: "My God, the stars are everywhere: above me, on all sides, even below me somewhat, down there next to the obscure horizon."

"The stars are bright and they are steady. Of course, I know that a star's twinkle is created by the atmosphere, and I have seen twinkle-less stars before in a planetarium, but this is different; this is no simulation, this is the best view of the universe that a human has ever had."

"My only complaint is that the protective coatings on my visor do not allow an even more spectacular look at the stars. I crank my head around to the left, toward the left, toward the north, and seek out the familiar "seven sisters," the Pleiades."

"Venus appears so bright that I have to convince myself that it really is Venus, not by its appearance, but by its position in the sky, a the spot where Venus should be."

Now what were you all saying about the dim stars?