Last Saturday was my annual trek to Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National
Park with my astronomy class. Thursday and Friday were very iffy in Redding with
lots of cloud cover. At times I could only see the base of Lassen. Like the
Weather Service forecast, it started to clear in the morning. The inversion
layer with scattered clouds was several thousand feet above Lassen's peak, but I
set out with 8 students and a friend at 1:00 PM and arrived at Bumpass Hell
around 2:30. We all enjoyed a beautiful hike to the mudpots and back, ate cold
dinners and started the Ibarra hot chocolate (made with whole milk and a pinch
of chili powder) near sunset.

About 30 minutes before sunset the western half of the sky was solid clouds and
about 20% of the rest of the sky. Almost miraculously, the whole sky was clear
by sunset! The school has a Meade 8" LX-200 (very old school with 18V power) and
an 8" LX-90. I set them up ready for alignment.

In the gloaming we were able to track Jupiter. Venus was barely visible, and
Mercury was below the horizon. (Brokeoff Mountain raises the western horizon by
about 5 degrees.) By then it was getting cold and the hot chocolate was ready.
By this time about 15 additional students an friends had arrived for the show.

As it got darker I worked the students through some double stars, Albireo &
Alpha Herc. It turned into a gloriously dark Bumpass night. For the first time I
had a dew problem at Bumpass. Probably because the inversion layer was above us,
there was more humidity than usual. Actually it was a nice meteorological lesson
because earlier in the day you could see the clouds settle against the ceiling.
This caused more of a light dome from Chico than usual, but the sky was
absolutely black to the horizon from NNE to SE.

By about 8:20 it was dark enough to turn the scopes on globulars. M13 was
spectacular against a very dark sky. M4 was in the Chico glow, though. At 8:24
we stopped and were treated to a mag -8 Iridium flare and two minutes later an
ISS pass from SW to NE. We followed the ISS across the whole sky!

Later we saw some of the nebula, Eagle, Swan, Trifid, and open clusters, Wild
Duck, etc., and finished with galaxies M31, 32, 33 & 51. M33 was easy to pick
out against the dark NE sky. About 9:45 most of the students were freezing and
some running laps around the parking lot. I said, "Would anyone want to lay out
blankets and just watch the Milky Way for another hour?" Out of the darkness a
voice said incredulously, "On the cold asphalt?"

We packed up and were rolling by 10:15, and arrived back on campus by midnight.
It was a great night observing!

Michael Huster, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Science
Simpson University
2211 College View Dr.
Redding, CA 96003

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Wagner <mark.wagner@...>
Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 9:52 AM
Subject: [tac-sac] Backup TAC list is opened.
To: tac-sac@yahoogroups.com



Archives are publicly visible.  Register to receive e-mails, or read
the archives.

http://nine.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/tac

This list is temporary, and will be kept as a backup.  An explanation
of what's going on with the
regular TAC list is in the archives.

Let your other astro-friends that are not on TAC-SAC know about the backup list.

Mark

------------------------------------

--
CalStar 2008 Sept 25-27: http://www.sjaa.net/calstar
Observing Intents: http://observers.org/OI-calendar/
Observing Reports: http://observers.org/reports/

Yahoo! Groups Links

---------------------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------------------
Subject: [TAC] CalStar Registration is now open
From:    "Rob Hawley (SJAA)" <sjaa@...>
Date:    Mon, August 25, 2008 5:59 pm
To:      "'TAC'" <sf-bay-tac@...>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------



CalStar 2008  Sept 25- 27

SJAA is pleased to announce that registration for this year's CalStar is open.
CalStar is the traditional fall dark sky party.  It is located at Lake San
Antonio County park in San Luis Obispo County (near Paso Robles).  By driving
the approximately 3 hours to the site you will be rewarded with some of the
darkest skies around.

The CalStar website will give you up to date info on the event (e.g. the food
situation), suggestions for first time attendees, directions, and even allow you
to tour the site so you can select were you want to set up.

http://www.sjaa.net/calstar


CalStar offers two options that allow you to tailor your experience.  The
serious observers prefer the dark enforced area where stricter light rules
preserve everyone's eyes so you can see that elusive glob.  A less formal Casual
area is also available with somewhat less rigorous rules.  The web site provides
a tour of the various areas, suggestions for 1st timers, things to do during the
day, etc.

One big change in 2008 will be food. We decided not to contract with the caterer
this year.  The meals were simply too expensive and less than 1/4 of the
attendees participated.  We are currently considering alternatives. I hope we
can find something that preserves an important social event.

An important reminder is that we close the roads in the dark and casual areas to
all traffic at 8 PM.  We ask you to respect the road closures and use the Late
Arrival Entrance we provide (or arrive on time).

Showers (and flush toilets) are available at the nearby campground.


I hope you decide to join us.



Rob Hawley



---

Aug 25, 2008: TAC Web Page Updated http://observers.org/TAC.cgi/Announcements/
CalStar - Sept 25-27, BYO Party! http://www.sjaa.net/calStar/
TAC mailing list - join or leave here:
http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/sf-bay-tac

Thanks to Teri Smoot for submitting today's image of the day.  Very nice shot of
the Witch's Broom
section of the Veil Nebula.

Got images?  Astro, candid, equipment? Send 'em to me and I'll include them. :-)

Mark

Current as of last night's observations.  Some good stuff in there!

http://observers.org/reports/

Mark

Hi, Orrin,
They are basically the same OTA. There are two versions: StarBlast 4.5" OTA with
450 mm
focal length that goes on a mini-Dob mount, an EQ mount for visual observing.
Then
Orion redid that OTA to make it into an imaging scope. They changed mirrors or
something around (don't know what) to make the original StarBlast 4.5" OTA from
visual
use to imaging use. They also now have a StarBlast 6" in same modes; one for
visual and
one for imaging. I assume you can use either version for visual or imaging; just
that the
one sold for imaging is better for that; you could still use it visually. I
don't think the
reverse is true; the original StarBlast OTA could be used for imaging, but it
wouldn't do as
good a job as the one specifically for imaging. On the eyepieces, I don't know;
I guess you
just have to experiment.

Hope this helps,
Dorothy



--- In tac-shasta@yahoogroups.com, "Orrin Winton" <orrin.winton@...> wrote:
>
> Elisabeth Oppenheimer, if you are reading this, i have a question for you.
> at your web posting, http://observers.org/reports/2008.07.20.1.shtml, you
> wrote:
>
> >The Veil Nebula just barely scraped the sides of the field with the 32mm
> > eyepiece in the Starblast.
>
>
> I'm not super well-informed... the Starblast is the 450mm focal length Orion
> scope?  I have the Orion 4.5" OTA they bill as an imaging scope, is it very
> different from the Starblast?
>
> My point is:  I didn't think i'd be able to use a 25mm or 32mm eyepiece with
> it; that i might see the secondary mirror obstruction if i tried to use one.
> If you (or anyone else) has any comments on this I'd appreciate it. Thanks
>
> Orrin in Susanville
>

I had not initially planned on going to Mount Lassen this year.

With GSSP starting its first year in Adin, it looked as if a string of at least
fifteen
consecutive years of personal astronomy at the park was coming to an end.  I had
no problem
leaving it behind, given the promise of the new star party.  My observing buddy
Richard was unable
to attend, and, last minute, asked my thoughts on going to Lassen in late July
when he could go.
My daughter had been the most disappointed about not going to Lassen, and work
prevented her from
attending GSSP as well.  She has grown from a young child into young adulthood,
spending time
every summer at the park. When Richard made the suggestion I jumped on it,
calling my daughter who
immediately said yes. So, we reserved campsites and announced on our local
astronomy mailing list
our intention to return again to Lassen at the end of July.

In the ensuing days and weeks fires broke out all over the state, threatening
both GSSP and the
planned trip to Lassen.  I had mentioned our plans to a number of people who
kept checking
conditions both for GSSP as well as Lassen, and fortunately, both somehow worked
out, even though
the fires kept things (literally) up in the air until the last minute....

Not everyone who planned to attend made it.  But we ended up with Richard
Navarrete, Steve
Gottlieb, Greg LaFlamme, Bob Jardine, Scott Baker and Greg Claytor, along with
me, my daughter
Mimi and her boyfriend Brian.  Good group.  Actually, two individual groups
unknowingly making
simultaneous identical plans.

Driving up from the bay area the skies were hazing up near Vacaville, and the
closer we got to
Redding, the worse things looked.  The smoke thickened continually until we were
climbing highway
44 toward the park, when blue began replacing the ochers and grays.  Soon blue
was everywhere.
Lassen was in the clear.

In the park there was road work between Dersch Meadows and Bumpass Hell, which
included our
campsite at Summit Lake South, so we had delays and were required to wait for a
pilot car to
caravan us through.  Delays were the rule in the park this trip, with a few
exceptions.

My days were spent relaxing in camp, sipping Coronas, reading, cleaning gear,
visiting with
friends and laughing.  It was great to again be there with other observers, and
of course my
daughter (and her boyfriend too).  The sting remains unbroken.  The Nelms Star
Party continues.

After dinner the first night (chili cheese dogs - woof!), Richard, Mimi, Brian
and I headed to the
Bumpass Hell parking lot.  Richard and I had ridden up from the bay area
together, with two 18"
Obsessions, a 10" f/5 Dob and a TV 101 (as well as all our camping gear) packed
into my Suburban.
When we arrived at the lot, smoke was to our west, and soon blew in overhead
blotting out the sky.
  We set up anyway, and just after dark the smoke dropped and we had very clear,
very dark steady
and transparent skies.

About the sky.... I usually brew up some Mexican Coffee to drink while
observing.  This consists
of 3 parts strong coffee, 1 part Cuervo Gold tequila, two Equal sweeteners, and
melt some whipped
cream into it.  After the first jolt, it somewhat takes on the flavor of cocoa. 
But it is a lot
more relaxing.  I've done many star counts and observing sessions after enjoying
part of a thermos
of this brew.  I've gotten as deep as mag 7.2 or 7.3 the best nights at Bumpass
over the years.
This trip though, I decided to forgo the concoction.

I was pleasantly surprised to find my visual acuity improved significantly.  In
Finnish Triangle
6, the eastern portion of Pegasus, my first count was 57 stars.  I was
astonished.  It didn't look
that dark.  So, I recounted.  After reaching 50 and realizing I had a lot of
area remaining, I
stopped.  Mag 7.5.  I just shook my head.  There I was at Lassen, "going dark"
at 7.5.

I would repeat the count the next night, and reached a much higher total.  49
stars is mag 7.5,
that's as dim as the triangle calibrates.  Observers with SQM meters were
getting readings up to
21.80.

M13 was bright, naked eye.  Lots of Messiers were there, unaided.

No more Mexican Coffee, while observing....

The best night of the three was Wednesday - darkest, clearest, extremely steady
seeing, and warm.
Great conditions at over 8200 feet elevation - the best easy to get to location
in California for
outstanding transparency.  And, a magical place - especially twilight, when
looking out to the
south, over the gaping remains of Mt. Tehama's gigantic ancient caldera.  What a
view to have as
our daytime views fade, and and countless stars begin to cover the sky....

A few asides about this year at Lassen.  The park was very quiet.  At Manzanita
Lake, the parking
lots midday Thursday were essentially empty.  There were no lines at the
showers, and we spent an
hour in the shade in front of the store eating great ice cream and talking with
a park volunteer.
Maybe 8 people came by.  At the observing site, we saw maybe a dozen people
after we arrived over
our three days there.  A young couple from Portland returned after dark to look
through our
telescopes.  The woman looked at M51 through Richard's scope, and immediately
noted the spiral
arms.  I then asked her if she understood what she was seeing overhead, in our
own galaxy, as she
looked at the Milky Way streaming overhead.  After a bit of explanation relating
it to M51's
spirals, she blurted out "Mark.... you're blowing my mind!"

Yes, it is a mind-blowing experience...

If the Messier and Herschel catalogs are the mainstream of observing for the
mass of deep sky
observers, the "holy river" per se, the estuary beyond holds the more unknown,
unexplored sights.
This trip, I concentrated on those objects, sailing under and past the Howrah
Bridge, downstream
to dip my toes in, where the river meets the sea.  It wasn't my initial intent,
but somehow,
that's how things turned out.  Mind blowing....

Here are my observing notes.  All observations are with an 18" f/4.5 Dob.  I
spent a lot of time
per object, as many were very challenging.  Negative observations, of which
there were a few, are
not listed.  I also took time to relax, chat with other observers, exchange
stories, peek through
other scopes (in particular Steve's), and enjoy the ride.  Thanks to everyone
who was there and
made it such a fun experience.

Abell 71        Cyg        PN        2.6'        15.2P        20 32 23        47
20 55 7/31/08
103X OIII, PK 85+4.1, Sh2-116.  Very easy star hop from Deneb along the line to
naked eye double
star Omega Cygni.  Large, very faint, even brightness, star at N edge and one
inside give feeling
of brighter side.

N6888        Cyg        BN        18.0'x8.0'                20 12 01        38
23 00 8/1/08 174X
NPB, Sh2-105,  Crescent Nebula. Located almost a third the distance along a line
from Gamma to Eta
Cygni.  The views of this object each year at Lassen replace the past ones as
"the best" and this
year was no exception.  The fine wisps of nebulousity interior to the egg shaped
shell, especially
inside the thick bottom band, was amazing.  Detail could be picked out all the
way across from one
side, through the Wolf-Rayet progenitor star, to the other side of the shell. 
This is a great
object at Lassen, where it is in the same class as the Veil Nebula for visual
beauty.

N6894        Cyg        PN        60.0"        14.4P        20 16 24        30
33 51 8/1/08 174X
NPB, PK 69-2.1.  I use the stars 39 and 41 Cygni to form a right angle for
hopping to this nice
planetary.  It is a ring with a very dark annular center, slightly elongated
WSW/ENE. With the
filter, the ring is almost a neon in bright intensity. 294X shows stars embedded
in the inner edge
of ring, a brighter one on w edge, dimmer on s edge.

NGC 6905        Del        PN        72"x37"        11.9P        20 22 23       
20 06 16 7/31/08
174X NPB, PK 61-9.1.  Use Sagitta as an arrow to point to the mag 5.7 star SAO
88664 in order to
get into the right neighborhood for this planetary.  Bright round, and with a
mottled interior on
main shell, surrounded by N/S elongated dimmer shell, bracketed by two stars
with N being
brighter. Interior appears chaotic.

Abell 59        Sag        PN        86"        17.2P        19 18 40        19
34 26 7/30/08 174X
NPB, PK 53+3.1.  A bit trickier location, I imagine a line from Albireo to Zeta
Aquilae, to locate
two pair of barely naked eye stars (including 1 Vulpeculae) which are a jumping
off point for this
very dim planetary.  Barely visible with NPB, I was only able to glimpse the
western edge and very
occasionally eastern edge.  Relatively large.

Abell 52        Aql        PN        37"        16.5P        19 04 32        17
57 08 7/30/08 294X
NPB, PK 50+5.1. From mag 3.3 Delta Aquilae to mag 3.0 Zeta, extend beyond to a
pair of mid-mag 5
stars in identical orientation. If your skies are dark enough you can see a
wider pair of mag 6
stars just to the east, which bracket the planetary.   With the filter, I could
"possibly" pick
out a very large annular ring, with a very dark center.

Abell 72        Del        PN        2.0'x1.8'        14.6P        20 50 02
13 33 29
7/31/08 174X OIII, PK 59-18.1. Easy location if you can identify the two mag 5
stars 16 and 17
Delphini, just over a degree apart and orientated N/S.  The planetary is about
1.25 degrees due
west of of star 17.  The object is large, dim, round, and has stars involved.
While faint, the
edges seem slightly brighter than center.

NGC 6781        Aql        PN        1.8'        11.8P        19 18 28        06
32 15 8/1/08 294X
NPB, PK 42-2.1. Located about one third the distance from Delta to Zeta Aquilae,
this is a round,
bright, fairly large planetary with hints of annularity.  Easy to locate and
surprising!

Abell 53        Aql        PN        31"        16.9P        19 06 46        06
23 50 7/30/08 174X
NPB, PK 40-0.1.  Another easy location!  Start at Delta Aquilae, hop to mag 5.6
22 Aquilae then
the same distance again to 5.2 19 Aquilae.  Just off that star you'll find this
very dim
planetary.  It appears mostly round, but slightly elongated E/W, with a brighter
NW edge. There is
no annularity, having even brightness except for NW edge.

Abell 67        Cap        PN        67.0"        16.0P        19 58 27       
03 03 00 7/31/08
174X OIII, PK 43-13.1.  A bit trickier to hop to, I go from Delta to Eta
Aquilae, make a slightly
obtuse angle north, just over a third the distance between those two stars. The
planetary is a dim
large faint ring with dark center.  Its southern edge is the most pronounced,
and contains a
bright star in eastern edge.

Abell 56        Aql        PN        3.3'x2.7'        15.5P        19 13 06
02 52 49
7/30/08 174X NPB, PK 37-3.2.  No problem hopping to this one, as it is just over
30 arcminutes
slightly north of due west from mag 5.1 21 Aquilae.  Now, this one is truly very
dim - nothing
more than slight difference in contrast, elongated N/W 3x2.  There are some
stars embedded, and it
has an even surface brightness.

Abell 55        Aql        PN        50"        15.4P        19 10 25        -02
20 25 7/30/08
174X, PK 33-5.1. I start at mag 3.4 Lambda Aquilae then hop to the naked-eye mag
5.4 identical
pair 14 and 15 Aquilae, which I use as a "measure".  I measure about three times
that distance
"above" 15 to find the location.  Fortunately this is a bright Abell planetary. 
It is slightly
elongated SW/NE, has a brighter center, undefined edges, large.

HCG 88        Aqr        GX4        2.0'x0.7'        14.1B        20 52 35
-05 42 38
7/31/08 294X.  Easy star hop!  Start with Delta Aquilae, to Eta, Theta, the
continue in the same
line to mag 4.4 3 Aquarii and then to the cool double 4/5 Aquarii at mags
5.5/5.99.  This double
will be in the same wide field view as the Hickson.  This group of four galaxies
is comprised of
NGCs 6978, 6977, 6976 and 6975.  What stands out is a nice linear trio, the
first three, two at
mag 14.1 and one at 14.8. These three were easy, direct vision targets, equally
spaced and
apparently similar shape.  The 4th member was off to the WSW, and dimmest at mag
15.8, showing
convincingly with averted vision.

Abell 49        Sct        PN        35"        16.7P        18 53 28        -06
28 35 8/1/08 174X
OIII, PK 27-3.1.  You'll have no trouble getting to this one.  Start a M11, The
Wild Duck cluster,
and you're a wide-field view away.  The trouble starts though trying to pull
this one in.  It was
very faint with views only about 50% of the time.  Usually I saw only the NE
quarter of the
planetary, but occasionally entire disk would show.  Steve looked and noted that
in same field is
PK 27-3.2 which is a stellar planetary that blinks with OIII - we did it, what
an interesting pair
- blink, or you'll miss it!

Abell 70        Aql        PN        42.0"        14.3P        20 31 33       
-07 05 18 7/31/08
294X, PK 38-25.1.  Very easy without a filter, this target is round, annular,
and marked by the
mag 16.0 galaxy MAC 2031-0705 shining through edge of planetary creating
appearance of bright hard
edge.

Abell 45        Sct        PN        4.8'                18 30 16        -11 36
56 8/1/08 174X
OIII, PK 20-0.1. Again located between two naked-eye stars, SAO 161632 at mag
5.1 and SAO 161415
at mag 5.7.  This is a rich Milky Way star field, and all I could get was a
suspected arc
elongated E/W section.  The field is to identify due to bright mag 8.8 star just
north of the
target.

HCG 87        Cap        GX4        1.5'x0.3'        15.3B        20 48 14
-19 50 57
7/31/08 294X, MCG -3-53-5. From Beta 2 Capricorni hop to 15-Upsilon Capricorni,
then not quite
half again that distance beyond, to get to the target area.  Once there, I
easily saw the A&B
components, elongated and nearly round.  The challenge was component C, which I
strongly suspected
once with almost sure sighting, then several had marginal suspected. Jiggling
scope helped.  Dim
stars away from obvious double can be mistaken for C, but are too far away.

Abell 66        Sag        PN        4.5'        14.9P        19 57 31       
-21 36 37 7/31/08
103X OIII, PK 19-23.1.  From the handle of the Teapot, mag 3.3 Tau Sagittarii,
hop ENE to the
naked-eye double 51 and 52 Sagittarii, then the same line to where mag 6.0 SAO
188829 would
intersect it at a right angle.  This planetary is at that location, large and
dim, and with
averted vision only.  The surface brightness is even across object, and somewhat
hard at the
edges.  It sits south of pair of E/W stars, but more off easternmost.  Several
dim stars glimmer
in and out occasionally, but one bright one is just inside NNE edge.  Nice
object with patience.

I'm shopping for a mirror cell for a 20" F4 mirror. Anybody know who
sells such a thing?

Elisabeth Oppenheimer, if you are reading this, i have a question for you.
at your web posting, http://observers.org/reports/2008.07.20.1.shtml, you
wrote:

>The Veil Nebula just barely scraped the sides of the field with the 32mm
> eyepiece in the Starblast.


I'm not super well-informed... the Starblast is the 450mm focal length Orion
scope?  I have the Orion 4.5" OTA they bill as an imaging scope, is it very
different from the Starblast?

My point is:  I didn't think i'd be able to use a 25mm or 32mm eyepiece with
it; that i might see the secondary mirror obstruction if i tried to use one.
If you (or anyone else) has any comments on this I'd appreciate it. Thanks

Orrin in Susanville

A few people on these lists have mentioned having a 4.5" Orion Starblast. I
thought it might be
interesting for others to see, in a dark sky, you don't need a big telescope to
have a big time!

Elisabeth Oppenheimer's report from GSSP, with her 4.5"....

http://observers.org/reports/2008.07.20.1.shtml

Just published:

http://www.astronomy-mall.com/AstroCards/NSOGv3.jpg

More info in just a while...

Not an ad, just interesting new stuff...

Mark

Alvin

I did not get chance to ask you at GSSP, are your tube top ball and
socket gizmos custom made, or a stock item from a supplier?

Ken Archuleta


--- In tac-shasta@yahoogroups.com, "Alvin Huey" <alvin@...> wrote:
>
> Hey!  My scope is on fire!  lol
>
> Alvin
>
> ----------------------------------------
>  From: "Mark Wagner" <mark.wagner@...>
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 4:48 PM
> To: sf-bay-tac@..., tac-sac@yahoogroups.com, tac-
shasta@yahoogroups.com, TAC_South@yahoogroups.com,
goldenstatestarparty@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [TAC] GSSP 2008 Poster.
>
> In honor of real astro die-hards....
>
> http://www.resource-intl.com/GSSP/poster.jpg
> --
> TAC mailing list - join or leave here:
http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/sf-bay-tac
>

Now that the fatigue has faded, and life is falling back into it
familiar routine, some other memories of GSSP are percolating up....

Marsha Robinson reminded me of one the other day....

Tuesday morning, the organizing committee drove to the observing site in
order to begin layout of the event.  I drove in first, in my '89
Suburban (known as the Bambinator, some history there).  For those who
attended and know the entry, I turned off the road and proceeded toward
where the fence to our north where the GSSP check-in station would be.
As I approached, I saw four deer, three does and a big buck, standing
near the gate in the fence.  They were watching me head their way.  As I
closed on them they went through the gate and began trotting north.  I
sped up a bit through the gte.  They sped up too.

Right then, I looked at the horizon to the north, saw it was a huge
distance away and I instinctively knew what to do.

I laid on the gas pedal.  In rapid order the truck began flying over the
terrain, closing on the deer.  I got beside them, they were maybe 40
feet to my east and running at full tilt.  What a sight!  We ran like
that, side by side, for several hundred yards, their adrenaline and
instinct telling them what to do, my exhilaration going wild and driving
me....

I finally stopped, and watched them slow down and rest far in the
distance... just spots on the landscape.

Welcome to GSSP... what a rush!  What a memory....


***************

Another great memory.  Observing with Steve Gottlieb.  Those who get to
do it know that it is a treat.  Its like the astronomy equivalent of
those old Nike "I Wanna Be Like Mike" commercials.  Well, Saturday night
was the best night, and we were looking through his 18" Starmaster at
Abell 2256.  Steve had a printed a chart of the galaxies in this
cluster.  Soon we discovered we were picking up everything on the
chart.  This was truly amazing, since the day was so cloudy, even well
after sunset, I hadn't even uncovered my scope.  And now we were finding
we could exceed the limits of Steve's charts.  So, he asked that I turn
on my laptop computer and bring up Megastar.  I complied and we found
there were many other galaxies in that single eyepiece field (7 arc
minute?) we could go after.  Soon we were picking out MCG and MAC
galaxies teasing our averted vision at mag 16.5, and PGC galaxies beyond
that with no magnitudes designated.  What a delight!  It was especially
fun because the brightest members seemed to be almost in a vertical line
in the eyepiece.  But... all was not well in paradise....

Steve was first to suspect things weren't lining up right.  Galaxies
that should be in one place, off to the sides of the main chain, weren't
there.  We were missing ones that were brighter than some in the chain.
We'd think we pick up glimmers of galaxies where they shouldn't be.
The chain seemed kind of wonky, like the chart displayed on the computer
was not quite rotated right.  I'd turn it this way, then that. We'd go
back to the eyepiece, try again to modify the view on the computer to
agree with what we were seeing.  Galaxies off to the sides of the chain
remained missing, or popping in where we didn't expect them.

If finally dawned on both of us at the same time, but I took action
first.  I move the cursor on the program to Field/Orientation and,
there, sat a checkbox, marked for "mirror field".  I unchecked it.

Everything lines up, perfectly.  I felt like "Grasshopper" at the feet
of Master Po when Steve asked me "how could you have that set wrong?".

It bothered me, until the next morning, when I approached Steve and told
him that this was my new laptop, and a new install of Megastar.  I had
not yet used it in the field, and "mirror field" must be the default.  I
felt relieved.

But in another way, it was the closing chapter in a two year long fight
I'd been having with computers in the field.  My old laptop would shut
down while I'd be out observing.  At home it operated just fine.  But
take it out and observe using it, sure enough, dead puppy.  So, in a
way, it was almost as if, the ghost of the old laptop reached out, and
got me once more while observing.  Gotcha! ;-)


***************


The last great memory for this posting had to do with Aaron Albaugh.
I've described him in true western terms, like you'd hear in Dodge City
or outside Tombstone... Aaron is a sun-browned rugged tall drink of
water.  Six foot five barefoot, and he wears cowboy boots.  If you want
to think cowboy, Aaron looks the part.  Great guy, fun to be around,
with a wonderful family.  Warm hearted welcoming, bright and interesting
people.  But....

I suspect Aaron likes to have some fun.  And there were times I sure
felt like the (good natured) target of his enjoyment.  Cutting the log,
branding, roping, etc.  Aaron had all sorts of observations to make
about my style, ability, etc.   I knew it was all in sport, I gave it
back when I could but I was clearly on his turf.

It didn't pop into my mind until just yesterday, when suddenly I thought
"I must have seemed like a "City Slicker"!  There is was, damned if I
didn't' suddenly relate to Billy Crystal, in that famous role.  And
Aaron?   Well, I guess he was reveling in the role of Curly.... I
suspect he'll be doing one armed push ups in front of me when he's in
his 70's. ;-)

What great memories.....

You should share your's, while you recall them....

Mark

For those interested,  TAC's Observing Reports archives are once again current:

http://observers.org/reports/

And Steve Gottlieb has been having me put new content into Adventures In Deep
Space (ADS):

http://www.astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/

Clear skies!

Mark

ps - thanks to Alvin Huey for the new spreadsheet on Shkh groups.... on ADS

In honor of real astro die-hards....

http://www.resource-intl.com/GSSP/poster.jpg

All proceeds go toward next year's GSSP.

Here's the page on the GSSP site:

http://goldenstatestarparty.blogspot.com/2007/07/2008-t-shirt-and-mug.html

Here is the direct CafePress page:

http://www.cafepress.com/GSSP

http://www.observers.org/tac.photos/Adin-Supply.jpg

I saw Jane posted them a short time ago, but it was part of an e-mail not
mentioning the attendance.

We knew we had a big crowd, and lots of people were asking on-site how many
there were.  We didn't
know until Jane ran the numbers after coming home with registration packets of
no-shows, and
comparing them to the paid registration.

301 out of 355 paid attendees came though the gates of GSSP this year.  From as
far as Alberta
Canada, Germany and San Diego!

Given the uncertainty over the sky conditions due to the fires, and it being our
first year at
this new site in Adin, those are great numbers!  It just goes to show what a
bunch of die-hards
GSSP'ers are.  Some were also asking how many SSP folks took us up on our offer
to take them in,
when the Shingletown airport became unavailable.  It looks like about 12.

It is astonishing, how it all turned out.  We had good to excellent skies and a
big crowd, during
what may be the earliest and most severe fire season in California history.  And
it seemed
everyone enjoyed themselves.

There have been all kinds of kudos thrown around, but make no mistake, its the
*attendees* who
make it happen.  Way to go GSSPers!  See you next year with more friends and
family!

Clear skies,

Mark

Please check out

http://flickr.com/photos/randygmuller/tags/gssp2008/

or

http://flickr.com/groups/tac/

to see my photos from GSSP 2008 in Adin.

I have built a link "widget" on the GSSP web-site:

http://www.goldenstatestarparty.blogspot.com

Second listing down the right column.

If I missed your photos, or you have a link you'd like to submit, please e-mail
me privately.

Clear Skies,

Mark Wagner

Couple things for those of you not hanging out there.

I've updated the photos on the top of the page.  Who recognizes them?

Also, if you register, you can view photos some attendees are now beginning to
upload.  Others are
posting links in their e-mails.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/goldenstatestarparty/

On Thu, June 26, 2008 12:23 pm, Dennis wrote:

> I just wonder if the "shower truck" will be available, and not off at
> some fire camp?  Is there a creek or river nearby ?  hehe!!  Ummm I
> seem to remember back in the 60's in New York state. Woodshack,
> StockWood or something like that. :-)

Hi Dennis,

Woodshack?  Sounds somewhat familiar...

Regarding the shower truck, yes, it may get called into fire service, but there
is a backup plan
that has been in place for many months.  It would not be as convenient as a
shower truck on-site,
but you would not have to bathe in Ash Creek (appropriate name?)either.  You'd
still have modern
conveniences.  More on this if it becomes necessary.

Mark

I seem to recall the last two years at Mt. Bachelor we had fires in
the area. It all depends upon the wind conditions and which way the
smoke goes as to how much it will cause any problems. Still got some
good images at Bachelor.  Some of the particulate has blown up here
into Grants Pass, OR from the South, but no worse than typical winter
and people burning wood in their stoves.

It may rain this weekend, which will help to clear up the particulate
in the air.  Just hope it dosen't cause any more fires. Resources in
California seem to be streatched, several crews from this area are
already down there.

I just wonder if the "shower truck" will be available, and not off at
some fire camp?  Is there a creek or river nearby ?  hehe!!  Ummm I
seem to remember back in the 60's in New York state. Woodshack,
StockWood or something like that. :-)

I did see that the SSP was canceled or perhaps postponed.
Unfortunately for them, the air strip has become an active landing
area for helicopters and a fire center.

See you all in Adin Next week.  Be sure to check for any blocked
roads due fire hazard, when comming from the some of the directions
where the fires are still active.  Google Earth didn't show any smoke
over the area.. hehe!!

Dennis



--- In tac-shasta@yahoogroups.com, "Randy Muller" <randygmuller@...>
wrote:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jane Smith
> Date: Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 12:09 PM
>
>
> I hope people aren't getting discouraged from all pessimistic talk
about the
> fires.   If so, I have some GREAT news!!!
>
> I just spoke with the folks at Modoc Sanitation who are providing
the
> dumpsters for GSSP.  They said the fire situation has greatly
improved in
> the area and that good progress is being made on containing the
Popcorn fire
> south of Beiber.   She said the smoke comes and goes, that
sometimes it
> clear and sometimes it's hazy, depending on the wind.  "HAZY" does
not sound
> to me like they're too inundated with smoke.  I see this as VERY
positive.
>
> As for me, I am still an absolute GO for GSSP.  I'm confident the
next 3
> days will show great improvement.   Don't despair!
>
> And remember, it never hurts to pray for a little bit of rain!  :)
>
> Jane
>

http://www.redding.com/news/2008/jun/25/smoke-cancels-marketfest-opening/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jane Smith
Date: Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 12:09 PM


I hope people aren't getting discouraged from all pessimistic talk about the
fires.   If so, I have some GREAT news!!!

I just spoke with the folks at Modoc Sanitation who are providing the
dumpsters for GSSP.  They said the fire situation has greatly improved in
the area and that good progress is being made on containing the Popcorn fire
south of Beiber.   She said the smoke comes and goes, that sometimes it
clear and sometimes it's hazy, depending on the wind.  "HAZY" does not sound
to me like they're too inundated with smoke.  I see this as VERY positive.

As for me, I am still an absolute GO for GSSP.  I'm confident the next 3
days will show great improvement.   Don't despair!

And remember, it never hurts to pray for a little bit of rain!  :)

Jane

---------------------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------------------
Subject: [tac-sac] OR: Kirkwood 6/5 - 6/7
From:    "Ray Fox" <starman1717@...>
Date:    Fri, June 20, 2008 11:51 pm
To:      tac-sac@yahoogroups.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------

Earlier this month, I finally cured my long-standing photon
deprivation. After the birth of my son last June, my telescope has
been gathering dust in a corner of my living room, silently awaiting
my return while I plunged into fatherhood.  After far too long away, I
seized an opportunity to get out under the stars once again.  My buddy
and I ventured up 50 to a little spot near the Kirkwood ski lodge for
a little camping expedition. I loaded up my 11" Starmaster along with
my camping gear and we headed for the great outdoors. Luck was with us
as we were graced with two of the darkest, clearest nights I've ever
had the pleasure of experiencing.

We started off our first night of stargazing with a flyby of the Space
Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station. Just after
sunset, it came cruising in from the northwest, a brilliant white dot
high overhead, gliding through the darkening sky. After it disappeared
into the Earth's shadow, we pointed the Starmaster at the thin
crescent moon, daring to blind our eyes while it was still twilight.
Saturn was quickly sinking in the late spring sky, and I was a bit
disappointed to see a roiling atmosphere disrupting the image in my
eyepiece. So it wouldn't be a great night for planetary viewing. But
as the sky turned an inky black, a myriad stars came out of hiding.

As the Milky Way became more and more apparent, we scanned the sky,
checking off late spring Messier objects one by one. We even took on
some challenging NGC objects, which is a new realm for me.  Some of
the more memorable highlights of the weekend's viewing included some
awe-inspiring views of the Veil Nebula.  Through my Lumicon Ultra High
Contrast filter, I could make out twirling tendrils of cosmic debris.
I also spent a considerable chunk of the evening tripping around
Sagittarius and Scorpius, gazing in wonder at the Lagoon and Trifid
Nebulas. Something that really added to my enjoyment was immersing
myself as totally as possible in the views.  I wore an eyepatch over
my right eye and wrapped a black cloth around my head, blocking out
any extraneous light.  The only photons reaching my eyes came from the
deepest of space.  I'm sure I looked like a nut, out in a field in the
middle of the night, wrapped up like a leper in Ben Hur, but it was
one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences I've ever had.

There was a price to be paid for my adventure, as with dealing with
all the camping gear, food and astronomical equipment, the one thing I
forgot was a coat. The thermometer on my buddy's tent read 29
degrees.  Ice formed on the slightly damp towel I had for wiping down
my gear and my eyepieces were painfully cold to the touch. But I was
not about to let some low temperatures dampen my spirits.  I put on
every piece of clothing I had brought with me -- every sock, every
pair of underwear -- and fully enjoyed a chilly night beneath the stars.

On a side note, I've always considered myself a left-eyed observer,
rarely ever using my right eye for peering through the telescope.  But
that night I realized that each of my eyes provides a very different
view.  My left eye is somehow able to pick up more light, while my
right eye sees more detail. I enjoyed ping-ponging back and forth,
comparing the two views.

The next night, the sky was even clearer.  After spending several
hours gazing through my telescope, a brilliant silver meteor persuaded
me to spend some time doing some naked-eye stargazing. I took the
opportunity to brush up on some of the more obscure spring and summer
constellations, even learning a few I had never explored before. For
example, as large as it is, I've never really familiarized myself with
the serpent bearer Ophiuchus, or Equuleus the little horse, or
Vulpecula the fox. After all these years of staring up at the night
sky, here were new treasures to discover.  I felt like I was twelve
again.

The Andromeda Galaxy finally rose from behind the Sierras and I
returned to my telescope, staring for what seemed an eternity at the
giant wash of stars filling the eyepiece. Turning toward my tent, I
found that Jupiter had cleared the grove of trees to the southeast of
me, and I delayed my rendezvous with sleep just a while longer,
watching the graceful and distant dance of our largest neighbor and
its moons. The atmosphere had settled by now, and I got some amazing
glimpses of Jupiter's bands.

After a long and fulfilling night beneath the stars, I eventually made
my way to my sleeping bag grinning from ear to ear.

For those of you lucky enough to be attending GSSP, I wish for you
nights like these.

Clear skies.

-Ray Fox