FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] My AASP report

["Paul Lind" <pulind@xxxxxxxxx>]

Several SAC members attended the AASP Saturday night, including Steve and Rosie 
Dodder, Tom Polakis, Jack Jones, Jimmy Ray, Rick Rotramel, and Wayne Thomas, 
and me, plus others I may have missed. The transparency was very good, perhaps 
a 9.   The blue part of the Trifid (M20) appeared as bright as the rest of M20 
without any filter, and the dark lanes were well defined.  Seeing was good but 
sort of variable, maybe 7+.  You could drive a truck right through the 
double-double.  For closer doubles, the "Pierre" doubles in Orion  were 
separated in my 14 inch at 192x and 350x, but only when using a lunar filter. 
Without the filter the glare messed up the separation. These are 32 Ori and 52 
Ori, and they have separations on the order of 1 arcsec.
The veil, east and west portions, were stunning in Rick Rotramel's 12 inch with 
an O-III filter and approx 30mm eyepiece. The "gulf of Mexico region" of NAA 
was also great.

Tom Polakis pointed out a naked-eye synchronous satellite which turned out to 
be a pair of satellites. In my undriven scope these sat still in the center of 
the field while the stars drifted by. Really cool.

A great time was had by all.  Thanks go to EVAC.

Paul Lind
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