[AZ-Observing] Chaco Canyon Photos

Last weekend, Jenn and I met up at Chaco Canyon with our friends Chuck and Judy 
Dethloff, who have been the directors of the Oregon Star Party until this year. 
 It was worth making the 7-hour drive, which culminates in 20 miles of dirt 
road to the entrance to the park.  Pictures are posted here:

http://www.pbase.com/polakis/chaco2005

There is actually some astronomy in the photos.  Several years ago, Chaco began 
an astronomy program thanks to the individual effort of John Sefick, who told 
us that he moved from Chicago to Albuquerque in search of a dark-sky 
retirement.  He singlehandedly funded a 25-inch Obsession in a dome and a C14 
on an A-P 1200 mount.  The astronomy program is hosted by rangers or 
volunteers, who get to use the equipment after  giving the visitors a tour.  
Thanks to the Chaco program, a similar observing program is happening at Bryce 
Canyon National Park.

Another astronomy attraction is the pictograph of the 1054 "Crab Nebula" 
supernova on an inacessible rock ceiling.  Getting to this famous rendition 
requires a 7-mile round-trip hike that's mostly flat.

The main attraction is well-preserved ruins from 10th- and 11th-century 
civilization, some of them impressively large.  Pueblo Bonito is said to have 
been the largest structure in North America until the first skyscrapers in the 
1800's.

Tom

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