[AZ-Observing] Grand Canyon Star Party - South Rim

The Grand Canyon Star Party was a great success this year again, and as usual. 
Lotsa food, lotsa sights and bike riding, and lotsa observing. Not so much 
sleep. Clouds threatened every afternoon, but happily dissipated every eve at 
sundown, although wind was a problem on a couple days and nights. From SAC came 
Al Stiewing and wife, Thom and Ellen Walczak, Marge Williams, Wayne Thomas, and 
myself (forgot a couple names I'm sure, sorry). I lasted five days before 
bailing, tired but happy.
Someone brought his entire observatory complete with dome and warming room on a 
flatbed truck from Huntsville AL this year and set up in the lower level. I 
brought the 100mm ED refractor and my binochair this year and left Big Boy at 
home, since there was early Moon-up and the weather just looked too iffy. The 
announcement of the controlled burn during the week was the last straw. Saturn 
was the showpiece anyway and it always looks great in the driven small scope at 
high power. Having to set up and take down every night wasn't that big a deal. 
I quickly got tired of Saturn (!) and switched to M81/82, Dumbbell, and close 
doubles. 

A couple night had exceptional seeing. Antares' tiny green companion showed 
nicely at its fringe, and Porrima is opening and at 1.0" is starting to look 
like a peanut in the small scope at 200X. The challenge with these two objects 
was explaining to people what they were seeing, between their astigmatism and 
teaching them how to focus, but that can sometimes be the fun part.

Jack Jones
SAC Public Events Coord
Phoenix AZ
Telescoper@xxxxxxx


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