[AZ-Observing] Re: Thunderbird Park Star Party
- From: "Rick Tejera" <saguaroastro@xxxxxxx>
- To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 12:17:34 -0700
Jeff,
Definitely a success. I too ,didn't get a chance to get a count of Scopes,
but it was enough to give everyone a good look. On a personal note I was
ecstatic to see so many Girl Scouts come out. As a Girl Scout leader, I had
invited to troops from our local neighborhood to attend as a way to work
toward their Sky Search Badge. Looks like a lot of girls will at least have
some exposure to the fun of astronomy. I want to especially thank Jennifer
Polakis for her help in showing the girls that astronomy is not just for
boys. (BTW, the Milky Ways & Starbursts were a real hit, great idea, Jenn).
I had gotten to the site around 1700 and there were already a few scouts
there. Once Jenn & I got set up we gave them a short talk about telescopes
and gave them some kits to make planispheres (one of the requirements of the
badge). We also talked about different legends that the constellations are
based upon. We then started off by showing them the moon. I asked them to
try to see who would be first to find Venus. That honor went to one of my
girls, Kaitlin Kassube, She also found the summer triangle pretty quickly.
Ah, to have young eyes again :)
I had set up Gert (the 8") and Polly (the ETX). My daughter, Lindsay was in
charge of running the ETX and this worked out. Other times when I've tried
to run both scopes have proven to be an impossible task. Invariably some kid
comes along and grabs the ETX and twists it out of alignment. While last
night was no different it was easier to get it back on track (pun intended
while she kept tabs on Gert.
We Showed the Moon, Venus, M13, Albireo & NGC 457 to an appreciative crowd.
Several club members told me the girls all had a good time and asked some
very good questions. Again, I was very please to see the event was a
positive one for the girls. It was worth missing two penalty shots in one
game.
On a logistical note, I was speaking with a parks employee (who was
apologizing for the lack of bathroom facilities) and he indicated that he
would make it a priority for next time to have some sort of facilities at
the site or if not possible to arrange some sort of Shuttle between the
parking lots & bathrooms. Hopefully he'll be successful in this.
Thanks to all who showed up, It was a success because of you.
Rick Tejera
Editor SACnews
Saguaro Astronomy Club
Phoenix, Arizona
saguaroastro@xxxxxxx
www.saguaroastro.org
-----Original Message-----
From: az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jeff Hopkins
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 8:19 AM
To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Thunderbird Park Star Party
I think one could say the Star party was a great success. Lots of fun.
I arrived a bit after 6 PM and there were already close to 100 cars
there. I had misjudged sunset and should have gotten there closer to
5:30 PM. They had the side of the parking lot next to the telescope
field reserved for those with telescopes. This was an excellent idea
as it allowed us with telescopes to get close tot he setup field.
It was getting dark fast so I set up as quickly as I could. There
were already many (100's) of people walking around. The wind was
blowing hard, but felt good as it was warm. There were some clouds
drifting in from the West and the Moon played hide and seek for a
while. I wanted to walk around and see who else was there, I saw
Dave, Al and Sheryl and I know there were many others SAC members,
but I always had a group of at least a half a dozen people wanting to
look through the 13.1' DOB so I never got away. We looked at the
Moon, Venus, M57 and M31. Most of the clouds dissipated mid way
through the party. Just as people started leaving Mars popped up in
the East. Because there is no tracking with the DOB I had to stay
close and keep the objects centered. I hope someone else can
accurately list who else was there and perhaps a better estimation of
telescopes and attendees.
I can safely say that the Star Party was a roaring success. I did not
get an accurate count of scopes and visitors, but there certainly
were lots of people there.Easiily in the 100's.
Jeff
--
Jeff Hopkins
HPO SOFT
http://www.hposoft.com/Astro/astro.html
Hopkins Phoenix Observatory
7812 West Clayton Drive
Phoenix, Arizona 85033-2439 U.S.A.
www.hposoft.com
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