[AZ-Observing] GCSP 2012 North Rim
- From: Steve D. <fester00@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: AZ Observing <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:45:48 -0700
This year's edition was, a little strange it seemed to me. From the planning
stage and signing up volunteers, it just seemed out of phase, somehow. I
managed to get the veranda filled with astronomers, and Kaibab Lodge was booked
specifically this year, but it just felt odd.
So, on to the actual star party. We were all set to have a record number of
large telescopes-three 20"ers, a couple 16's, a C-14 and so on. Smallest scope
was set to be a 4" refractor. On Sunday, we were set to have over 180" of
aperture on the field for the visitors! The weather was mild, except for a bit
of wind on a couple nights, but the veranda and canyon wall shelters us,
deflecting all but direct hits up over the lodge and into the trees. You can
sure hear it howl, but it doesn't seem to affect us all that much. The skies
were amazing, if a bit hazy closer to the horizon. All week long, the lowest
part of the Scorpion's tail was misty and gunky. (Yes, technical term.)
Courtesy of The Sierra Club, my attention was drawn to a long string of red
aircraft warning lights on a new windfarm west of Williams. Miles long, they
blinked on and off all night, but didn't seem all that bad to me. I'm still
conjuring up a response to Sierra and a possible request to the FAA for action.
(Now, I'm a lobbyist, too, I guess.)
For some reason, everyone set up their scopes farther back from the edge this
year, and we didn't expand as close to the fireplace as we normally do. As a
result, the veranda seemed a bit crowded, even with fewer scopes. Maybe I need
to give a little more direction in that area, but we did have several newcomers
to the group this year, too. So maybe that was part of it.
One of my main volunteers, Jim Mahon, was delayed by a family emergency for a
couple days, compounded by mechanical trouble with his trailer rig. Cody, the
wonder dog, was feeling very ill and needed treatment, so they had to delay
leaving L.A. until Sunday. Then, had trouble with the hitch and didn't
actually hit the road until Monday. Jim was scheduled to give a "What's In The
Sky Tonight" talk on Saturday, so I had to throw one together to cover for him.
It actually went pretty weell, just throwing pictures up on the screen and
describing what they'd see in the eyepieces. I may have to add that one to the
regular schedule. Thanks Jim! ;-) I also had a couple volunteers I've had in
the past just show up without any notification. Our Volunteer Ranger, George
Varga shows up Saturday night to tell me there's someone set up at Bright Angel
Point trailhead, and who it was. Can't say I was surprised, but they really
are supposed to tell me, first. The NPS gets a little miffed if they do that,
so I have to make it clear, soon.
Between doing the talks, answering questions afterward and then running down to
the observing field to run my 20", I didn't have as many visitors as I'd like,
but the others did a great job when I wasn't there. We averaged about 150-180
people per night. Funny thing about it though, they seemed to evaporate, or
sublimate actually, all at once. Later than usual, closer to midnight, but
when it was over, it was OVER. We didn't have as much onesie-twosies after the
crowd left as usual. Of course, Chris and I had some stragglers, just because
of 20" aperture curiosity, but that was about it. Nice folks all around.
It was nice to actually have some activity on the Sun during the first part of
the week. Rosie and I got to set up our solar scope a couple times and I
actually had to do a sketch! We showed about 300 people sunspots in 5 hours
over two days and told them about the evening programs, mostly to squeals of
delight, and a couple, "Oh, too bad. We're leaving today!" It's all good,
though, as showing old Sol is among my favorite things to do. We were quite
rusty, though. Forgetting our chairs and our step stool for the vertically
challenged, but thanks to a local block of limestone, we managed.
Wednesday, Rosie and I set up at Kaibab Lodge. Due to a scheduling snafu,
(oops), we were by ourselves there. I set up Rosie's 8" SCT and struggled a
bit with the computerized GOTO. It's amazing how slow the GOTO seems after
whipping around with the 20" Dob! I kept it together somehow though, gave a
laser constellation tour to, as Jim put it, "Reestablish myself as Merlin",
then went on to show most of the showcase pieces-the Leo Triplet, M57, M13, M23
and so on. Plus Saturn of course and even did a request for Mars. Ellen
Winchester, Lodge Proprietor came out and I had to show her the Stargate, as
that's really the object that fired up her imagination. She loved seeing it
again of course, and promised to have us back again next year. Works every
time! :-)
Just as Rosie and I were sitting down to dinner at Kaibab, I got called to the
front desk for a phone call. It was Robin Tellis, our Interpretive Ranger.
She informed me there had been an accident. Bill Dellinges had fallen on the
stairs while carrying his telescope to the veranda. He was cut severely, had a
couple broken fingers and maybe a fractured wrist. He'd been taken to Kanab
for treatment, but seemed to be fine. The problem was, I hadn't had him fill
out the Volunteer Agreement papers yet, having not seen him when he arrived the
night before. He'd opted to wait to set up until Wednesday while we were gone.
This incident has, apparently, caused a wave of fear among the volunteers
that, if something happened, Saguaro Astronomy Club could somehow be on the
hook for damages, medical bills and lawsuits up the yin-yang. NOTHING COULD BE
FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. After several conversations with Robin Tellis about
the incident and its implications, a simple change of policy is mandated. This
will be reflected on the GCSPNR website before volunteers are accepted for
2013, so I won't go into it here, but all those present at the party this year
were informed. It boils down to this, Bill is responsible for his own injuries
and treatment. No one is being sued, and Bill feels more embarrassed than
actually injured. Had he filled out and submitted the papers, he'd have been
compensated. When I saw him after our return from Kaibab, I told him, "Bill,
if you don't want to do the star party, just SAY SO! You don't have to throw
yourself down the stairs." He took it in his usual Bill manner and everything
went back to normal. Well, as "normal" as Bill can be. :-) Here's to ya,
Bill!
Thursday night, after the party, I stayed up to do some observing on my own.
I'm doing the Herscel 400 and took the opportunity to get some time in
Sagittarius and Ophiucus. It was simply amazing! The sky was so contrasty, I
had no trouble finding all the objects on my list except two that were not on
my Sky Atlas 2000 charts. Fourteen new objects in under 2 hours, including
logging time. Just shows the power of a really dark sky! ("Stupid Dark", to
quote Mike Wiles, a new volunteer this year.)
Friday, I made a mistake I feel I'll be paying for. I approved an "experiment"
and I should have checked with Robin Tellis first. Try to do someone a favor,
and it comes back. I accept the blame for any misunderstanding and hold no
hard feelings. I hope the person involved can do the same. Bottom line, we're
looking into implementing the experiment in a safe, consistent manner and will
decide once fully evaluated. 'Nuff said.
Saturday was our last night, once again. I gave the talk, "Astronomy Is...",
tying what we do as amateurs into how we cooperate with pro astronomers and the
benefits both receive. It went over very well, and the talk is evolving. It
really seems to get people interested, judging by the amount of inquiries I get
afterward. Fun! We got everything packed up and ready to go, collected all
the visitor contact sheets without resorting to violence or bribery, ;-), and
drove back home. Such a wonderful, scenic drive from the north rim back to
Phoenix! I just can't get enough of the Painted Desert and Vermillion Cliffs
and so on. Quite spectacular.
Watch the SAC website for the changes in policy for next year, and I'll keep
this list informed of any other changes that may or may not come about in the
next month or so. Remember: the 2013 GCSP is being held from 6/8 through 6/15.
North rim signup begins August 1, 2012 for those arranging their own lodging,
please check with me for scheduling, and January 1, 2013 for camp site
assignments.
Thanks to all for you help! I couldn't possibly do it without each and every
one of you. See you next year.
Steve Dodder
Chairman, SAC Novice Group
Coordinator, Grand Canyon Star Party, North Rim
Director, Stone Haven Observatory
fester00@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.stonehavenobservatory.com
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