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[Gordg3]

For any Chicago Astronomer members in the northwest suburbs.

Harper College and the Northwest Suburban Astronomers will be celebrating National Astronomy Day on Saturday, May 10, 2008 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Harper College, Palatine IL in Building Z. We will have programs, exhibits, children activities and telescopes set up for viewing. The college observatory will also be open. It is a free event. I posted a flyer at:

www.pbase.com/gordg3/image/93495122

Gordon Garcia
Northwest Suburban Astronomers
www.nsaclub.org

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Gordon,

Thank you for your post on the activities of the NSA on Astronomy Day.

I myself will be working the Adler Planetarium's scopes or maybe even the Doane observatory.

Some day soon, I would like to make it out your way during a session and say hi.

[katodog]

Sounds like a good time.

If we want to come, are we allowed to bring our own scopes?

[Gordg3]

Joe - Hopefully you can make it out someday. I have been trying to make a Far Out Friday at Adler. Haven't been there since December.

admin said:

Gordon,

Thank you for your post on the activities of the NSA on Astronomy Day.

I myself will be working the Adler Planetarium's scopes or maybe even the Doane observatory.

Some day soon, I would like to make it out your way during a session and say hi.

[Gordg3]

Yes you can bring a scope out if you'd like to. Telescope setup will be by the observatory. If it is cloudy/rain scopes will be inside in Building Z.

katodog said:

Sounds like a good time.

If we want to come, are we allowed to bring our own scopes?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Gordon,

When you are able to make it to the Adler for a Far Out Friday, contact me ahead of time and it will be my pleasure to have you as my guest.

[Gordg3]

Thanks Joe.

admin said:

Gordon,

When you are able to make it to the Adler for a Far Out Friday, contact me ahead of time and it will be my pleasure to have you as my guest.

[Samie]

This sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for informing us. I think I may drag my dad along :]

[erikruud]

My daughter and I should be there tonight.

[erikruud]

My daughter and I went out to Harper College on Saturday night even though Mother Nature was not cooperating. There were plenty of exhibits and presentations and a huge collection of telescopes to see. Including a few that were bigger than anything that KatoDog owns.

The Star Dome Planetarium was an interesting experience. Harper does not have a planetarium. The NSA had arranged to borrow an inflatable planetarium from the Schaumburg school district. It can maybe two dozen people. You have to crawl through a tunnel to get in side and you sit on the floor. The presenter was very good and gave a talk on how to locate some of the constellations and major stars and she also told some of the stories related to the constellations. They might want to look for a quieter blower as the noise was a little distracting.

I did not see anyone that looked familiar from this site, but I did meet Gordon.

As we were leaving we took the short drive to the other side of the campus to check out the observatory just to see what it looked like. Inside the dome they have a really large cassegrain, but I did not get any details. I found out that the Harper Astronomy Club holds open veiwing nights every other weekend from March through November. Their site is at: www.geocities.com/harperastronomyclub/ but they don't have this years schedule posted yet.

[erikruud]

I found a picture of a StarDome.

[katodog]

Hey, it's not the size, it's how you use it!!


And if you believe that....Swampland For Sale! Get Your Swampland Here!!


Astronomy: The one place where, when a woman tells you "size doesn't matter", She's Lying!!!!!


I enjoy the small scopes I have just as much as the bigger ones. Unfortunately, my wallet and my wife don't enjoy the bigger ones. One of these days a scope around 30" or so will be in my garage. or in my observatory (when or if I can ever get one). Right now, everything is put away, getting ready for us moving to a new house. Once I have a back yard, I may start buttering up the missus for an observatory. She actually told me I should get one this past winter, so maybe she's already primed.

One of these days I'll find the time to go either to the Adler or to Harper. Unfortunately, life always has a way of interfering with my astro plans. Sounds like a good time you had, Erik. Maybe one of these days we can get out to one another's house for our own little shindig. You're just a stone's throw away.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Erik,

Thanks for posting the pic of the inflatable dome. I have never seen one, and it's nice to see what it is.

Quite cool.

[erikruud]

Kato,

Congrats on the new home! Are you going to be any closer to me?

I know what you mean about life getting in the way. We actually had a couple of possible events to go to that day. This weekend is even worse, my daughter is in two dance recitals this weekend. A few weeks ago I was all set to compete in my first karate tournament but I jammed up the big toe on my right foot sparring in class the week before. About a third of my foot turned all kinds of interesting colors.

Joe, the dome was cool. They just need to do something about the fan noise.

[katodog]

We're just moving about a mile or so North of where we are now. Not any closer, but not any farther away. Kind of a lateral move in relation to where you are. Still in Glendale Heights. But, there aren't too many trees, and it's got a pretty decent deck on the back. I'd have to take a night or two with the scopes to see what trees do get in the way. Then I get the chainsaw out. I'm actually thinking of either putting a roll-off in the back yard, or putting a SkyPod or something similar on the deck. I can easily go through the deck and put a pier in.

But, that remains to be seen. I'm sure there's going to be plenty to do when we move that I won't have much time to do anything for a while.

[erikruud]

But, that remains to be seen. I'm sure there's going to be plenty to do when we move that I won't have much time to do anything for a while.

Unfortunately that is how it usually works.

Then I get the chainsaw out.

I thought you would have used a katana! ;D

[katodog]

Well, it looks like we're moving closer to you than I thought, Erik. We've decided to pass on the first house since the inspection didn't really please me too much. We found another house in Carol Stream right by Army Trail and 59, and it's a winner. We close on June 27th. I'm itching to move already. I hate moving. But, it's got a nice back yard with no trees in it. Nice deck, two car garage (plenty of room for more scopes). All I need now is to convince the wife that she actually did suggest an observatory a few years back. Hmmm, selective memory??


Now I have to rethink my scope setup. I was thinking about a wedge for the SCT or de-forking it and putting it on an EQ mount. Now I have to figure out if I'm going to build myself a roll off and what I want to do to permanently mount the scope. Maybe I'll leave it on the tripod for a while and just get a wedge. An EQ mount strong enough to handle the 12" SCT OTA plus the Megrez and whatever else I put on, is going to be a little pricey. But, we'll see. Sooner or later I'll have it all figured out.


Right now I'm just waiting to actually move, so I can put my fiendish plans into effect. The hardest part is going to be getting past the wife.

[erikruud]

That will be really close!