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[Al Degutis]

My move out to a rural location is a blessing and a curse. I enjoy dark skies with a naked eye seeing limit of between 5.6 and 5.9 magnitude. Since I just started observing last year I have tons of things to look for and at. My recent upgrade from a 4.5" reflector to a 8" Schmidt Cassegrain has made it even more enjoyable.

Alas, it does tend to get lonely out there. Since I can't talk my wife into joining me outside in the summer's cold (hmmmm, shouldn't that be summer's heat?) I've gotten desparate... one time I tried to get a racoon to look at M27 with me. It's probably a good thing that it just snorted and scurried away.

So I've almost convinced her (my wife, not the racoon) that I should invite some dark sky deprived amateur astronomers to share the photons striking out yard. So at this point I'm trying to see if there's any interest and if there's a date that would work for most. If you are interested please go here and provide your input.

Thanks
Al

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al,

It's a great idea, but you do realize the consequences...We all will drive on your lawn, use your hedges, drink your booze and will appear to your neighbors as a loosely organized hoard of marauding nomad savages. How do you feel about the single life?

I will need to confer myself, and will post here and on your site, but I think an October date is more suitable for me.

(p.s.) There is an internal error on your server, as I tried to post a few times, but it wouldn't take it.

This is a brave thing you do, and a noble one. Thanks!

[Al Degutis]

Joe,

Thanks for the feedback. Even if the scene you describes turns out to be accurate, it's no worse then my lonely dementia causing me to howl at the moon, or try to dance with racoons... I digress...

As for the server errors, I do apologize. My ISP has been working on it since last Thursday. I'm demanding they fix the problem or put me on a new server. I have noticed that if you hit the browser's refresh after the error everything is fine and the message posts. Hopefully the problem is resolved soon.

[NatureDevil]

My friend and I could bring our acoustic guitars and provide a certain mood for a group of people if it is wished.

A new type of wandering minstrel, if you will. Oh, and I'd bring ice tea.

NatureDevil

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Ice tea and tunes...how cool.

Brian, are you interested in traveling out to Al's to catch some darker skies?....If so, let us know about when you would be free....I'm leaning toward an October date myself. The brighter winter constellations will be out, and it should be a good time.

[stargazer]

This sounds cool. Please keep us informed. Yes the puter is back from the shop. I would love to go if the whole gang from here is invited. BTW Joe, I have another cert on the way. I finished the first 6 hours of the Meteor Shower and amnow working on the Solar Cert.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Becks,

Excellent on getting your computer back, as I don't know what life was before I ever got mine. What did I do with all me free time?

Of course you are invited, let's see what Al decides to do and plan for us. We already have iced tea and guitar tunes.....It should be great fun.

You are the woman with many certs, and well earned. When you receive them, send them my way and I will post them here. Congrats on the effort.

[stargazer]

Thanks Joe,

I will pass them on when I get them. I am still waiting to finish the Planetary ones. Maybe I will try at Astrofest or back out at Apple River. I will let you know how things go.

B

[Al Degutis]

Becky, Brian, Joe and everyone else,

Why don't we shoot for Oct 9th with a "cloud over date" of Oct 16 (i.e. if the 9th has more that 50% of cloud cover we reschedule for the 16th)?

I'll provide the dark skies, flush toilet, power for any electrical equipment, chairs, tables, hot coffee, etc.

How does that sound? Plus I'm open to any other suggestions for the gathering, this will be my first one.

Al

[stargazer]

Sounds good to me. I will write down the date. Where is this going to be. We need info on where to go for this. I will make sure I bring the cannon and maybe my toss and go scope.

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al,

Firstly I would like to thank you much for thinking about hosting a star party for us marauding Chicago Astronomers. This will be my very first planned and truly dark sky star party. It's gonna be so cool!

The 9th or 16th of October will be excellent. I have already blocked out those dates selfishly for me and Starrysungazer. I would like to get by your place early before the sunset to prepare and survey the area in daylight. We will have plenty of time to set details and whatnot.

Perhaps we can all form a convoy from the naked city out to you, while having others join our sojourn on the way.

Your neighbors will just shake their heads in pure disgust we rumble in and do doughnuts on your front lawn.

;D Boy...it's gonna be fun!

[Al Degutis]

mmmmmm dooonuts....

The sun sets at 7:55pm on the 9th. We could have everyone arrive around 6pm and pitch in for pizza. Or I could do a pizza run later.

The drive is anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on where in the Chicagoland area people are coming from. The real issue is how quickly people can get to an expressway. I will provide directions on how to get to my place and could, if requested, give directions on how to get here without taking the expressway. If you're looking for a rough idea, calculate the trip from your location to Woodstock, IL (60098) and add 10 minutes.

Looking closer at both nights, if the clouds stay away, we should have very good dark skies between 8pm and 4am as the crescent moon rises around 4am. Happy happy joy joy.

[NatureDevil]

Cool.

I know the area fairly well, and have been in the ragion many times before, though not actually in Woodstock. I was going to suggest the pizza idea myself.

I can definitly do it, I'll just set aside those two dates. There is no work and no school at either of those times, and unless I get called in for a last minute performance somewhere, there should be no challenging oppositiong to me visiting.

I'll bring my scope as well, but we might as well make it a hood ornament for Becky's canon as it is very wimpy. But it has been doing a nice job for me looking at the moon every once in a while.

It is very cool of you Al, to host something like this being so far from the city. Thanks a lot. Shall I bring the acoustics? I promise they are very quiet and I know a bunch of covers. Just let me know, I will try to provide atmosphere.

Get it? It was a joke..atmosphere, and we...oh forget it.....

....I look forward to the date.

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

NatureDevil said:

I'll bring my scope as well, but we might as well make it a hood ornament for Becky's canon as it is very wimpy. But it has been doing a nice job for me looking at the moon every once in a while.

Definitely bring it. You'll see a lot more in darker skies. The more scopes of various sizes the better.

Shall I bring the acoustics? I promise they are very quiet and I know a bunch of covers. Just let me know, I will try to provide atmosphere.

Sure. No problem.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Al,

Wow, you have already plotted out sunset times, moon rise and drive times...how organized! I can see you with a astrolobe and planisphere late at night, plotting points with an adjustable compass.

A pitch in for pizza pies sounds good and Brians Ice tea, as he travels from scope to scope strumming Herb Alpert tunes. I am pleased that he knows the area, as perhaps I will be the trail car.

I'm right smack in the heart of the City, so probably the farthest from you of all of us. Later on I'll plot a course and make it so. The mosquito's should be gone by then, no?

Al, can you post an aerial shot of your piece of the earth, so you can point out where we would be setting up and so that I can plan our doughnut-rama.

Are others from your forum also planning to attend?

Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

[Al Degutis]

Perhaps we can all form a convoy from the naked city out to you, while having others join our sojourn on the way.

Joe's cannon packing traveling minstrels... I'll alert the McHenry County Sheriffs department. ;D

Are others from your forum also planning to attend?

No other responses. Just what you've seen here. I'm inviting Jim Griggs but not sure he'll make it as he's scheduled to leave for a business trip on Sunday.

Al, can you post an aerial shot of your piece of the earth, so you can point out where we would be setting up and so that I can plan our doughnut-rama.

Here's an aerial shot... Just be carefull of the septic field. It's been know to swallow a vehicle or two

skyinsight.net/images/our-house-arial-view2.jpg

[Al Degutis]

Chicago said:

The mosquito's should be gone by then, no?

The mosquitos don't bother us much now but with my luck they'll be back in Oct. We have a service come out every Thursday night and spray the property to kill the mosquitos. It works great. The service was suppose to go until Oct 15th but they started 2 weeks early so I think they will stop the last week of Sept.

[sarwat]

Hey everybody,

After a very long time I checked the forum and saw something really exciting is taking place. My compliments to you Al for taking initiative and actually providing the venue. Do you mind if I join the action?

Sarwat

[Al Degutis]

Sarwat,

Of course your invited too.



Hmmmm... maybe I should tell my wife about this...

[sarwat]

Thanks Al,

And don't worry, I am a nice clean guy. I even take a shower every year ;D

Sarwat

[Al Degutis]

Okay, we're a month away from the Chicago Astronomer Star Party on Oct 9th (Oct 16 is the cloud-out reschedule date).

If memory serves me we have Joe, Becky, Brian and Sarwat attending. Anyone else willing to make the drive to the northwest corner of McHenry County Illinois?

I'll provide the address and driving directions in a private message at the end of the month to those attending.

[stargazer]

Hi Al,

Dont forget I dont live in the city. Im maybe 45 min from you. Bill knows Woodstock somewhat PMme and Ill give you better info from where we are.

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I am certainly looking forward to this event, As I am spinning donuts on slick wet grass and digging latrine holes for practice. And the DEET, oh my DEET!

Yes, please do provide the necessary info for the long journey to God's country...and notify the Sheriff that the Chicago Astronomers are coming!

[NatureDevil]

Oh, it'll be good, not too much planning in advance. Maybe I can meet you earlier Joe and you guys can follow me and Jay with our guitars out to Woodstock. Bring that map though, as I can only get us into the town, as opposed to exact location.

Hopefully I won't repeat what you did by going to wrong houses and spinning donuts on the fdront lawn.

I spin donuts only on Thursdays and with Chevy smallblocks.

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

Chicago said:

And the DEET, oh my DEET!

Hopefully we won't need the DEET. I spent 6 hours outside Saturday night and not a single mosquito could be seen, heard, felt.

But plan on bringing some anyway.

[stargazer]

I dont know where you guys are living but I have about 10 of those dreaded bites on me. I do plan on bringing my Deep Woods off with me not only to Astrofest but to the Star Party in Woodstock. I feel like a pin coushin right now. I wont be on the boards from Wed to Sun will check back in sometime Mon. Have fun this weekend guys. Hope you all get a chance to get out there and do some viewing. I am hopeing for clear skies all weekend and reasonably warm nights. I will let you all know how it all went when I am home.

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Becks,

Please to take some pics at your time at astrofest. It will be nice to see both daytime and night time images of your participation.

Alas, I shant be attending. I cannot do both Woodstock and Kankakee, but shall live vicariously thru my astro friends.

I am sure you will provide us with a detailed report on the experience.

Have great fun, as I am sure you will.

[stargazer]

Everyone,

I will take some pics for you all to see. I am hopeing for good clear nights. I hope you all get in some viewing this weekend. Will talk to you all on Mon when I am more awake. I will give a detailed listing of what was there and what I saw. Hey Joe, are you going to update the list for me on the equipment.

Have fun

B

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Becks,

But of course I will update the Quick List of Chicago Astronomer equipment. Send me the details on what I should add on to your tools of the sky.

And for the other registered members...

Please do submit your equipment to me for inclusion in our ever growing list. Some of you have some pretty impressive telescopic and optical equipment that you have shared with us.

Keep 'em coming!

[Al Degutis]

Okay, the Oct 9th Star Party is getting closer. Astronomer Joe and I will be discussing some of the details in the next 24 hours. After that I will be privately contacting those who are interested in attending to provide more information.

Look for e-mails or private messages on Wednesday (9/29/04).