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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Chicago Astronomer Venus/Jupiter Planetary Conjunction Party

13 March 2012

A warm and clear night will offer a great view of the Venus and Jupiter planetary conjunction Tuesday - and the Chicago Astronomer will set up telescopes to share in the event.

I will arrive by 6pm just south of the Adler and set up the C11 scope just south of the Adler Planetarium building for a pleasant evening of sharing the skies with our fans, friends and visitors.

Stop by and take a peek through the largest mobile public accessible telescope in the city and enjoy Venus's phase and Jupiter's satellites...I'll even throw in Mars while you are there.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Such a nice Chicago Astronomer session....

I was looking forward to this night out under the stars, not just because of the Venus/Jupiter conjunction...but because of the time change and setting up while the Sun was still shining and it was a great crisp evening.

As usual, people started to gather around the C11 well before I was ready, but we discussed astronomy while I attached the auxiliary scopes and finally was able to target the dual planets...

Chicago Astronomer support crew members Barbara and Maria were on-site and attended to our visitors, fans and friends. Chicago Astronomers Steve and John also brought their scopes and we had three....

Venus and Jupiter, (mostly Jupiter), was targeted by the other Astronomers...

I did too, but after their arrival, I slewed over to Mars and kept the C11 on it for the majority of the session. The atmospheric conditions were not optimal, as Mars was a fuzzy orange ball without sharpness or clarity. And we continue...

Both John and Steve were sharing views and talking astronomy with our visitors, answering many questions on celestial mechanics - and we were asked often if this particular conjunction of planets was a regular event.

The Toshiba Android Tablet was very helpful in demonstrating the planets we were looking at...

...and displaying the relative positions of the planets in their orbits. A great tool for our sessions...

And the crowds continue....

Regular Chicago Astronomer fans arrived to catch this conjunction and had a great time bouncing from scope to scope and chatting with me and the crew...

Some, unfamiliar with telescopic views, expected to see Hubble-like images. I had to explain the mechanics of bringing these objects down to Earth in order for mere mortals to catch the bands of Jupiter or the Ice caps of Mars. But, many were enthralled at viewing these objects, including the Orion Nebula and double star systems...first hand...

Chicago Police stopped by and joined us for awhile and the beat car team desired to stop by again soon. Around 9:00 pm the gross lighting shut down and plunged the observation area into a darker environment - allowing for a much more comfortable and darker sky treat...

At about 10:00 pm, the dual planets were sinking fast in the west ...

...and they were becoming more and more difficult to view with any clarity, so I trained the beast to the Orion Nebula for a bit. But soon, I called it and broke down the site.

My first Chicago Astronomer session last week really beat me down, but I feel that one must re-adapt to star party sessions after a long time idle during the winter months. The pace and cadence returns slowly, still familiar but these early season sessions are a re-training for me. I felt good after this one and prepping for a busy 2012 observational season....and the crew attended to 86 visitors for this session

Our Astronomer crew for the evening...

C.A. John, C.A Steve, Myself and Adler Telescope facilitator Fred.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

And.....

A great Chicago Astronomer fan, Joey......got me several mugs with "Astronomer Joe" printed on it.

She got these for my birthday last month and only now had the opportunity to share.

So very cool I must say and thank you!!!

[scottmason]

When is the next star party in Chicago?? I'd love to come join. Hopefully with a new scope!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Hi Scottmason,

Chicago Astronomer star parties are not scheduled in advance - due to finicky weather and/or activities in the area such as concerts, games or other area congestion.

The best ways to find out when the next public observation session is to check here often, follow us on Twitter & Facebook...or send me your email address and you'll receive notices about celestial events and Chicago Astronomer Star Parties.

Hope to see you soon!

[atomant]

Hey Joe,

Which lights turned off? Parking lot?
Did that happen at our last observing session on Friday?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Bill,

The Parking lot, the parking apron and the large supernova lighting by the Galaxy stones went dark - bringing a much appreciated darkness.

Only happened on Tuesday, not the Friday session.