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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Chicago Astronomer Star Party

Monday, 24 September 2012

It's been awhile since our last full Chicago Astronomer Star Party...and Monday looks like a good night. A high pressure cold front will be moving in on Sunday - leaving our skies clear and clean.

I will set up telescopic equipment by 7:30 pm and remain till 10:00 pm at our Chicago Astronomer primary public observation site - just south of the Adler Planetarium Building.

We will share a good Moon for our friends, fans and visitors for this session...and target other early fall goodies like Binaries and star clusters.

Be there...you know you want to.

[Paulie pchris00]

I do want to.

[marie83]

I just joined your group and I would love to come!
MG

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Marie,

Welcome to the Chicago Astronomer and bring along your scope for the session on the 24th!.

We will guide you in it's usage and the sky.

In your other post here, tell us some more about your scope and interest in the night sky.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

We are a SOLID GO for tonight's Chicago Astronomer Star Party by the lake.

Weather looks clear and crisp.

Don't miss it.

[marie83]

Thank you, everyone, for last night! It was amazing... I don't know how I could have lived my life before and the best part is - that there are so much "stuff" there for me to learn and explore!
See you next time - with my scope
Marie

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

A smooth and pleasant gathering of Astronomers and fans

24 September 2012

This was a smooth and easy star party. No rush, long lines or limited time at the eyepiece for our visitors. A bit chilly, the winds were brisk at times and I had to remove the C11's Extended Dew Shield to limit the shaking.

Chicago Astronomers Paulie and Patrick arrived - along with Support crew members Barbara and Maria...which made a nice astro family to commiserate and work the crowd. It was a Moon highlighted night and I immediately slewed over...

The C11 was delivering exceptional views this evening. Paulie made mention of the slight purplish hue of the Moon - due to the Light Pollution filter that is permanently attached to the right directional and also noticed the slight libration of the lunar limb...

None other than Astronomer would notice this, but it does add a bit of nice contrast...

Our guests were taken in awe at scanning the Moon's surface - keeping the magnification low for most of the session...

The crew attended to our visitors, answering questions, guiding points of interest in the skies and explaining the view in the scope. (I enjoy listening to the many conversations going on when other Astronomers are on-site at a Chicago Astronomer activity... )

Making new fans, we take our usual pics with our new Friends...

Just over our shoulder, in the Adler Planetarium building, workers were setting up the set for the "American Idol" show...

To be shot in the banquet hall, the show will have a great backdrop of the Chicago skyline with the judges back toward the windows.

Back to the skies...

I slewed over to the E.T Star Cluster and the Double Cluster in Perseus. Using the 90mm refractor riding piggy-back on the C11, it captures respectable images...

The first shot was taken with a normal daylight white balance, but for good astro images, I like to kick the balance to the Tungsten setting. Much better, as it helps to remove the ambient light pollution glow. Shot with the 2" Maxview in the 90mm and the Canon PowershotS3...decent.

New Chicago Astronomer Forum member Marie stopped by and shared the evening with us. She's very excited about urban astronomy and will bring along her 4.5" reflector next time.

We spent the rest of the session back on the Moon, displaying a great terminator edge...

By 10:00 pm, our visitors had thinned out and it was time to break down the C11 and reflect on a successful time under city stars. We had a total of 45 visitors and it was nice to have fellow Chicago Astronomers on-site...even without their scopes...

[Paulie pchris00]

It was a fun night, and great to see everybody. It was weird not having my own scope, but was enjoyable in its own way. I got to stand back and watch and listen more than usual. It was also great to have a physicist on hand.

As for the purple hue on the lunar views, it was pleasant, and not much different than a neutral density filter. Not really noticeable if you're not looking for it and already in the know.

[patrickm]

A great time. Thanks for the views, both ocular & intellectual!