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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Peoria...Here come the Chicago Astronomers

I have created this thread to accommodate the planning of the upcoming Peoria Star Party graciously hosted and offered by our good friend and fellow Chicago Astronomer DeWayne.

Hail the Chicago Astronomers!

[dewayne]

I know it would be quite a trip for you all to come to Peoria, but I'd like to offer our facilities for a star party sometime. I think you would find it worthwhile.
The Peoria Astronomical Society has two observatories, one being a dark site observatory.
The dark site observatory is located on state land at Jubilee State Park.
IT IS DARK.
The only light pollution problem we have is to the southeast where Peoria's light dome is visible.
Other than that it is great.
On good nights we can see star clouds in the Milky Way naked eye.
In addition, we have a 24" and a 14" reflector housed there.
We don't use them much. Eveybody pretty much just brings their own scopes and looks through them.
You wouldn't even have to bring your own scopes. We could fire up the 24" and with the others from our club that would come out we'd have plenty of scopes for eveyone to look through.
What's really nice about this observatory is it's private, members only and others only with invitation. So, the folks who go out there know what they're doing.

[Al Degutis]

dewayne,

I'd seriously consider the 3.5 hour drive to observe through a 24" aperture. The last time I looked through a large scope was at the Lowell Observatory Sept 2004 and the wait was looooong thanks to the Mars opposition. We got there just at it opened and Mars was still too low to view so they were showing Alberio. Being exhausted from a long day that started at the Grand Canyon, we decided not get back in line to wait for Mars.

It's enticing to have "private" access to a nice site with a couple nice scopes. Let's discuss this and see what we can arrange. I'd have to get a hotel room nearby and maybe someone would be willing to share the room/split the cost. Since I coming farther northwest from most, I doubt anyone would carpool with me... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Joe, maybe you should make this it's own thread "The Peoria Star Party" so we could look ahead, discuss and plan a possible event.

[Doug]

I would be down for a trip to Peoria. I have never been, and I have always wondered if things would really "play in Peoria". Ha ha! 3 1/2 hours is nothing for some good dark skies.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

DeWayne,

Thanks for thinking about the Chicago Astronomers and offering to share peeks through the monster 24". It is certainly a great opportunity and let's discuss this further.

If it weren't so damned cold already!

Thank you, and we will talk more.

[dewayne]

If you go to astronomical.org, the PAS website, you can learn more about the observatories we have.

[dewayne]

I should have said when you go to the website on the left hand side is the words "about us." Click on that and you'll find the info on our two observatories. There is also a photo of the 24" reflector.

[Al Degutis]

Okay, now I'm hooked.

Hey, since the two big scopes are housed in observatories then we'd be somewhat sheltered the cold weather.

< digression > It was soooooo cold last night thanks to the blowing wind. The low was recorded as 29 degrees F but it had to be much lower with the wind chill<end-digression>

We could comfortably alternate between portable scopes outside and the larger, sheltered scopes.

Now I'm REALLY EXCITED.

Hmmm... now we just need to coordinate it around a weekend that is good for the masses AND the skies. Easier said than done.

[NatureDevil]

I would so be willing to drive to Peoria....I have driven to Key West just for the sake of doing so, and to watch a sunrise on the Atlantic coast.

Stars are as beautiful on the Florida keys at night as they are in the pitch black of New Mexico or Arizona or Minnesota or the upper penninsula of Michigan to even the 120 mph winds of Wyoming.

Plus, I'd like to get access to some facilities not usually available to my viewing. I'd be up for it. Only thing that would suck would be the emminent cold making its way to us as I type.

Alas, the price you pay for simple pleasures in life.

NatureDevil

[dewayne]

The domes don't offer much shelter. They are just big enough for the scopes and a person or two.
However, we have a warm-up building. We house our mowing equipment and such in there. It's an old barn we converted. It's nice. Now, that building is big enough to house everyone.
The only drawback to the site is it has no running water, so no indoor plumbing. But, we do have an outhouse. It's out in the middle of nowhere, after all. And, I mean nowhere. In the evening we see lots of deer and raccoons. Most nights you can also hear the coyotes howling.
When you guys put together some dates I'll send word out among the PAS members and see if we can put something together.
I'd have to get a keyholder to come out.
I haven't had the training yet for the dark site observatory, so I'm not a keyholder yet.
I'm sure we can get several guys to come out. We look for any excuse to go out. Imagine that!
I'm looking forward to putting this together.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

...And so it was written, so let it be done.

Al did a pretty good in prophesying clear skies for the October 9th Chicago Astronomer Star Party. I recommend that Al consults his oracle for a date of transparent skies.

This will be an exciting sorjourn for the Chicago Astronomers.

[Al Degutis]

How about Nov 7, 2004? ;D

I don't think my powers of atmosheric forecasting work that far from here.

[NatureDevil]

Well, if people are anxious, I could suggest the Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend. If people can wait, maybe the Saturday after New Years?

Just some suggestions.

I myself am planning two more road trips over the next two months. A 3 day road trip to Texas so I can hit Dallas, San Antonio and Austin (as well as all that empty space in between) and then a 2 week cruise throughout the east coast to end up at my girlfriends' cousins' house in South Carolina.

I have been to 28 states so far, and the east coast will add a lot more to it, but I don't think the skies there would be much better from suburban Chicago. Seems too cluttered. Much less light pollution in the midwest and southern states.

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

NatureDevil said:

Well, if people are anxious, I could suggest the Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend. If people can wait, maybe the Saturday after New Years?

I'm available the weekend after Thanksgiving but the problem is that the Friday after Thanksgiving is the full moon.

As for the Saturday after New Years, that would be the 8th since New Years in on a Saturday. That would be better from the stand point of moonlight. The moon will be only 6% illuminated and two days before a New Moon.

December is kinda busy for me with work and holidays, etc. How does Jan 8, 2005 sound to others?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

How does Jan 8, 2005 sound

It sounds mighty cold!

I'm not much of a road traveler, so I start to think about rough highway conditions during that time of year, getting stranded in a ditch and melting black snow from under the wheel wells for water and other embedded nutrients.

But I'm up for it, as long as I can lean on my friends for the journey. Also...let's think of an alternate weather date. Al is good with his weather oracle, and we C.A.'s are a hardy bunch.

Hail the Chicago Astronomers.

[NatureDevil]

Yeah the holidays are going to suck, but to quote Al being REALLY EXCITED I figured I'd go for as early as seemed available.

But the moon factor is important as well. January 8th sounds good to go for me.

Once you reach about 10 postings in the same forum with the word "party" in the name, things start happening.

NatureDevil

[Al Degutis]

If we do gather at PAS on January 8, 2005 we should have a good view of Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz).

dewayne,

Would there be power available if I did decide to bring my 8" LX200? I'd like to take some photos of the comet. If not, I'll start looking for a good battery pack.

[dewayne]

We have power in the warm up room, and we have a power/telephone pole in the observation area with an outlet.
I spoke to the club president last nite about you folks coming down.
When you guys pick out some dates I'll pass them on to him and we'll see what we can set up.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I spoke to the club president last nite about you folks coming down

You mean he either didn't start laughing out loud, or didn't revoke your C.A. Membership?

You did tell him that we will be doing donuts on the observatory lawn upon our arrival, right?

Cool...The Chicago Astronomers shall conquer yet another county of Illinois. Ask Al how he prepared the local sheriff when we invaded his piece of the Earth.

[dewayne]

We'll be cool with the sheriff of Peoria County.
He and I share a grandchild - the product of my daughter and his grandson.

[Al Degutis]

I KNOW it'll probably be coooold but I'm voting for Jan 8, 2005. If we can get clear skies, the moonlight won't be an issue PLUS Comet C/2004 Q2 should be a prime target.

dewayne,

What's are the lat/long coordinates of the observing site? Guestimating the location it looks like the limiting naked eye visibility is somewhere between 5.6 and 6.2. Nice dark skies and possibly even better that what I'm accustom to (5.6 mag).

We'll be cool with the sheriff of Peoria County.
He and I share a grandchild - the product of my daughter and his grandson.

An indirect by-product of an astronomer! ;D

[Al Degutis]

Any word on a date?

I suggested Jan 8, 2005 which is barely a month away.

[dewayne]

Things are up in the air for me right now.
The editor of one of our newspapers left.
I am working my position as senior reporter and as editor of that paper.
My schedule is really bad right now.
I'll be on this schedule until at least the first of the year.
I didn't anticipate this situation when I suggested the party.
I hit 15b year with the company in October. So, I'm up to 4 weeks vacation now.
As soon as I get the new editor on his or her feet I'll take some vacation time around a new Moon and see if that will work for you folks.
Sorry all.