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[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky - "Stargazer"

Pic taken at Astrofest 2002 with her 10" Homemade Dobsonian, along with Husband Bill.

[stargazer]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting the pic of the scope. My husbands name is Bill. This was taken after three days of no sleep what so ever. It was not only my first Astrofest but First Light for the scope.

we met so many wonderful people and had a great time. Gomer really put this scope through its paces to really check it out. It came away with flying colors. I will admit I cried like a baby when I first looked through the scope. The very first thing I saw was the Moon. ( It was the only thing viewable at the time) But well worth the look. I saw so many thing that I had never seen on the Moon before. It was a trip to a Star Party I will never forget. I have more as soon as I figure out how to get the in here.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky,

Steps to posting pics...

1. Identify your desired pic on your hard drive.

2. Set up a free account at : www.photobucket.com

3. Upload your pics and copy the address assigned to your pic

4. Create your post. In the body of your post...click on the fourth button on the bottom row - above the smileys. Insert the address of your pic - replacing the "URL" between the brackets.

And you are done.

Please keep all your pics at 350 pixels or less. It is quicker to load and saves bandwith - and keep the post topical to the catagory you are posting a pic to.

Happy posting.

[stargazer]

Thanks Joe,

I have pics of the scope I woud like to post to show you all the paint job on it. I took some at the star party sat night.

Becky

[sarwat]

Hello stargazer,

Hmmmm I wonder how much sand this thing would hold....makes the heart skip a beat, doesn't it. I freak out and run with the blower when I see a speck on my scope. Yes, forget the lens, even when it on the tube.

This looks like a fine piece of glass. Must be lot of fun, especially under the dark skies. Enjoy it, and tell all the faint fuzzies that I love them. The evil sodium vapor is holding me prisoner but I will come and see them as soon as I can.

Sarwat

[stargazer]

Hi Sawart,

I am not sure how much it would hold and dont really want to find out with the Mirror in there. It is great in really dark skies.

I tried to post some more pics of the scope but for some reason I got the red 'X's" is the problem fixed now and if so I will try to repost them.

Becky

[stargazer]

Here is some pics of my scope. Hope you enjoy them.





I think they are to big. if they are I am sorry. My husband put them in here (the puter)

Becky

[NatureDevil]

They're not too big, they're perfect, Incredibly detailed, that thing is huge!

I'd have questions, but I know so little about telescopes right now I don't know what to ask. Give me a few months.

NatureDevil

[stargazer]

Thanks NatureDevil,

To give you somewhat of an idea about the scope. The tube is 56" long made out of schedule 80 pvc sewer pipe, Dont remember what we made the base out of. The total wieght of the scope is about 135 pounds. (more then me) I call it my little cannon. . It def gets alot of looks when it is at Star Parties. I have had people take pics of just the paint job on it. This year we are going to redue the paint on the tube and I will put a few graphics on it. I am not sure which ones yet still looking. I know I am going to put my nickname on it. I will post pics when it is redone.

If anyone wants to know whats on it please feel free to ask. Yes this is my little baby.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becks,

I like the pics of the scope, it's quite a light bucket...sponging in all that faint light of the cosmos.

But a few questions....

What is that wire by the Telrad?

Is that motorized gizmo on the bottom for the Altitude control?

Can you "twist" the tube to adjust the focuser/eyepiece to a comfortable position?

One last item...

Although a couple a great pics and detail fantastic, could you please reduce the size of them to about 350 pixels. The ones above are twice the size (768x576).

The problem with that is the bandwith that is consumed, and the time it takes to download. This forum is on someone elses server, and I don't want to anger the owners, who let us use it for free.

Thanks, and let's see more.

[stargazer]

Hi Joe,

I will talk to my husband today about making them smaller. Sorry. I was suprized I got them in here.

Ok to answer your questions.

1. The wire by the Telrad is the wire for the heater in the secondary. we have dew heaters on the focuser, the telrad, the eyepieces, the secondary, and a fan to cool the primary, and a dew heater for the finderscope.

2. The electronic gizmo is the Robo Scope Tracking System. Its 600 to 1 motors. We have the program to make it a goto but it wont work on the puter we have windows xp and it wont work on anything higher then 98. So we only using it for tracking.

3. Yes I can twist the tube to get the focuser to a better position but usually we have the camera attached so it dosent matter to us where the focuser is at. When we do Star Parties we hook up the camera this way no one is having to look in the eyepiece or really get to close to the scope. I feel better that no one will knock the scope over or fall into it.

As you can see at the bottom of the second pic there is a battery to run the heaters and fan and when we use the camera we run power off the car battery as we are running a tv/vcr. We have on the battery a solar panel to charge the battery during the day this way we never run out of juice for it.

If I knew what town you lived in I would say lets get together with the scopes and you can see the whole system together. I have a lot accross the highway from me that we go to and get pretty good horizons and somewhat good skies. or we could plan ahead and go to a star party for the club and you can come as my brother. We have Star Parties every weekend except full Moons.

If anyone else has any questions please ask and I shall answer them for you.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

The red X's is a problem currently on the servers hosting our pics. I understand that something drastic happened to their disk arrays, and they are working diligently on the problem. It should be fixed by tomorrow.

I live right smack in the Heart of Chicago. Let's see when a mini star party can be arranged.

Thanks for the explanation. It certainly is quite an impressive telescope. What do you show the images on?

[stargazer]

Joe,

When we have the camera on the scope we are also running the TV/VCR. Its live feed to the TV and Video taped at the same time. people watch the TV and of course we get the OOOHS and AAAAHS each time. we have been thanked many times for the way the scope is set up. Right now we have no way of doing a projection screen. And Yes we have a red cover for the TV not that we use it all the time.

Im sure we can figure out something for the whole gang to come out to somewhat darker skies and have a small Star Party.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

In conversations with Becky, I learned that she is the recipient of a few Astronomical Certificates. I respectfully requested that she send them to me to display here.

Thru diligent study, skill and work, Becky received Lunar, Constellation and her first ...from the Amateur Astronomer Foundation recognitions.

I have never seen one, and might say that I am quite impressed. Quite cool!

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Joe,

I am including a pic of my daughter when she was 27 months old at her own scope. I wanted to put it in the site but not quite sure where it would fit in. Her name is CJ and she has a 60mm Meade. She was very proud of herself the day she did this as you can see by the second pic.

It's always nice to see good parents passing their passion for astronomy to their kids.

Nice job Becky.

[stargazer]

Hi Joe,

Thanks for posting the certs and Cj. But I see we still have the dreded red "x"s Did you happen to catch on the Constellation Cert the number. I gotbig ole #1. now if they could put these on the AL site I would be really happy. Oh well only time will tell.

Thanks Again Joe
Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky,

You go tell the Astronomical League that "The Chicago Astronomer" though highly of you enough to proudly post your achievements, and that they should do the same...immediately.

The dreaded red "X''s are gone, banished to the far side of Alpha Centuri.

All Hail Becky! - Hoorah!

Enjoy.

[stargazer]

Hi Joe,

After checking the AL site yeterday I did see one of them was up there. Its going to be a fight for the other one. Oh well I had to fight the bugs to get them. I will not give up my quest for the others I want to acheive.


Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky Organizes an Astronomical Organization here - just Outside of Chicago...

Our fellow Chicago Astronomer, Becky, was recently the subject of an article describing her organizing efforts in creating a C.L.A.S.S chapter here in upper Illinois.

____________________________

Bright City Lights? Start a CLASS chapter - it's simple!

Besides teaching her own daughter about telescopes (photo), Rebecca Saflarski and the Northwest Suburban Astronomers of Illinois, along with almost all the other clubs in the Night Sky Network, provide programs for Girl Scouts. Introducing the sky by pointing out the stars that have planets, helping girls earn their badges, and conducting sky treasure hunts, clubs like Tacoma Astronomical Society in Washington, Kansas Astronomical Observers of Wichita, and Treasure Coast Astronomical Society in Florida actively promote girls' interest in science.


Rebecca Saflarski of Northwest Suburban Astronomers of Illinois has started a CLASS chapter near Chicago. Let's find out why as she relates her experience:

While searching the Internet for observing programs I came across John Wagoner's web site for City Lights Astronomical Society for Students (CLASS). I contacted John Wagoner as I live in the light polluted skies near Chicago and wanted a program I could do from my home. I also do a lot of public star parties I want to show students and the public objects viewable in our skies.

Even though John lives in Texas and I am in Illinois, I was told no one up here was doing the program so John and I discussed starting a Chapter here. I was thrilled to do it because I could bring astronomy to the undeserved, disabled, and schools in towns around Chicago that have so much light pollution that our skies are almost washed out.

The three programs that CLASS offers are very easy to do. It gives the students something to look for since each program is geared toward light polluted skies. When I did a star party for a Girl Scout Troop, we gave the three programs to all the girls. I also showed the girls the pins they could earn for completing the programs. Out of maybe 45 girls, 30 of them said they wanted to do the program. I am hoping that CLASS becomes as successful here in Illinois as it has in Texas.

More here at: nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

__________________________

Excellent job Becky.

Recognition in your efforts is as important to the hobby as showing someone the rings of Saturn for the first time or explaining the mechanics of an eclipse to future astronomers.

Thank you for your efforts...keep it up!

[stargazer]

Thanks Joe,

I am hoping this goes as well here in the State of Ill as it does in Texas where CLASS comes from. I have saved all of it for Cjs baby book. As of this morning the story is still running front page. I cant believe it. At 3 years old she is famous. Now that school is in session I guess I have to contact the schools and get this program into the schools here. I am really excited about doing it.

Now for the other news of the day. One of the things I wanted to do was search for Asteroids or Comets. Well yesterday I signed up to do just that. I start in early Sept for the hunt. I will keep everyone up to date on how its going. Who knows I may find a Asteroid.

Becky

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

The Chicago Astronomer's Youngest Member

At a recent Triton College Monthy Star party, I snapped a couple of pics of Becky and Bill's daughter, Cj.

Quite cool!

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Beck's has yet another certificate that she can put up on the wall....is there any space left?

Congrats on the good job and effort of spotting the burning space rocks.

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky's Sunspotter Certificate

Congrats to Chicago Astronomer Becky for her diligent work on sunspot observation and documentation. Keep them certs coming!

;D

[Chicago Astronomer Joe]

Becky had submitted a solar rainbow pic taken from a camera phone...

I like sun-dogs, sun-pillars and full solar rainbows...very nice!

Perhaps she can tell more of the photo opportunity.

[stargazer]

I did a Astronomy Day at Bartlet High School last sat. even though no one showed up we still had a good time. While walking around in the parking lot trying to figure out a few things I looked up to see if we should set up the scope for some solar observing and saw this. graped a friends phone and took this pic. I had never seen anything like this in person but thought it was neat. I might make Tom Skilling's weather but not sure yet. The pic was taken about 2:15 pm under really cloudy conditions.

Becky