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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The following are photos of nice people who have stopped by my telescope set-up by the Adler Planetarium to view and talk astronomy. They are presented in no particular order.

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28 May 2004

Here I had the great opportunity to meet and talk with a world traveler. Gottfried, (from Austria), is spanning the globe, and visiting far away places. Chicago was his stop on the week of the 28th of June. I have attached his note along with the digipic that his companion took of us.

Chicago Astronomer Joe, Birgit and Gottfried

hi joe,

i am one of the austrian guys you have met the other day at chicago's planetarium. i hope you remember us. you have showed us the moon, venus,
jupiter and also explained a lot about the planets. very
interessting. and as promised, i have put all the pics from our trip and of course also the part about chicago on my web space, which can be found via - (omitted untill I get permission to post the address) -
pictures of chicago.

i hope it is ok, that i have also put your pics in the collection. if you want to have full resolution pictures with 4mega pixel, i can send
them to you via email. the images on the web page are optimized for web access and are therefor reduced in size and quality.

it was very nice to meet you and thanks again for the unforgettable
experience. seeing the moon, venus, and jupiter was great. really
amazing.

br, gottfried

Nice people to meet, and I am pleased to have shared some quick views of the heavens with them.

Joe
[glow=blue,2,300]Chicago Astronomer[/glow]

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23 April 2004

I met Adrian on a rather cold Friday evening. He was there with out of town family and friends, who stopped by the scope to take a peek. Adrian conversation was quite energetic and interesting.

Chicago Astronomer Joe and Adrian

Hi, Joe!

This is Adrian, one of the the guys who yesterday went to observe the sky through your telescope. Remember me?Thanks a lot for the chance and the sharing! I really enjoy looking up to the stars at night, especially in an open light-free space and, of course, through a telescope.

What I enjoyed the most from yesterday were the views of the moon and Saturn. They were very clear, especially the moon. It seemed like a picture. Also, I think yesterday I got a better view of the rings of Saturn than the first time early in the week. Also, as soon as I get the pictures, I'll send them to you.

Ok, Joe, this ocassion is just to say hello and to thank you for your sharing during the week. I hope to get the chance to look up again soon. Till then take care and I wish you a nice day.

Adrian B.

Hey Adrian, write in, eh?

Joe
[glow=blue,2,300]Chicago Astronomer[/glow]

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24 April 2004

I met Sarwat by the lake while showing views to a group of East coast visitors, (see below). Sarwat did a search on Chicago Astronomy, and just by chance, came across a post I had made on a different board a couple of days earlier. He wrote me, introduced himself. I stated that I may be at my usual spot that weekend and perhaps to stop by if he had time.

It was nice that he took a chance that I would be there and we became quick friends. His knowledge of advanced astronomy impressed me, as he took the initiative to point out sky objects to the group. I quietly thought how I may push him into the lake so that I remain Court Astronomer, but it was nice to have a knowledgable person there.

Hi Joe,

I read your posting on adler volunteers group. I am
not a member of the group; I was just looking for
anything on
star gazing activities in Chicago.

I was wondering if you can add my email to the
astronomy news mailing list that you mentioned. Also,
I would very much like to meet you the next time you
setup your telescope near adler. Please let me know
when is the next time you are planning to do so.

I was searching for a local astronomy news group and the only one I could find was this volunteers group. Luckily, you had posted just two days before. Had I not come accross that posting, I would have just thought it to be another inactive group.

I recently became interested in star-gazing (I avoid
the word astronomy since I don't really measure
anything, not yet anyway). Otherwise, I am working
towards PhD in Theoretical Computer Science. I am from
India, (the city of Benares, if you have heard about
it) and have been studying here since last two years.
It was an interesting and pleasant evening. The only
thing better than a clear night sky with a telescope
is a clear night sky with a bigger telescope and
people sharing the interest.

Thanks, but I am only a rookie, and I would be happy
to learn from veterans like you. Looking forward to
more observing sessions.

Looking forward to your newsletter.

Thanks and regards
Sarwat

(Messages complied into one)

I had not created this forum/bulletin board yet, so it was just the Newsletter that I was sending out. I am glad to have Sarwat's participation here.

Joe
[glow=blue,2,300]Chicago Astronomer[/glow]

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23 April 2004

Jayesh is from the East Coast and was on a visit to Chicago. He was part of a group, some of which are residents of the Chicago area. The group carefully sized the situation before approaching, but after encouragements to view, were enjoying the skies in no time.

Chicago Astronomer Joe, Sarwat (again!), Mona, Renuka, Kruti, Ketan and Jayesh (in the back).

Joe,

How are you? How is Nancy? Hope all is well. My name is Jayesh Patel. I ran into you and Nancy while you were at the planetarium on Friday night with your telescope. Thanks for showing us Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon. It was one of the best experiences we have had. We talked about how beautiful the planets and the moon is close up and how we would like to learn more about the planets and stars.

Thanks again for getting us started on learning more about the heavenly bodies.

Give my regards to Nancy and next time we are in Chicago, maybe we can meet up again.

Jayesh Patel


The stars are elusive to us city dwellers, but there is "just" enough to capture in our telescopes to keep us interested.

Thanks Jayesh for the kind words, and let me know when you come by Chicago way again.

Joe
[glow=blue,2,300]Chicago Astronomer[/glow]