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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Chicago Astronomer Star Party Session

Wednesday - 23 May 2012

With NATO Madness over with and things coming back to normal, I think it's time for another Chicago Astronomer gathering of scopes, stars and Astronomers.

The weather will be nice and warm on Wednesday, the 23rd of May and I will set-up the C11 by 7:00 pm at our primary observation site - just west of the Adler Planetarium building.

We will enjoy great views of Saturn, Mars and the ever shrinking crescent of Venus...anticipating her Transit event across the Sun on June 5th.

If free or in the area, stop by and enjoy the urban skies with us.

[patrickm]

I am IN. No, really. I think I am. Acme Safe be damned.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Sweet!

Gonna be a nice clear and warm evening.

The best Saturn I have seen was through your 9.25"...!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Weather looks ideal for tonight's public observation session.

We will have a great slender crescent Moon to enjoy - no extra charge.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Last Update before the session...

We are a solid go.

Perhaps even some solar observing before the evening's planetary fun!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Cool temps and three planets...

Arriving at 7:00 pm, C.A. Bill was already on-scene and doing some solar observing. I brought along the the full aperture filter with the intent to do some myself...but by the time I set-up and with low layin' clouds hugging the horizon the, the Sun couldn't punch thru either the C11 or the Seymour 90mm filter.


With the Sun low and heat cut down, I projected the Solar disk onto the back our a Chicago Astronomer placard and we caught an interesting "Apocalypse Now" moment...

A helicopter hovered just right to our line of sight and made for a nice moment.

By that time, we started to attract our visitors and some wanted to touch the sun...

With the Skies still too bright, I slewed over to the skyline and displayed the antennae array on top of the Sears Tower...

Soon, C.A. Patrick joined in and then there were three Astronomers with two SCTs and one Refractor...

Just before the Sun sank below sight, it brightened up and I shot a few through the 90mm filtered scope...

C.A Support Crew member Barbara joined as well as started doing what she does for us...

Approaching the curious and prepping on what's to be seen in our scopes, she was also diligently counting our visitors.

Friends and fans stopped by for some scope time...

The Chicago Astronomer likes when his friends brings tributes...and this evening Kate & Mike brought me homemade bread and giardiniera. Yums!!...

The Moon popped out from the twilight and we all slewed to it..

Soon after, Venus came into view for the crew...

Many felt that we were looking at the Moon, and wanted to see Venus. After I explained about solar system mechanics, the majority understood the phasing...but a few still were insistent that we were looking at the Moon...

And we continue with our observation...

The evening went along smoothly, with C.A.s Patrick and Bill attending to the many guests that were excited on peering at celestial objects. It was refreshingly cool and comfortable for me as Saturn finally came into view and as always, was the hit of the evening....but Venus and the crescent Moon was very much enjoyed as well...

I noticed that Venus was about to slip behind the Sears Tower...

How interesting that Venus took on a reddish hue as it approached the building. Speaking red...I also targeted Mars for a short bit, but Mars...as mysterious as it is, is not a very interesting planet to look at through the telescope. So small and distant, one can just about make out the polar ice ice and terrestial markings...but only if you know what to looks for. And the seeing was not all that great this evening anyway...

C.A. Support Crew member Maria arrived later in the session and then there were 5 of us. We met a very nice couple who were very much interested and stayed with us for quite a while. Slewed over to various object for them, including the Double-double, Vega, the binary at the bend of the Big Dipper's handle...while Bill and Patrick were picking out fainter objects such as M31 and M57

And we continue...

At around the 10:30 pm mark, we started to break down...

Late in the session, we felt warm south breezes washing over us, and we had a good time attending to 97 visitors for this very pleasant session. Discussing astronomy, using our tablets, having laughs and sharing the cosmos is always a good time for us.

Big shout out to Patrick, Bill, Barbara & Maria...!

[magic612]

Looks like you have a nice evening and a good crowd!

[RobbW]

Great job, all! I feel bad missing out on yet another successful CA session. However, as the arrival of the newest addition to our family draws near, I must remain close to home. I most likely will not get to many CA sessions this season, if any at all. My new responsibilities will require a large amount of my time. However, all is not lost. I am developing my own local CA-style outreach. Super local. As in, just across the street from my house. I can't go without ANY public outreach this year!

Anyway, I have a question about Patrick's 9.25 EdgeHD in the pics. Patrick, is your dew shield notched out to accommodate the dovetail bar? Is is there a gap between the end cell of the OTA and the dovetail bar that the dew shield is able to slip under? The dovetail bar on my C8 goes almost all the way to the end of the cell, and there is no space between it and the OTA. My dew shield has to wrap around the dovetail bar, which I don't particularly care for. I was just wondering how it appears that your dew shield is under the dovetail.

[-=CROMAN=-]

Robb... I bought a shield from ebay that was notched out for the dovetail. It was around $28

[RobbW]

That's cool, Rich. Unfortunately, my dew shield has a heat strap built into the bottom of it. So, I can't really notch it out to fit it around the dovetail, otherwise it would cut the wires and make the heating element useless. That's why I'm asking about Patrick's dew shield. I see a wire running from the bottom of it. So I'm assuming it is a heated dew shield and would like to know how it attaches to his scope.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Patrick's dew shield is indeed heated.

During last night's session, dew was forming on our equipment. Checking my Corrector Plate...I was still good, but Patrick's CP was starting to dew up. He flicked on the dew heater, but by then we were pretty much done for the evening.

Unsure if it was notched though.

[patrickm]

Robb,
Yep, it's notched and heated.
www.astrozap.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=51

As I found out, it only works when turned on.

[patrickm]

What a fun night!

Of course, it's always great to get to hang out with the gang and look at stuff, but I get lazy. While viewing the sun, we got treated to a recreation of the famous scene from "Apocalypse Now." As soon as the little kid on the step ladder peeked through my eyepiece and saw the crescent moon, he looked at me, and about 6" from my face, screamed, "IT'S AWESOMMMMME!" Instantly, it was worth getting off of the couch. The bus driver came by twice between runs. The beat cop was too cool. The beautiful couple in the Indian finery were there for quite a while asking questions. And in one picture you can see Joe explaining to a group of kids about some of the weird stuff he's seen while viewing the moon.




Barbara was awesome as usual. We're both smitten by Saturn.



Revenge is a dish best served cold.



This nice couple from Switzerland stuck around for a while and said that star viewing was better here than there because of the light pollution. Wish I spoke German.


Some of the suited people from the Adler even joined us for a while as well.




Joe explains the strange things he's seen while observing the moon to this nice group of curious young people.





Officer Julian, the Northerly Island beat cop and new father (Congrats!), joined us for a bit.



Somehow, Maria just apparated on the scene and began taking pics and talking to people. How did she do that?


This family also stuck around for a while and asked a lot of great questions.

A really fun night under less stellar than promised sky conditions. Can't wait to do it again. Thanks everybody for making it so enjoyable.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I had a rod in my hand....and I know how to use it.

Wheeee!

I dig the pics and cool that you were there Patrick.

(Now, I'm often asked "Why do you set up here with all this light?" It's a valid question and there are a plenty of darker sites to set-up a scope in shaded solitude. I do solo or non-public sessions from time to time, but sharing the views of the cosmos with people I never met is why I set-up scopes with my friends by the Adler. The foot traffic can't be beat, as we have attended to thousands over the years - showing them objects they would probably never see - and receives smiles and grins in return. And, the "wow" moment when somebody observes a celestial object for the very first time, (Saturn & the Moon especially), is what's it's about.

Sometimes I get annoyed at those who grab the scope, yank on the focuser or parents who let their kids climb the scope. But moments like Patrick's little visitor make it well worth the time.

And we will do it again.... )

[RobbW]

Keep the photos and the narratives coming, my fellow CA comrades (if I'm still allowed to claim CA status). I am watching intently and studying your methods! As I said before, I must remain close to home this summer due to my upcoming paternal responsibilities. However, I cannot and will not give up public outreach completely during this time.

I am doing my best to perform CA-style sidewalk astronomy near my home for my neighbors and other community members. I am launching a new marketing campaign within my neighborhood with the hopes of bringing out more neighbors to have a look at our night skies. I could really use all the advice anyone can offer as far as attending to successful outreach events such as this. This past Wednesday, I had my first event with an actual audience. All batteries for all my cameras were dead, so no pics. Very sorry! I had about 11 people show up, most of the high school students. The students had taken a break from studying for their finals specifically to come out and have a look through my scope.

Where I could really use advice is on trying to figure out what else I can do during this events to keep things interesting for everyone involved. There are only so many night sky objects that are bright enough to see in light-polluted skies and interesting enough to hold the attention of the general public. Once you cycle through those, what else can you do? I'm thinking of coming up with mini night sky presentations to do at each outreach event. Perhaps pick a specific constellation or area of the sky and do a laser-light presentation pointing out certain items and explaining their history, mythology, and present-day knowledge. I want to give my neighbors a reason to come out to each event. I don't want them to get bored seeing the same objects through my telescope every single time.

[patrickm]

Robb,
Have never had that problem! You can always go to fainter DSOs while explaining what it is they're seeing, how far away it is, and thus why it's so faint. Your ideas sound cool, but I've never had bored people--at least that they shared. :-)

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Robb....

Sometimes...there are no planets nor Moon to share - then it becomes difficult to awe.

But, we get to that in a bit.

I always stick with planets, Moon and Binaries for a 1,2,3 punch of astronomical fun. The Moon alone can be the Sole target for an evening...picking out interesting areas, such as the Lunar landings, ejecta rays or terminator relief. There have been time where I completely ignored planets and focused just on the Moon.

I like binaries, starting off with the Mizar/Alcor eye test and moving to others. Splitting them is always cool and no one has walked disappointed. I also like to explain the age of the stars by their color - demonstrating the difference between Spica and Arcturus in the scope...kicking up the magnification and allowing the color of the star to talk for itself.

DSOs are normally not in the cycle of objects I'll slew to for the general public. A smudge here, a faint glow there...doesn't rock their boat. But I will when a person(s) expresses great interest in observational astronomy and I'll show them objects not in the queue.

And then...there is always non-telescope instruction, outlining the constellations and mythology/lore, time it takes light bouncing off planets to reach us and other cosmological/astronomical factoids. And yea...I like to talk about the Mayan Calendar/UFO/exterrestial angles as well...

Using the tablet and other props help out a lot.

Time for family is vital and important. I need to stay close to home, (more than usual), for the foreseeable future myself and understand the tug between the two responsibilities.

As long as you keep sharing your adventures here on the Chicago Astronomer, keep the C.A. alive on your end - and we see you every once in awhile in-between solar eclipses...you are good...

[-=CROMAN=-]

Wanna check out my samsung camera? Its gotten some wows from the folks in front of my house

[scottmason]

Wish I could have made this. Thanks for the invites I got by phone & email, guys. Looks like it was fun!

[Paulie pchris00]

I feel like I've been busy the past week, but that doesn't seem- what's the word I'm looking for? True.

Regardless, yesterday morning was the first I've read this thread since the star party. Robb, it's great that you're doing local outreach, and that you anticipate a large repeat audience. I have some ideas that might work for you.

Planets are great, and should always be used when you can. Even better is our good old Moon. Even if Luna isn't your cup of tea, try to plan many of these star parties around the lunar cycle, using different phases of the cycle. After a couple of sessions, you can use an app or program to compare the features seen near the terminator at the previous session to how they look under different lighting. It's also a great way to explain celestial mechanics by using the lunar cycle.

Also, use the seasonal shift of the constellations. If you're observing from the same location every time, and will be out at roughly the same time each night, have your audience draw the stars and/or constellations they see. Then when they come back, have them draw the stars and constellations to compare with what they saw the previous time. Use the changes to show how the night sky changes as Earth orbits the Sun. You can sprinkle in the mythology too.

Tie the planetary observing into the observations of the constellations. Note the position of the planets in relation to the stars (the same can be done with the Moon, if the Moon isn't drowning out too many of the stars). These too can be compared at the next session. If any comets are observed, you can help note the position with your green laser pointer, so that it's changing position can be noted.

There might be Power Point programs available online (Night Sky Network, maybe?). Or if you have the time and inclination, you could write your own.

With your go-to scope, I think the showpiece DSOs should be highlighted. As always, downplay the visual appearance, and stress it's importance, light travel time, etc. A galaxy or two would be great, because how many people can say they've seen light that's traveled millions of years? Globular clusters are good, too. These mini-galaxies will show better than distant galaxies, with a few stars resolvable. Open clusters and stellar nurseries should also be shown, if possible.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm drawn to the changing nature of our universe. Whether it's the constant travel of Luna around us, the shifting Galilean Moons, the fast rotation of Jupiter, the changing orientation of Saturn's rings, the phase of Venus, watching as the planets wander the Zodiac, our several recent supernovae, or the changing of the seasons in the sky, I like to see how things change. Teach your audience to be good observers, and I'll bet that they will also appreciate our constantly changing universe. Once they discover that they can watch some of these changes on their own, I'll also bet they're watching the sky more often and more carefully.

[RobbW]

Paulie, you da man!!! Those are some excellent tips. Thank you very much. I'm going to incorporate as much of that into my sessions as possible. As always, thank you to all the CA members who have helped me out. You are always a great resource, which is why I'm always proud to say I'm a member of the CA family, even if I don't make it down for all that many CA sessions. Thanks all!

[Paulie pchris00]

I rarely try to do a sidewalk session here in town without at least two good objects to show, usually the Moon and at least one planet. If there are more than one planet out- as has been the case all spring- I'll do a session without the Moon, but I'd rather have it to show than not. If you're at least out of the glare of streetlights and such, try a few Moonless sessions for DSOs. Can you do almost real time astrophotography? Even if the view in the eyepiece doesn't go over well, maybe some short exposure AP, maybe around 60 seconds or so while you're explaining the object, then display the image on a monitor. It doesn't have to be great AP, just enough to help identify the object and point out details to look for at the eyepiece. Gadgets and fancy technology can help sell the experience. It's all up to you how much effort you want to put into it, or maybe more realistically, have much time you'll have to put into the effort. I hope you find a balance that works, interests both you and the audience, and doesn't infringe too much on your family life. Best of success, Robb.

(And btw, as a Hoosier, I figure if I can call myself a CA, we're all CAs. The internet has extended the CA community to all parts of the country, continent, and planet. It's a state of mind).