As the saying goes: all good things must come to an end. And so, the 2011 Winter Star Party (WSP) in Marathon, Florida, is over. The awards ceremony and door prizes on Friday, March 4, recognized some of the fine astrophotography done at the WSP, as well as winners of the WSP’s 2011 Astronomy Outreach Astro Oscars.
At the closing ceremony of the 2011 Winter Star Party, it took 90 minutes to give away all the door prizes. Mike D. Reynolds photo
The Astro Oscars are presented each year to the true stars: those who deserve recognition for their outreach efforts. Previous awards have gone to individuals renowned for their outreach over the years: Tippy D’Auria, John Dobson, Jack Horkheimer, David and Wendee Levy, and Scott Roberts. This year’s Astro Oscars went to the Miami Valley Astronomical Society, Greg Piepol, and Gary Tomlinson. Congrats to these deserving awardees.
There were so many door prizes that it took nearly 90 minutes to give them away. Prizes included everything from accessories and gift certificates to books to eyepieces and telescopes. The two grand prizes were an Explore Scientific ED 127mm APO and mount and a Meade Instruments 8-inch LightSwitch. Alas, I did not win … again. Wait until next year!
Some creative observer nicknamed this year’s Winter Star Party the Windy Star Party because of steady, high winds. Mike D. Reynolds photo
Some nicknamed this year’s WSP the Windy Star Party. It seemed that although clear skies dominated the week for the most part, the winds were steady and high enough to interfere with many telescopes, especially the large Dobsonians. Dobs tend to act like big sails when exposed to wind.
One thing amateurs learn about observational astronomy is that when you set up at a specific site for a specific date, there’s not much you can do about the weather. You can stay home and think to yourself, “Well, it might be cloudy or windy at the WSP, so I am not going,” or you can do like the rest of us — go and take your chances. The wind played havoc when we went fishing, too, creating 4- to 6-foot seas. And trust me, people were getting really sick. (Not me, though.)
While at the 2011 Winter Star Party, the author product-tested Officina Stellare’s Hiper APO 130, a 5.2-inch apochromatic refractor for Astronomy magazine. Mike D. Reynolds photo
I was fortunate that I found a somewhat-protected area to do my observing and testing of the Officina Stellare 130mm APO telescope for
Astronomy magazine. Regardless of what telescope I use, I still marvel at the sights of the constellation Crux the Southern Cross, Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), and Centaurus A (NGC 5128). Even the Jewel Box Cluster (NGC 4755), low on the southern horizon, looked marvelous.
As I close this set of blogs from the 2011 WSP, I must include one other observation: seeing and spending time with many, many friends and making new ones was wonderful. Yes, the WSP is about observing, but for me it is also an opportunity to spend a week in paradise with good friends. What more could an amateur astronomer want?
So mark your calendars for next year’s Winter Star Party: February 20–25, 2012. For more information, visit www.scas.org/wsp.html. As the WSP motto goes: It’s time for your latitude adjustment. See you there!
Keep looking up!
Related blogs by Mike D. Reynolds
The Winter Star Party begins
The Winter Star Party continues