Astronomy.com blog : star parties

Astronomy contributing editor attends White House star party

Matt Quandt — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Special guest blog from Contributing Editor Martin Ratcliffe

President Barack Obama and his family joined 150 school children, dozens of amateur astronomers, professional scientists, and education and public outreach professionals Wednesday night during the Star Party at the White House. And how cool was this? “Cool” doesn’t even come close. I was lucky to be a part of the exciting events running one of the planetarium domes set up on the South Lawn of the White House.

Thirty of us spent most of the day setting up for the 2-hour evening event. And weather cooperated except for some strong winds during the daytime. A more perfect night could not have been achieved, with crystal clear skies of the nation’s capital.

Crater impact experiments and samples of Moon rock provided great activities to highlight today’s LCROSS impact on the Moon. Many telescopes ranging from 2 to 18 inches were available. Dr. Stephen Pompea demonstrated the 2-inch Galileoscope, and he showed me a great view of Jupiter’s moons. Dean Koenig of the Starizona company brought his amazing f/2 Fastar imaging system, which showed one group of children a quick image of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) right after they had seen M31 in my planetarium dome. The teacher had asked if they could see M31 directly, and I suggested they visit the Fastar scope and ask for a CCD image, and they saw it in all its glorious detail.

This unique night included special guests such as astronaut John Grunsfeld (Hubble servicing mission), Sally Ride (first American woman in space), Buzz Aldrin (second man on the Moon), and Charlie Bolden (NASA administrator, who helped launch Hubble from the cargo bay of the space shuttle).

White House staffers said presidents are not known to spend much time at events on the South Lawn. The Obamas spent more than an hour at the event, and the family showed a great deal of interest. They looked through telescopes at Jupiter and the Moon, and after his formal remarks, the president and first lady viewed the famous Double-Double in Lyra. As readers of Astronomy magazine know well, these objects are star party favorites.

Two planetarium domes were there, one supplied by Sky-Skan, Inc., a major digital planetarium supplier, and a second from Goddard Space Flight Center. The Obama family, daughters included, climbed into the Sky-Skan dome along with 25 school children, and they spent 10 minutes flying around the solar system and asked interesting questions. With two girls of my own, I know how important it is to expose your kids to science, and astronomy is a great way to do it. It was a great privilege to present the planetarium show for the president’s family, huddled as we were inside the 25-foot diameter dome.

Providing a cosmic perspective to young children is fun, engaging, and important, and bringing astronomy to the nation’s attention for a brief moment Wednesday night was the highlight of nearly 6 months of behind-the-scenes work by NASA educators, who, following encouragement from IYA organizers and many individuals to host a star party at the White House, were called in by the White House to plan the event.

Martin Ratcliffe, in addition to being a contributing editor to Astronomy magazine, is also Director of Professional Development for Sky-Skan.

May IYA2009 events

Karri Ferron — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:07:00 GMT

May starts out with a bang and continues with two much-anticipated space exploration launches. In addition, more and more local events are being added to the United States’ International Year of Astronomy calendar, so be sure to keep checking in for activities in your city. Here’s what’s in store for you internationally:

May 2009

NASA Theme: Our Sun (this month Galileo first wrote up his observations on sunspots in 1612)

Featured object in the sky: The Sun and sunspots

May 2: Celebrate Astronomy Day, organized by the Astronomical League, an umbrella group of amateur astronomy clubs in the United States. Check out the group’s web site to see if any events are happening near you. Astronomy magazine and Celestron are sponsoring some Astronomy Day events throughout the country, as well. Visitors to the events can pick up material from Astronomy magazine and enter drawings to win a Celestron telescope and other prizes from Astronomy.

May 4: Saturn and the almost full Moon are close (6° apart) in the night sky. See their exact positions in your night sky using Astronomy.com’s interactive star chart, StarDome.

May 6: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks before dawn. Observers under ideal conditions could see as many as 60 meteors per hour.

May 11: Start the countdown for shuttle Atlantis and Hubble Servicing Mission 4, whose launch window opens May 11. The mission will improve Hubble's sensitivity, enhance its scientific power, and extend its operational life.

May 14: The European Space Agency’s Planck and Herschel missions are set to launch. Planck’s main goal is to study the Cosmic Microwave Background — the remnant radiation from the Big Bang. Herschel, the most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space, will study the origin and evolution of stars and galaxies.

May 21: Early in the morning, before sunrise, you can see the crescent Moon, Venus, and Mars make a beautiful little triangle in the east-southeast.

May 31: Saturn and the Moon are close in the west in the evening sky.

Star party in West Texas

Michael Bakich — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:24:00 GMT

On Friday, April 24, the first Dark Sky Party at Sierra la Rana will take place. Activities will begin at 7:30 P.M. and continue until 11 P.M. Organizers’ goals are to expose the public to the marvels of astronomy and the importance of protecting dark skies, not just for astronomy, but also for area wildlife.

Sierra la Rana is a dark-sky friendly community (as evidenced by the dark-sky map at right) with an Astronomy Village and a common area with telescope pads for stellar viewing. The Dark Sky Party, which intends to be an annual event, will be held in the Astronomy Village. Sierra la Rana lies 2 miles south of Alpine, Texas, on Highway 118, and the Astronomy Village sits at the top of High Lonesome Drive.

Members of the Texas Star Party, one of the largest in the United States, have agreed to moderate the first Sierra la Rana Dark Sky Party. A slide show and discussion start at 8:15 P.M. followed by viewing through telescopes. Organizers encourage attendees to bring blankets, sweaters, chairs, and red lights — no white lights after sundown in the observing area, please. They also suggest visitors who bring telescopes set up on one of the telescope pads.

If you plan to attend the Dark Sky Party please RSVP by telephone at 817.975.8736 or by e-mail at giba@jmkint.com.

Image credit: P. Cinzano, F. Falchi (University of Padova), C. D. Elvidge (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder). Copyright Royal Astronomical Society. Reproduced from the Monthly Notices of the RAS by permission of Blackwell Science (www.lightpollution.it/dmsp)

2008 Chiefland Star Party, part three

Matt Quandt — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:44:00 GMT

Paul Atkinson filed his third report from the 2008 Chiefland Star Party. Take it away, Paul!

Monday night was pretty cold for Florida, and an unexpected cold front pushed through. The sky was clear, and the humidity all but disappeared. The seeing degraded from the front blowing through, and it caused the stars to dance quite a bit.

On the field, the die-hard imagers continued while others decided to use the night to observe visually. A tripod with 150 mm Fujinon binoculars was drawing attention from many observers. Because of the cold, I didn’t wander the field nearly as much as I wanted, but I did stop to take in a great view of the Veil Nebula through an 18-inch Dobsonian-mounted reflector.

I spent the night huddled in the new Kendrick Observer Tent. Jim Kendrick of Kendrick Astro Instruments sent his newest model down for me to try out during the star party. See the photo with my 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (C14) and 6-inch Takahashi TOA130 inside it. My buddy Mark Keitel and I observed lots of the faint fuzzies in Sculptor. The observing tent provides protection from the elements, especially the wind, so it was nice to have. The Silver Coin Galaxy (NGC 253) looked impressive through the C14 using a Tele Vue Nagler 31mm eyepiece. Due to Chiefland’s low latitude, many of the objects low on the horizon are located at an acceptable altitude for viewing. Stephan’s Quintet (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, NGC 7319, and NGC 7320) also was a great object. Spinning around the TOA130 gave some great wide-field views of multiple open clusters through Cassiopeia. We called it a night after another long viewing session.

Previous reports:
Part two
Part one

2008 Chiefland Star Party, part two

Matt Quandt — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:54:00 GMT

Paul Atkinson sent us another report from the 2008 Chiefland Star Party. Thanks, Paul!

Live from Chiefland Star Party 2008, here is the on-field report for Sunday night’s observing and Monday’s activities.

Sunday night was an awesome observing experience. The site was abuzz with lots of activity right from dusk with reports of multiple attendees going until 5 a.m. or later! The seeing just seemed to get better as the night progressed. Estimations were as follows: seeing 7.5 and transparency 9.0 with approximately magnitude 6.7 skies. Humidity was moderate to heavy, but it wasn’t a problem. That’s to be expected in Florida.

Wandering the field after dark, I spoke with several people at the party. Dr. Bruce Bodner of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was busy with his Takahashi TOA150 and EM400 mount imaging NGC1491. Additional equipment included Apogee U16M and 50mm square Astrodon Gen II filters. He’s hoping to enter the photo contest if he gets some good data — which he fully expects to obtain considering the sky quality.

Another attendee, Mark Jenkins of Beloit, Wisconsin, also was busy imaging. Mark’s gear included a TEC 8-inch f/15.5 Mak/Cass and an Astrophysics Traveler refractor on an AP mount. To image, he uses a Canon 50D in SLR mode and stacks the frames. When I stopped to speak with him, he was into a run of 134 sixty-second exposures of M45.

When I inquired if he was enjoying the party, he said, “All in all this place is about as good as it gets in my book when it comes to star parties.”

After wandering around, I got down to doing my own visual observing. I spent the first part of the night checking out objects in Sagittarius like M11, M17, M18, M20 and so on. I also looked at Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter showed a wealth of detail with the exceptional seeing, and Venus was dazzling to the point of being overpowering in the eyepiece. I toured all the good Messier and NGC objects with my 14-inch SCT and 5-inch refractor. I ended the night seeing all six Trapezium stars in M42 through the 5-inch, plus a lot more in the C14. We spent the last half hour observing more meteors before finally calling it quits about 3:30 a.m.

On Monday morning, CSP staff provided a “massage” chair (pictured at right) for attendees to use. I have included a picture. Just walk up, sit down, and enjoy as it eases the stress of a long night of viewing and imaging from your body. The staff also runs two movies — with popcorn — each night in a separate dark room for people to enjoy. It is great as a break from observing or imaging, or if you need a place for the kids.

Monday’s pretty quiet on the field, as there appears to be a lot of tired astronomers. I have also included a picture of John Novak’s impressive 32-inch Dob named “The Phoenix.” It’s a Stellafane winning scope. I’ll try to share more images of equipment in a later report. We expect tonight to be another great night. Skies should again be near perfect.

Previous post: Chiefland Star Party 2008, part one

Special report from the 2008 Chiefland Star Party, part one

Matt Quandt — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:53:00 GMT

In addition to Astronomy magazine Editor David J. Eicher's reports from his trip to Arizona Sky Village with Senior Editor Michael Bakich, we're also privileged to have updates from the 2008 Chiefland Star Party, in Chiefland, Florida. Chiefland Astronomy Village (CAV) hosts this star party. Like Arizona Sky Village, CAV is an astronomy-friendly community. According to its web site, "The Chiefland Astronomy Village is basically an astronomical retirement community where astronomers from all over have built their observatories and attached living quarters. We now have over 20 astronomy families who own property here. So far they have built 14 observatories, with new ones going up every year."

One of the star party's organizers, Paul Atkinson, took us up on our offer a few weeks back to post news from star parties. Here's Paul's first of what will likely be a series of updates from the Chiefland Star Party.

Take it away, Paul:

Right now there are about 100 people on the main observing field pictured in the attached photo. During the course of the next several days, we expect up to 350 astronomers to converge on-site for a wonderful week of observing, companionship, and sharing in this wonderful hobby. With RV power hookups, on-field telescope power, shower facilities and more, Chiefland is one of the premier dark-sky sites in the southeastern United States. Located in the big bend area of Florida, it is virtually bug free with great skies and mild weather.

All that being said, things didn't start off on the best note. Being located in Florida, it wouldn't be a star party if we didn't at least get a little rain, and we paid our dues early. Most of the opening day on Friday the 24th was a complete washout, with squalls and rain pushing through into the night. It didn't dampen the spirits of those arriving. After Saturday started with some brief showers and clouds, things began to improve dramatically. As the day wore on, the clouds began to break, and a cooling trend set in as we moved into the early evening hours. Of course the field came alive with activity as people scrambled to set up their telescopes and gear in anticipation of a good night. They weren't disappointed!

By 10:00 p.m. most of the clouds had disappeared and any remaining clouds or high haze began to dissipate. The sounds of whirring go-to scope motors and eager chatter filled the air as the sky cleared in earnest around 10:30 pm. Seeing was probably a 7.5 out of 10, with transparency around the same number. A brief tour of the field showed the majority of the participants viewing at around 1:00 a.m., with some diehards still going well into the wee morning hours. Those who stayed up were also treated to bright meteors and fireballs streaking overhead. Some were quite impressive. It was an added bonus to an already great night. The temperature overnight hit a low of 51° F and it was cool and comfortable with high humidity. Something we expect in Florida, and something that really steadies the skies for crisp planetary and deep-sky observing views.

The forecast calls for great weather the rest of the week. Clear skies and expected daytime highs in the mid-60s to lower 70s with overnight lows dipping into the 40s will rule the rest of the party. We may even get a couple of nights in the 30s. Keep checking back each day for updated information and more on-site reports of this fantastic event.

Video of 2008 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show

Matt Quandt — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:24:00 GMT

Senior Editor Michael Bakich's video footage from the 2008 Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show, September 13-14, is up on Astronomy.com. Michael used his digital camera to record his walk-through of the show floor inside the Pasadena Convention Center. There's no audio, so when you don't hear anything, don't worry.

Video: On the road: Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show 2008
Image gallery: Pacific Astronomy and Telscope Show 2008

Thank you, amateur astronomers

Liz Kruesi — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:49:00 GMT

My fellow editors and I are reading through entries for Astronomy’s annual Out-of-this-world award for outstanding astronomy programming. I’m impressed with how helpful you amateur astronomers are to your community. I’ve been to a few star parties (one at the Grand Canyon and another outside Austin, Texas), and both times everyone I encountered was more than willing to help me around the sky and let me look through their telescopes. I’m one of those “armchair astronomers” (I read books, work through the math, take university courses), but I’ve done little observing. That doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the night sky. In fact, I think the band of the Milky Way (observed at a dark location) is one of the most amazing sights. And M51. Wow. It’s gorgeous.

So, thank you to all you amateur astronomers who help your communities see the awesomeness of the universe.

On the road: Great Lakes Star Gaze, day 3

Michael Bakich — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:21:00 GMT

The third night at the Great Lakes Star Gaze (GLSG) started out clear but turned cloudy around 11 p.m. That’s too bad, because lots of observers were waiting for some great objects to climb high in the sky.

Editor's note: Visit the online photo album, "Astronomy on the road: Great Lakes Star Gaze 2008" for images from Michael's trip.

During the day, I spent several fun hours chatting lots of attendees, including well-known amateur astronomer Tom Trusock. Tom has written several telescope reviews — his specialty — and a large equipment round-up story for the magazine. We chatted about recent star parties we’ve attended, how well the magazine is doing, and new telescopes and accessories each of us have seen recently.

Tom and I, along with several others, used “Dobzilla,” a 25-inch Dobsonian-mounted reflector one of the Michigan clubs set up. Through it, we viewed several deep-sky objects including the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992/5) and the Deer Lick Group (NGC 7331). Just as the clouds moved in, Tom centered Stephan’s Quintet (NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, NGC 7319, and NGC 7320). He saw four of the five galaxies before yielding the eyepiece. After I climbed the observing ladder, I observed three of the Quintet until the field went white with cumulus clouds: not what you’d call a quality observation.

As the keynote speaker for GLSG, I presented my second talk entitled, “How the Constellations Came to Be” at 4 p.m. Saturday. This talk doesn’t have as many “laugh-track” lines as the talk I gave yesterday (“The ABCs of Observing”), but, once again, I received lots of good comments afterward.

Around sunset, the organizers of GLSG held the giveaway for door prizes. Lots of manufacturers, as well as the half-dozen or so vendors who attended the star party, had donated items for the big giveaway. Astronomy was well represented with year-long subscriptions, special issues, and other items. Everyone stayed to see who would win the last item. GLSG raised some money for the organization by raffling off a brand-new Tele Vue Ethos eyepiece, which Tele Vue had donated.

Previous blog: Great Lakes Star Gaze, days 1 and 2

On the road: Enchanted Skies Star Party, day 3

David Eicher — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:17:00 GMT

The day after we had a wonderful night of observing at El Camino Real, the Enchanted Skies Star Party slowed down a bit. Attendees spread out doing a variety of things during the day.

Editor's note: View the photo album, Enchanted Skies Star party 2008, to see images from Dave's time in and around Socorro.

I checked out the New Mexico Tech Mineral Museum on the campus, with its spectacular collection of minerals. Thursday, I wrote about the value of studying minerals for astronomers, not only for understanding planetary geology in our solar system, but also to satisfy the wonder and curiosity about how elements could combine into very similar minerals on other worlds scattered throughout the cosmos. The New Mexico Tech collection on display is fantastic, consisting of several thousand specimens, concentrating on New Mexico minerals, but also including showy specimens from all localities.

Afterward, I journeyed westward to the little town of Magdalena, turned south into the mountains, and spent a long time wandering around the Kelly Mine, a famous and historic western mine ruin. Defunct since 1972, the mine had its heyday in the late nineteenth century but was booming even during the Civil War days as a silver, gold, lead, and copper. Much later on, a fantastic find of smithsonite occurred here, a principal source of zinc. Smithsonite is zinc carbonate and was named for — you guessed it — James Smithson, whose fortune commenced the Smithsonian Institution. This mineral occurs in many places around the world but the greatest came from the Kelly Mine, as it is famous as a collector mineral for its beautiful, shimmery, blue-green color.

I didn’t find a single piece of smithsonite rooting around the mine’s dumps, but I headed back to Socorro to prepare for the evening anyhow. At 7 p.m. I presented the keynote talk of the star party, “30 Years of Amateur Astronomy,” to a nice group of amateur astronomers and students in an auditorium on the New Mexico Tech campus. Despite going head-to-head with John McCain, Barack Obama, and a Buddy Holly tribute band a couple doors down, the crowd offered some enthusiastic questions. (Well, maybe it was because I didn’t ask anyone for $700 billion.) I spoke about the last generation in amateur astronomy, how I got interested in the subject as a teenager, the founding of my little magazine Deep Sky, what’s going on with Astronomy magazine — including a behind-the-scenes look at the magazine’s talented staff — and what trends are happening now in the hobby. It was an enjoyable time.

Afterward, observing took place at the campus observatory only briefly, as alas, the sky clouded up. We’ll hope for better luck on Saturday night!

Previous posts:
VLA tour day
Day 1