~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 26279
Loc: North Texas
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Y'know, one good thing about the April dates for next year coming on the tail end of an early June end this year....
ONLY 10 MONTHS (and a few days) TO TSP 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
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Steph
Taking it one day at a time...
I'm in the fight! - Support Liver Disease Awareness
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory 
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space_cowboy
super member
Reged: 09/22/07
Posts: 109
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For the most part the kids were good. However, there was one 11yo boy that was very obnoxious which the parent(s) were never around to monitor. Personally, I don't think kids under a certain age shouldn't be let loose on the observing fields without their parents around. I'm all for doing family activities and for kids learning astronomy, but there is a limit to what I can tolerate.
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space_cowboy
super member
Reged: 09/22/07
Posts: 109
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Quote:
Y'know, one good thing about the April dates for next year coming on the tail end of an early June end this year....
ONLY 10 MONTHS (and a few days) TO TSP 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm ready to go now if we have nights like we had! 
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DeanS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/12/05
Posts: 2560
Loc: Central Kentucky
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I may need the 10 months to catch up on my sleep 
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AP900GTO, AP1200GTO,
Tak Epsilon 160, FS60C, SV80
12.5" F/3.8 AGO Newtonian,
C9.25, 8" LX200GPS,
18" Starmaster w/Zambuto F/4.3,
FLI ML8300,
QSI640WSG-8
ST2000XM, Lodestars
Some Uncle Al's glass hand grenades
www.doghouseastronomy.com
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fireman
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/27/07
Posts: 665
Loc: Houston, Texas
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I was there only for 4 nights and I'm still feeling it! But oh the nights, I'll never forget the view of the Milky Way rolling in like a cloud! When I'd go to bed, I'd dream about what I had seen in the ep. What a view!
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Rick H
Obsession 12.5, #1543
Argo Navis DSC
ServoCAT Jr
31T5
Ethos 6, 8, 13, 17
Astro-Tech 80EDT
Mead LXD (GEM)
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Faith_J
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 5830
Loc: South coast of England
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I had five straight nights observing, it was awesome. What an event. For a northern European such observing is a real treat.
I'm home, I got in at 12pm UK time after an uncomfortable if uneventful flight home. Our route took us over the southern tip of Greenland and it was interesting to see the black of night above, then a blue layer then a yellow layer - it never got dark because of the high latitude.
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Visual deep sky
18" f4.3 dob
7.9" f/4 Celestron Newtonian
8x42 binos
100% visual observing...
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Joe F Gafford
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/15/06
Posts: 1686
Loc: Denver, Colorado, US
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Tom, I had Bell's palsy as a teenager. They don't know what causes it, possibly stress. The thing is that it goes away and never comes back. I had the same symptoms as you plus the taste sensations of my tongue was reduced to savory (salt). Tang, that astronaut drink, tasted like it came right out of the Pacific Ocean. I will not drink it to this day. This will pass. 
Joe.
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JMI 18" f4.5 Newtonian, split ring mount
10" f4.5 Newtonian on GEM (was a DS-10 once upon a time)
50 and 110 mm Mamiya RZ lenses with homemade adapter
ST-2000XM camera
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Dr Benway
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/27/08
Posts: 540
Loc: Abilene, TX
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I just took a peek at the TSP website and they have updated it for 2009. Registration will begin in November. They have linked to the Eldorado Star Party Oct 27-Nov 2. That's just a month after Okie-Tex. ESP registration begins in August.
John
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Astro-Tech AT8RC
Astro-Tech AT65EDQ
Explore Scientific ED127
Takahashi NJP
Takahashi EM-10
iOptron IEQ45 Modified
QHY8PRO OSC
QHY9M
QHY9C
QHY22
SBIG STF-8300M
Modded Canon XT
http://www.jwbozeman.com
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DeanS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/12/05
Posts: 2560
Loc: Central Kentucky
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I would love to do another one under those dark western skies but my fuel budget has been seriously hit. If I don't do WSP next year then I will have a friend come with me to help share some cost for the next TSP.
My trip to TSP was 2888 miles, 267 gals diesel fuel, for a avg of 10.8 mpg. That actually is pretty darn good considering the high winds from Dallas to Pecos.
Still worth it in every way
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AP900GTO, AP1200GTO,
Tak Epsilon 160, FS60C, SV80
12.5" F/3.8 AGO Newtonian,
C9.25, 8" LX200GPS,
18" Starmaster w/Zambuto F/4.3,
FLI ML8300,
QSI640WSG-8
ST2000XM, Lodestars
Some Uncle Al's glass hand grenades
www.doghouseastronomy.com
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imjeffp
Aluminum Falcon
Reged: 09/30/03
Posts: 6103
Loc: Cedar Park, Texas
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What would you think about a "TSP 100" observing list? Break it up into 20 objects a night over five nights--globulars, galaxies, planetary nebulas, diffuse nebulas, & everything else.
Think I should propose it to John?
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DeanS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/12/05
Posts: 2560
Loc: Central Kentucky
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And I think the imaging contest should have an entry for only images made during the week of that TSP? Having images entered that were done elsewhere and processed before hand just doesn't seem as exciting as those taken during the week and under the same conditions for all of us.
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AP900GTO, AP1200GTO,
Tak Epsilon 160, FS60C, SV80
12.5" F/3.8 AGO Newtonian,
C9.25, 8" LX200GPS,
18" Starmaster w/Zambuto F/4.3,
FLI ML8300,
QSI640WSG-8
ST2000XM, Lodestars
Some Uncle Al's glass hand grenades
www.doghouseastronomy.com
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Alvin Huey
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/18/05
Posts: 2655
Loc: NorCal
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Quote:
And I think the imaging contest should have an entry for only images made during the week of that TSP? Having images entered that were done elsewhere and processed before hand just doesn't seem as exciting as those taken during the week and under the same conditions for all of us.
Dean,
I agree. Your shots are very nice.
I'm got most of my imaging gear, but haven't taken my first shot yet. 
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Clear Skies,
Alvin #26
22" f/4.0 reflector and other assorted smaller and larger telescopes, but listing the one I use the most.
FaintFuzzies | TAC | TAC-Sac
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DeanS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/12/05
Posts: 2560
Loc: Central Kentucky
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First thing you have to do Alvin is try and wean yourself of that eyepiece in the huge light bucket of yours
Before I got my lightbridge I would go months without looking thru an eyepeice, but now I really enjoy getting back into the visual, of course while the imaging scopes are busy doing their thing. I also picked up my first eyepiece while at TSP in probably 5 years, are these 13mm Ethos any count??
Edited by DeanS (06/12/08 05:36 PM)
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Faith_J
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 5830
Loc: South coast of England
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Quote:
Quote:
And I think the imaging contest should have an entry for only images made during the week of that TSP? Having images entered that were done elsewhere and processed before hand just doesn't seem as exciting as those taken during the week and under the same conditions for all of us.
Dean,
I agree. Your shots are very nice.
I'm got most of my imaging gear, but haven't taken my first shot yet.
I hope you're not going to turn to the dark side and abandon us visual observers Alvin?! 
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Visual deep sky
18" f4.3 dob
7.9" f/4 Celestron Newtonian
8x42 binos
100% visual observing...
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Alvin Huey
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/18/05
Posts: 2655
Loc: NorCal
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Faith,
Me! No way! I'm a pure visual observer. You know that. I just wanted to dabble with imaging, nothing of Goldman, Dean, Hallas, etc level.
I just set the scope image this and that and leave it alone...and go to visual. But the setup of the imaging rig takes 5 times longer than setting up my 30" or 10 times longer than the 22".
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Clear Skies,
Alvin #26
22" f/4.0 reflector and other assorted smaller and larger telescopes, but listing the one I use the most.
FaintFuzzies | TAC | TAC-Sac
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Faith_J
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 5830
Loc: South coast of England
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Quote:
Faith,
Me! No way! I'm a pure visual observer. You know that. I just wanted to dabble with imaging, nothing of Goldman, Dean, Hallas, etc level.
I just set the scope image this and that and leave it alone...and go to visual. But the setup of the imaging rig takes 5 times longer than setting up my 30" or 10 times longer than the 22".
LOL! Okay, it was just in case you had! 
The fiddling part is one of the main reasons I don't do imaging...
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Visual deep sky
18" f4.3 dob
7.9" f/4 Celestron Newtonian
8x42 binos
100% visual observing...
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DeanS
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/12/05
Posts: 2560
Loc: Central Kentucky
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I must admit it is nice to be set up and observing in minutes instead of hours. Even with my observatory nearby, I often find myself just rolling the lightbridge out of the garage for an hour or so rather than opening up the roof.
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AP900GTO, AP1200GTO,
Tak Epsilon 160, FS60C, SV80
12.5" F/3.8 AGO Newtonian,
C9.25, 8" LX200GPS,
18" Starmaster w/Zambuto F/4.3,
FLI ML8300,
QSI640WSG-8
ST2000XM, Lodestars
Some Uncle Al's glass hand grenades
www.doghouseastronomy.com
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Faith_J
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 5830
Loc: South coast of England
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I have put an account of this year's TSP on my website: http://visualdeepsky.webs.com/texasstarparty2008.htm
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Visual deep sky
18" f4.3 dob
7.9" f/4 Celestron Newtonian
8x42 binos
100% visual observing...
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Alvin Huey
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/18/05
Posts: 2655
Loc: NorCal
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Nice report Faith!
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Clear Skies,
Alvin #26
22" f/4.0 reflector and other assorted smaller and larger telescopes, but listing the one I use the most.
FaintFuzzies | TAC | TAC-Sac
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lphilpot
sage
Reged: 10/15/05
Posts: 343
Loc: Central Lousiana, USA
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Yes - Very good report. Interesting how people's perceptions are different.
To me, Sunday was hot, no doubt, but the biggest change for me was the altitude: From 165 feet to 5000 feet! Plus, I was out in the sun all day long (up at 6am, in line at 8:30 am, setup at noon then gate duty from 3pm until 9:15pm). I didn't last too long Sunday evening either.
Subsequent days were very bearable, considering it was west Texas summer. Although hot, the humidity was virutally non-existant so all you had to do was find the smallest shade and cool down. When we got back home, the 92F and 85% humidity there was far harder to take than anything at the ranch. Welcome home, I guess. 
But I'm sure Faith is much more acclimated to rain and fog than I! Well, at least fog... we get plenty of rain in Louisiana...
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Len Philpot
len@philpot.org ><> http://lphilpot.zenfolio.com
 Catahoula Lake, Louisiana
14.5" TeleKit, 8" Hardin DSH, Orion ST80, Orion 10x70, Celestron 8x40, Orion Sea Otter 8x25 ... How long 'til the next TSP...??!
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