Myles
sage
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 493
Loc: Seattle, Washington
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Just back from my first OSP.
I'll post more later, but Thursday was the best observing night/local for me ever - darkest ever/good seeing throughout, I was up until 5:00AM - tough since we left Seattle for OSP 4:50 AM - 24 hours earlier.
Seeing suffered alittle bit on Friday, but it was very dark - again I couldn't pull myself away, not until after an ISS pass at 4:18AM.
Saturday - too windy - waited, bundled up in the tent doorway for it to stop, turned in around 11:30 as it didn't look like it was going to happen.
I did take my 80ed and did see the all the Veil in a single FOV - pretty nice.
Being able to dig low in the horizon - the Helix and NGC253(very nice galaxy) - was a treat.
North American nebula was stunning. Neptune was a first for me.
And I pulled off the California nebula with my 100ed and narrowband.
Those coupled with sitting with my wife and daughters in the anti-gravity chairs - taking in the Milkyway - were the highlights for me.
I am now considering getting a dob for use at my 2 or 3 annual star parties.
Spent the days with my daughters, so sleep really suffered Friday / Saturday.
- Myles
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Seattle, WA
100ED, SV80ED, SV115 on order
PST DS, WO66 white light
35Pan, 27Pan, 14XW, 10XW, 7XW, 5XW, 3.5XW
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Quote:
Just back from OSP. I will have to say that Thursday and Friday nights were the two best nights of sky observing I have ever experienced!! Incredible time!! LONG LIVE OSP!!!!
Glad you had a good time. 
Yes, Thursday and Friday were awesome. Thursday was so warm that I only wore a flannel shirt over my T-shirt. Friday I donned a hooded sweatshirt but it was still very nice. Friday night I stayed up to watch Orion rise and got my first view of the season on M42. Nice thing about having OSP late this year was seeing some of the fall/winter stuff.
Saturday brought some cool weather and the wind. A lot of folks (maybe 1/3) pulled up stakes and headed out Saturday afternoon after the raffle. Despite the high gas prices turn out was pretty good, I'd guess about 500.
After dark the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees in just 2 hours. Of those remaining Saturday night most didn't even go out to observe. I donned my winter observing garb and headed out wandering the viewing fields looking for red lights and motion. I found a few folks out, scattered around the fields. They all seemed very pleased to have a fellow observer come visit on such a cold night. I coma across a fellow who had a folded light path newt. I think it was a 16" at f/6 or f/7. It had a large flat secondary mirror that directed the light back down the tube where it finally hit the diagonal came out to a focuser that was just about 48" off the ground even at zenith. It was odd to see the focuser in the middle of a dob but it was easy to view thru and threw up a nice image. It must have been a bear to collimate. 
I found the Espresso stand still open at around 11:00 and I bought a hot chocolate and joined up with a group of folks who were socializing in the hospitality tent. We all had a good time swapping stories and jokes. After a while I ventured back out and found only a few people still observing. By now (around midnight) it had dropped into the 30's and there was still a slight breeze. It was bitter cold but the skies were excellent, I think better than Friday night. I headed back to camp, viewed a few objects thru my scopes and called it a night.
All-in-all a great OSP. 3 nights of excellent viewing though the 3rd was terribly cold.
I hope everyone else has a good time. 
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Friday night I met up with Julia (RoseCityRed) and we viewed thru her new 12" LightBridge. Then we hit dob row together. That was when we saw G1 and the Pillars. Seeing the Pillars was just unbelievable. Those Mallincams, combined with a big dob and a tracking platform make a hard combination to beat. Anyone that ventured by Tom Osypowski's place at OSP will have something (or several things) to remember.
Saturday I finally ran into John (Gripweed) at the SunRiver booth. We didn't get to view together this time but it was nice to see him again.
Thanks to all the OSP staff and volunteers for another exceptionally run star party. Well done! 
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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Myles
sage
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 493
Loc: Seattle, Washington
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Here are some photos...
OSP's beautiful scenery - the Ochocos Mountains in Oregon.
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Seattle, WA
100ED, SV80ED, SV115 on order
PST DS, WO66 white light
35Pan, 27Pan, 14XW, 10XW, 7XW, 5XW, 3.5XW
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Myles
sage
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 493
Loc: Seattle, Washington
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Our camp - note the extensive rock clearing effort around the tent, "front porch", scope pad, and the all important trail to the porta-potty.
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Seattle, WA
100ED, SV80ED, SV115 on order
PST DS, WO66 white light
35Pan, 27Pan, 14XW, 10XW, 7XW, 5XW, 3.5XW
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Myles
sage
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 493
Loc: Seattle, Washington
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Here are my girls prepping for NASA careers.
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Seattle, WA
100ED, SV80ED, SV115 on order
PST DS, WO66 white light
35Pan, 27Pan, 14XW, 10XW, 7XW, 5XW, 3.5XW
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 905
Loc: PDX
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HI everyone
OSP was great except for the winter conditions on Saturday.
Added 30 more Caldwell objects to my list. 23 to go.
We never got a big CN gathering going- oh well
Here is a pic of my camp
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 905
Loc: PDX
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Here is the pic
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 905
Loc: PDX
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Here is one of a fairy cloud I saw in the sky
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 905
Loc: PDX
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Scope field w/ my set up. Red box
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Here's a few more pics.
John & Larry on Saturday afternoon.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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The awards ceremony overflowing out of the speakers tent.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
|
square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Here's a nearby stream and meadow I came upon while I was out geocaching on Saturday. There were 2 geocaches within walking distance of camp.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Oh, I almost forgot.
The round-a-bout way I took to OSP and all the rough roads played a little havoc with my equipment. When I unpacked the dob I heard a heavy thud come from within my Orion softcase. One of the mirror clips had come loose (well, duh, I keep them loose  ) and the mirror fell out of its cell. Unbelievably there's not a mark on it! The black velvet flocking in the tube protected it. Thank heavens for flocking. I guess I need to work on a case for transporting my mirror.
Then I brought out the 100mm. A screw had backed out of the focuser allowing the pressure pad that adjusts the tension on my GSO Crayford to come loose. I found the missing screw in the refractor's case and had to disassemble the focuser to get everything back together again. No permanent damage done but a bit of a hassle. 
Oh, and a screw backed out of the back of my laptop, too. Did I mention the rough roads? 
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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csa/montana
Astro Ambassador
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 28617
Loc: montana
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Quote:
Did I mention the rough roads?
Glad my road is so smooth 
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
AstroTech 66ED / Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Tak LE 5mm B/TMB 3.2
7mm Pentax XL, 10mm Pentax XW
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
22mm Pan, 35mm Pan
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Compared to the Blue Mountains and Ochoco Mountains your driveway is like a runway, Carol.
(OK, a very primitive runway.) 
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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csa/montana
Astro Ambassador
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 28617
Loc: montana
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Quote:
(OK, a very primitive runway.)
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
AstroTech 66ED / Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Tak LE 5mm B/TMB 3.2
7mm Pentax XL, 10mm Pentax XW
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
22mm Pan, 35mm Pan
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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Bill Jensen
super member
Reged: 10/23/04
Posts: 111
Loc: Springfield VA
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Thanks to all the attendees, and especially all the volunteers. What a great OSP! Sunday night was a bonus night for me, with clear but cold conditions. Got a chance to just kick back and enjoy my favorite targets and soak up the Milky Way with a few of the other folks who stayed over.
See you all next August!
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Bill Jensen
Springfield VA
and Oregon Star Party committee member
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23950
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Thanks for all your efforts, Bill.
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Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
|
gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 905
Loc: PDX
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Bill-
Can I have your new Scope?
I'll take care of it--Promise
John
     
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John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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