Telescope Reviews: Oregon Star Party 8/19-23/2009

Hi, All,

Pixie and I made it back yesterday evening. Tremendous star party!

As you must have guessed the weather was excellent the entire time I was there, and it sounds as if it was just fine before I arrived, too. Probably the best night was Saturday. It was the only night the view was crisp in the Milky Way all the way down to the southern horizon. Earlier -- Tues., Wed. -- it was hot during the day, but the tradeoff was very warm nights. Wed. night I didn't put on a long sleeved shirt until well after midnight.

Although the tranparency was poorer when it was hot the seeing was very good. This allowed some of the most detailed views of Jupiter I've seen in years. As Steve said shortly after his arrival, a number of festoons, and tremendous detail in the darker bands were visible. The GRS, unfortunately, didn't get the memo, and hung around the back side of the planet during our darker hours. Io and Europa (IIRC) kissed one night.

Pixie and I camped along the western tree line, my favorite area. Although I didn't plan it that way, I believe I placed the trailer in the exact same spot as my last trip there, two summers ago. I just love that late afternoon shade and the quiet, relative to "downtown" OSP. And speaking of quiet, a couple of times every night the coyotes would crank up their singing, and we heard owls most nights.

I did three volunteer shifts, working the registration tent (including the mad rush when registration first opened on Wednesday.) A perq. of volunteering is volunteer raffle tickets, and "We have a winner!" I won a nice Celestron accessory kit, with a couple of EPs, a 2X barlow, and some filters. It doesn't exactly jive with the rest of my focuser equipment and I'll probably peddle it, but it was fun to win. My buddy Curt, who went with me from his home near Salem, was also a first time volunteer, and he won an IR filter, which he will use with his imaging setup, which he's still trying to get a handle on. I kind of laughingly suggested to my neighbor on the other side of my rig that that the volunteer raffle was rigged so first-timers would win so they'd keep volunteering, and he agreed! He said he won something the first time, three years ago, and nothing since.

Pixie has figured out how to make a jailbreak. A couple of times I left her in the trailer while I did other things, and she finally figured out (after years) how to work the push handle on the door. Fast-thinking Curt saw her go up the road after leaving trailer, handed her leash to a kid on a bike and said, in effect, "Stop that dog!" I was then volunteering at the reg. tent -- about as far from the trailer as it's possible to get. I'm told she went into the large speaker/activity tent, went up to the front, and laid down at the speaker's feet! The kid (thank you, Matt!) cuffed her without a struggle. Word got down to me and the day and the dog were saved.

Unfortunately, it was also an OSP of broken promises. I told John (Gripweed44) I'd stop by his rig and say hi, but I missed it; I told Steve C. when he registered that I'd go to his presentation, but I missed it; and I "spaced" for the CN get-together at the Sunriver tent right after the swap meet. Sorry guys, I was just too blissed out.

The only talk I attended was the presentation by the ranger at Chaco canyon, about the archeo-astronomy of its original inhabitants. I'm just fascinated by the place -- must go!

To the organizers, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! It was just an idyllic time.

--------------------
Mike

"Once in a while you can be shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right"
- Robt. Hunter
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Webster 14.5" f/4.5 "Sugaree"
Megrez II 80 ED Triplet APO "Punk"
Siebert Black Night BVs
8 X 42 Celestron Regals