From: Collin Smith [mailto:CollinofAlabama@cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 3:42 PM
Subject: Are you Emma experienced?
Folks,
Last night's visit to the Gott Observatory was FANTASTIC! The sky wavered in transparency with clouds that came and went, but Don Fritz, Curt Pfarr and I got some of the best views of Saturn we've EVER seen. On top of this, Don just purchased some GSO Plossls, found here (http://www.agenaastro.com/Pages/Products_OpticalAccessories/products_Eyepieces.htm) and they provided SPECTACULAR views. And not just through his exceptional 8" scope. They provided excellent views through my mere 6" dob, too!
I took the plunge on a sale for the 2" GSO SuperView 30mm eyepiece. This eyepiece really performs, providing an EXCELLENT wide-field 2" sharp view at a bargain basement price. Last night was my first night out with it, and as soon as I put it into the eyepiece, I immediately stumbled upon M37! I just pointed the scope up to put the eyepiece in, focused it, and THERE it was! And this was a prelude to the kind of night we had.
I arrived late, about 9:10, with Curt and Don already set up and looking. Curt was trying his hand at imaging Machholz. That comet moves pretty quickly through the sky, so I don't know how successful he'll be, and the occasional clouds couldn't have helped, but let's hope for the best! We had fun star aligning Curt's mount. Duh? didn't know where any of those familiar star names actually resided. Fortunately, Terence Dickerson came through revealing exactly where Alpheratz, Hamal, etc. actually are. At least I remembered to bring the book, I only left my mind at home!
After M37, we attacked M31-32-110, all framed nicely by my SV30 and Don's 32mm TeleVue. Tom Heisey then showed up and we were a team then, for sure! Don and I turned our attention to NGC 7331, and, eventually, we nabbed that one. Don got it first, and I was able to use his Telrad image to put it in my eyepiece.
We turned our attention to Ursa Major, rising quite nicely by then. We set out for M81/M82. Stumbling about looking for them, I found NGC 2976, a satellite to M81, which we quickly found (along with M82, somewhat opposite 2976). Then we got M108/M97, a galaxy and planetary nebula pair just down from the bottom pointer star. Looked in vain for M109 and then turned our attention to the Double Cluster.
Tom's short tube 102 did a great job of framing these two, though good views were had in the dobs, too. Then we turned to the Beehive, where Tom's 102 picked up Delta Cancri easily, along with the Cluster. Very nicely framed.
Then we went to Saturn for some amazing views! Both dobs easily caught Cassini, and banding was also evident on the globe of the planet, too. We cranked up the power to amazing heights, but, until we got into the 400x ridiculous range, the views remained VERY clear. The detail was stunning.
Trying to find the Eskimo, I stumbled onto NGC 2420, a faint open cluster in Gemini nearby. Don got the Eskimo, and me later (cheating through his Telrad, again!) I have a penchant for the obscure.
We also enjoyed Machholz, M45 and, of course, M42.
And all of this and more should be evident tonight at Emma. We're meeting there early, at sundown. Should be completely dark by 6:30 tonight, so I intend to be there by then at the latest. I have to pick up my girlfriend from work at 10 PM, so it's early or nada for me, though everyone is welcome to stay as long as they like.
Although it promises to be a little more temperate, since it's warmer today than yesterday, the night was quite cold last night, and I doubt it'll be any warmer at Emma. We didn't have a lot of wind out at SkyView last night, and hopefully we'll be as lucky at Emma. It's supposed to be out of the South-Southwest, so you might wanna park in that general direction for observing.
Hope to see everyone tonight. Just checking out the new eyepieces is worth the trip, and the heavens are putting on a VERY good show. We didn't have time to examine Sue French's January Sky & Telescope column on Eridanus, but there appears to be a number of gems there worth investigating. I also want to go through the Auriga and Gemini open clusters, which I forgot about last night (your mind, don't leave home without it!) Tom Trusock's "Small Wonders: Auriga" has a few more clusters and things in Auriga to go for, as well, and I'm up for hunting them down. Saturn alone is worth the effort, but with the comet and the rest of the winter heavens, there's a show in progress no TV lineup can match!
Hasta la noche,
CDS

-----Original Message-----
From: Collin Smith [mailto:CollinofAlabama@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 12:17 PM
Subject: 2 for 1 deal!
Ladies and Gentlemen:
With the moon going new on early Monday morning, that can only mean one thing - fantastic bargains on night sky objects! with the permission of local cumulous clouds. But the forecasts for both Friday and Saturday nights are pretty good. Soooooo, SPAC et amici are going to have not one, but two nights of star madness. That's right, get one, or get two for the SAME PRICE!
Deals like this don't come every day, so get in gear to be under the dark West Texas skies.
Where are these night treasures found at such a bargain price, you ask? Friday night catch us at SkyViews, north of town. Due to the rains, the concrete pads will likely come in handy. Though the roads are bound to be a bit muddy, at least there's not too much dirt-road distance to cover. Some are planning to get there at 7:30. I will arrive around 8 PM.
On Saturday night, the Dark Sky Extravaganza continues at Emma! Planning to get there around 7:30, too.
Comet Machholz is thrown in for free! On top of this, Saturn goes into opposition on Thursday, so it'll be nice and close. Tonight, Machholz pays a call to the Seven Sisters. Don't miss this encounter! And all the usual crowd pleasers, like Orion, his dogs, and Pegasus, will be on hand checking it all out!
Email me if you need any additional information. Excludes taxes, title and license.
Hope to see you there,
CDS