Very Brief OR on Saturday's nights SFAA City Star Party

by Stacy Jo McDermott

What was hoped to be a clear night in San Francisco, turned out to be dismally fogged in and over (no surprise there). Also to boot, a scant 8 people showed up (including 2 GGRA rangers) to comprise the total of the public star party. However, it couldn't have been more fun and intimate. The talk went well and a big hit was the metorite shavings that I had brought along for "show and tell". A big thanks goes to Rich N. for graciously giving me those shavings back in May at Mark's & Pat's full moon party.

What was truely exciting is the discussion with everyone afterwards about where to go to watch the Perseids. One woman who is just getting into astronomy was very excited about the event - and the fact that all she needed was a lounge chair and a blanket. "I'm well on my way in my new hobby of astronomy" she said.

All in all, it turned out to be a fine star party, er, maybe I should say, a fog party.

The speaker ended up being myself when Randy, the SFAA City Star Party called me the night before in a panic about having a back up speaker. I said I'd be happy to help out. Taking a cue from the recent discussions about observing and how it related to public outreach, I decided to give a little talk on the upcoming Perseid Meteor Show and how, without any equipment (except for ones' eyes) that "you too can become an astronomical observer".