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Time for a brief report on the annual ritual. Not many trick or treaters this year...surprising because it was a weekend, warm, and calm. We had maybe 10-15 groups total, from very smalls to some teenagers. Overall, I estimate (didn't keep exact count) somewhere between 40 and 60 people of all ages took a look.
The menu consisted of three items:
I used a 32mm eyepiece almost the whole night, because it put the planets into the field of view every time when going back and forth via the automation. Occasionally someone (adults, mostly) wanted to see Saturn bigger, but not often. Seeing was semi-decent only, supporting a max. of 200X or so (using about the 10mm setting on a Vixen 8-24 zoom ep); Saturn wasn't up very high this early in the evening (appx. 6 to 8:30).
"Cool" has taken over the English language. Even "wow" was a far, far distant second to "cool." Both Saturn and Jupiter were "cool". Watching the scope move was not quite so "cool" but still impressed many youngsters (some wanted me to move it back and forth again).
People remembered from the last couple of years; there was some "repeat" business. Some of the (grown) neighbors came out to take a look, too.
One interesting benefit of mulitculturalism. One crew coming by was mostly composed of folks of Chinese backgrounds. I got into a little bit of a conversation with the parents (while the kids trick/treated houses nearby and looked through the scope) about Chinese constellations and the "Celestial Bureaucracy". I knew a little bit of that lore from reading a book, but it was interesting to get a view of it from those who had grown up with it (not the same as the book in all details, although the broad outlines were the same. I suppose the lore varies from one part of China to another).
Those of you who are familiar with my observing habits (Automation? Bah! I'd rather twiddle the knobs myself!) will no doubt be amazed at what seems to be a total conversion to full goto. Ah, but it's not so...that's for Sally who is inheriting the C8. Sitting in my living room is a new C14 OTA and a Takahashi NJP160 mount (no automation, though it does have motors). In fact, this is why we've had such fantastic weather so far this fall...you see, I have the telescope and the mount, but NOT the plate that mates them together (ARRRGH!!!). So of course we have fine weather up to now...which will turn into a monsoon when the plate arrives (supposedly next week, late). Get your observing in now...I predict floods of Biblical proportions.