by Jamie Dillon
Just wanted to mention some of the highlights, this being our 2nd year.
Astronomically, the biggest thrill was looking at M102 late Saturday night after all those backup lights had gone by. The sky was real dark, well past 6.3 limiting magn, with excellent seeing 5/5. I stuck around to study the one field around NGC 5907. 5907 is no slouch for that matter. Interesting how people who are miles apart can coincidentally be studying the same object. It's some edge-on.
Now don't start in, I know that you know that M102 wasn't one of Mr Messier's but was added on to the list fairly recently. It's NGC 5866. What a galaxy! Distinct swirling arms, compact core, dust lanes. Everything a galaxy is supposed to be. I'd seen it once before a year ago and some April 1, at the Machholz Messier binge, calling it a "pretty classic spiral with distinct dust lanes, compact arms." Quite a few galaxies later it hit me how rare a sight it is. Classed as E6p. I sure see arms, though.
Saw NGC 188 for the first time as well, that ancient OC up in Cepheus that's too old to be an open cluster, at 5 billion years. Looks old! Dense gang of dim red stars. Really interesting.
Ah, but there was also the big deal of finding the oldest object on my go-see list, NGC 7454, that'd given me fits some 2 years ago at Pacheco. Now with smarter eyes and a 10mm Radian, there it was, all diffuse and irregular, just off Markab, the shoulder star of Pegasus, near 7448 which I had found way back then.
Liam had a big ole time fishing with Paul Sterngold, playing Nine Men's Morris with ZZ and Aperture Man, and Pirates' Gold with Stacy and Phillip. Then the last night major kid fun with Mimi and Rachel. Looking at dark nebulae in the scope of Rachel's father was also memorable, as was sharing meals with Mr Effable, and carrying home a PLD tripod. Fun to see the tribe gathered. Hearing Rashad laugh.
Hwy 32 was even prettier than advertised, and the river it follows turns out to be Deer Creek, where Ishi was from, a big hero of mine. Hwy 113, following Ray Rochelle's directions, was a delight, esp the little river town of Knights Landing, home of Sheffield's Plug and Jug. But the big road news you gotta hear, esp Wagner and LeFevre, was about taking A17 down to Mineral en route to Red Bluff. Broken Meadows Rd goes there on the map and in actuality as well. But that little stretch turned out to be a pitted old dirt road that makes the last bit to Cone Peak look like the Champs friggin Elysee. Not a residential thoroughfare but a strict logging road. Kind of road that's OK going into someplace good, not going home. Lucky I got a kid who's good for adventure. Finally got to A17, which in its turn came out to be 18 miles of gravel road thru the mountains, way backwoods. Gorgeous country. One time was enough. You wouldn't have liked it.
Thanks from one more attender to the folks who put extra work into setting this fine binge up, esp the BP. And to Stacy and Mars and Michelle for lending a touch of culture amongst all the paragons of masculinity.