by Jeff Barbour
Our pace is hectic. Under the unrelenting push of gorgeous mid-spring skies, T and I are moving swiftly from night sky to night sky. Early morning returns to Backyard Boulder Creek, deep but short hours of sleep, copious time at the keyboard documenting our experiences, and hasty preparations for the next adventure could easily lead to a state of frenzy and exhaustion. But T seems to take it all in stride, and even has enough calm left to help me achieve a similar level of ease and sustainability...
Yesterday the schedule called for what could have been a less than satisfying trip to Fremont Peak near San Juan Bautista, CA. Why potentially less than satisfying? Well, we really weren't interested in observing out of the Peak in the usual manner. No "Argo and the Pup under the night sky" sort of thing. We hoped to probe the mysteries of aperture. And this required inches. Inches T had left behind in Ohio and I couldn' personally provide here in Calfornia. But I knew where aperture could be found. And no, not garden-variety star party aperture either. Were talking A P E R T U R E. Thirty inches, 76 centimeters. 762 millimeters. And not out on some lonely ledge buffeted by blustery winds either. Inside an observatory. Between four walls and a roof formed of the coelum nocturnis above.
But we were going to bring a scope along - just in case. And no, not Argo or the Pup. We would be bringing "Vicki": Astro.Geekjoy's "project scope" - a 102mm F9.8 achromat of Vixen Optical manufacture. A scope destined to ultimately pass to a new home. A scope which would become the center of my personal astronomical universe for the next few months until an appropriate amateur astronomer could be found to take over its loving care and use. A scope whose sale would help offset onerous expenses incurred by friend Dave in Washington state who must constantly - and of his own coin - maintain an expensive pipeline to the internet so that the internet-based astronomical community may continue to enjoy what astro.geekjoy and AstroTalk have to offer.
We arrived after sunset. Payed the three dollar day use fee and parked near the drive leading past the Ranger's domicle and ultimately to the Fremont Peak Observing Associations (FPOA's) amateur astronomy observatory.
We chose that locale to park because we were not alone. Others parked there as well. Despite fog creeping in "on little cat feet" all around us, I knew the observatory would be open. For you see this was the night of convergences. Mars and Venus were at a point of closest proximation for decades to come. And there be crowds...
T and I walked the drive to the observatory. There was revelry ahead. Numerous laughing and enthusiastic voices. Most young - all boisterious. And the vast bulk of these corporeal beings spilled oustide the steps leading into the "inner sanctum". T and I wended our way through the crowd. Up the steps. Through the open door. Then regarded "the Big Eye". Massive yoke-cradled, truss-assembled newtonian. The objective was uncovered. No one was at the eyepiece - through the scope was directed toward the conjunction. A conjunction which would soon drift below the western observatory wall.
But there was the fog to contend with too. It swelled overhead then subsided again. It was this that prevented early use of the scope. Certainly a decision had to be made. Folks young and younger mixed on the deck of the observatory. A few could be seen in the adjacent observatory lecture room. A few small scopes displayed therein as well.
Maybe twenty minutes passed and the scopes operator installed the eyepieces and pre-positioned the stepped ladder needed to access the ocular. With the Mars-Venus pair only some 25 degrees above the horizon, let the queueing begin!
A train of ardent observers repeated the cycle of ascent and descent. Each awed by the swollen, gibbous, sunlike-brilliance of Venus and the tiny red-orange disk of Mars. The seeing was so-so. Precise edge focus was not possible. But the planets were tightly conjunct and easily held in the same field - even at some 150x.
After the twenty or so folks finished their look, Paul (our tour guide and cheuffer) redirected the scope to Jupiter and upped the magnification. The addition of a blue filter helped take the overpowering radiance off the planet and several belts were easily detected. - No there was none of the fine detail seen through Argo from Mt Hamilton the previous evening. BUT, the three main belts were plain and dark and could not be missed.
Now a somewhat smaller contingent cycled past the eyepiece. Most of these dozen or so observers took two looks (T and me got more!). And once the tide of enthusiasm fully past. T, Paul, and fellow FPOA member Pat were left pretty much to our own devices.
Since the scope was directed toward Jupiter in Gemini, recommended that we swing north of Castor and take in the Intergalactic Wanderer globular cluster. And it was here where T and I began to appreciate Paul's quiet efficiency in directing and navigating the large, but remarkably spry scope and mount. Shuffling between laptop PC and various finders it would be about fifteen minutes before Paul had the globular centered and tracking locked in through the big scope.
Meanwhile, I chatted aimiably with Pat - "an old hand" at the observatory. Pat is someone I and fellow SCAC amateur Dan had acquantainced during last months new moon at Fremont Peak. Pat outlined some of the sensitive issues associated with maintaining an occasionally difficult liaison between the governing body of Fremont Peak State Park, the FPOA, and other non-FPOA Fremont Peak observers (many who are members of TAC and therefore my associates).
For you see, the very first time I came to Fremont Peak (see I walked into a scene where the previous Ranger in Residence was moving on and a less-astro-centric crew was about to move in. Now this new crew - being less tied to Our High Art and Science, and equally less experienced in the ways of artful give and take, pressed the FPOA to ensure that Park regulations be strictly maintained. Thus, a general tightening of access to and use of the observatory and its grounds was implemented. Restrictions which meant that non-FPOA amateurs who had previously enjoyed more relaxed conditions would be excluded from setting up scopes along the observatory drive. The inevitable tensions followed as a kind of rift between the FPOA and other Fremont Peak observers.
Listening to Pat, I could only think to myself that such a rift - though understandable - was unnecessary and could easily have been forestalled had everyone involved simply "walked a mile" in the others moccasins...
Paul had the scope centered on the Wanderer. To my eye, the cluster appeared about as bright and large as say a sub-ninth magnitude NGC globular through Argo. Though it lacked a well-defined core point, there was a significant sense of "roughness" about the cluster on direct contemplation. A little eye movement and a dozen or so threshold stars were possible. Meanwhile, T's more experienced eye caught a few direct and others with aversion. Paul was less convinced of incipient resolution, but claimed his eyes weren't what they used to be. He also noted that the default eyepieces were subject to numerous "eyelashings". Paul then headed out to his own car and returned with his owned prized super-widefield Naglers. And with this change, the cluster came alive. Stars that T could just hold direct, I was now holding with the slightest aversion and the dozen stars seen on eyemovement became several dozens when using the "softeye" approach. The cluster now more closely resembled "the Hedgehog" - M56 in the Lyre.
After we all took our several looks and moments, we moved on to the Eskimo Planetary - also in Gemini. And here it was that T and I began to really get "aperture fervour". Color in the planetary was staggering and luminous. The central star was easily seen to be surrounded by a well-defined planetary disk. Outside the "muffled mantle" which gives the planetary its name could be obviously distinguished. This scope gave the kind of views that the average Josephine in the street would call "like the Hubble - sorta".
Next we took the plunge, dropped the big eye well south of Spica. Paul pointed out that the finderscope was almost useless now - its field blocked by the top of the observatory building's low south wall. By centering on a neighboring star to the due north of the cluster, Paul eventually tracked it down through the main tube.
The cluster was very luminous - but lacked true resolution to my eye. A brighter version of what Chuck's ten inch scope showed from Monte Bello earlier in the week. But by increasing magnification, we were able to achieve a sort of "frosted window pane" look. Like some kind of crazy glass mosaic, an incredible wealth of stars could be "resolved".
As T spent the next ten minutes quietly absorbing Omega's light, Paul and I chatted about his involvement in the observatory. Seem's Paul, like myself, is a former New Englander. It appears that his divemaster profession brought him to San Jose about a year ago. Since then he has consistently volunteered his time at the FPOA observatory, learned the ropes, and is now given the opportunity to operate the scope unattended. Paul's apprenticeship is over.
With T's departure from the ep, Paul centered the scope on M104. And here is where aperture fervour got a second kick in the pants. Can you say "Dark lane like a black magic marker line completely along the length of the galaxy." This was absolutely dumbfounding. Something that may only be "sensed" through 6 inch Argo on a good night of transparency and seeing was layed plain and bare and beyond all disputation. Incredible.
Then it was on to Globulars M13 and M92. To get a sense of these just take a look at any high quality observatory photo. It was all there. Stellar-profusion! Star-chaining! Numerous wending and mysterious "dark rifts" - especially in M13. Not only this but a single luminous twelth magnitude "yellow giant sun" proximate to M13 core standing out in high relief engulfed in the blueness of its multitude of neighbors. Stupendous!
Of course we also took a look at M13's nearby NGC7207 galaxy playmate. Very present with dust lane suspected a long its length - similar to the way Argo reveals that seen in the Sombrero.
Finally, there was that comet - now in northern Hercules. Huge and globular. Omega Centauri in redux without a hint of resolution - except a single supremely bright central core. We were looking at the tail from behind. Good Travels IK and to all!