Shingletown 2002 July 10-13

by Bob Jardine

2002 April

For me at least, the story starts back in April. I ordered a TeleVue NP101. Not specifically for SSP, but mainly for traveling. Several sources quoted 6-7 months, but Sam at Scope City quoted 3 months...I guess he already had a couple on order.

June

Planning for SSP. Thinking about lists. Finish projects I've been working on? Naaaaah. I could do that "at home". Do something special. Look for stuff I can't find at home or find only with great difficulty. Crescent Nebula, Cocoon Nebula, Barnard's galaxy. Look for the really difficult Messier objects with binoculars...the ones on the AL list labeled "challenge" objects. Etc.

July 9, Tuesday

Yes, (small) miracles do occur. I hadn't planned on the NP101 arriving before SSP. But on Tuesday, Sam called and said it was here. Couldn't have been better timing. This was even going to save me a trip, since I was planning to drive via San Francisco to SSP anyway. What did I do to deserve this?

July 10, Wednesday

Packed up. Added the Gibralter to my Orion XT10, eyepieces, charts, and binoculars. Left just enough room in the hatchback for one medium-sized box. Picked up the NP101 on my way through San Francisco. Unfortunately, I left the mounting hardware for the Gibralter at home. Dumb. Got to the airport, pulled out the NP101, no mounting hardware. First light would have to wait.

Wednesday night highlights

M106 with binocs (hand-held 9X63)
Cocoon Nebula (IC 5146) and cluster (Cr 470) in XT10 (&UHC filter)
Coathanger naked eye (no, I couldn't see the coathanger shape, just a fuzzy area, confirmed by putting the red-dot finder on it and then looking in the XT10) M32 and M110 in binocs

July 11 Thursday

Headed to Home Depot (or Home Despot as my wife and I like to call it) for some bolts to mount the NP101. Then Lassen for the day to stay cool. Beautiful. Drove through the park and back via Red Bluff (don't ask why). Pizza night in Shingletown; not really "all you could eat", but it was pretty decent.

Thursday night highlights

First light for NP101 -- Absolutely fabulous views.
Best view of Venus I've ever seen (while waiting for it to get dark).
Best split of Epsilon Lyrae I've ever seen. Four pinpoints, with lots of dark space in between.
Bunch of other eye candy.

Unfortunately, only a couple of hours of nice sky...otherwise cloudy.

July 12, Friday

Drove the northern route around to Hat Creek. Observatory tour...very interesting; covered elsewhere. McArthur Burney falls park after the tour. Thanks to David Cooper for the suggestion. Great place to cool off. If you haven't ever been here, go next year. Big Wheels for BBQ and fun.

Friday night highlights

Izar (Epsilon Boo) -- wonderful split in NP101
Tried splitting Porrima (Gamma Vir), but still no luck...seeing not that good down so low.
Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888) in XT10 (& UHC filter)
Barnard's Galaxy (NGC 6822) in XT10

July 13, Saturday

Lassen again, but just Lake Manzanita this time. Hiked around the lake. Read a book in the shade. Back to the airport for the public BBQ and star party.

Saturday night highlights

I was up near the very front (South) of the runway, so I got a lot of the "public" folks first. I've been to a lot of these things, but never arranged linearly, like this. Usually I don't have to solicit people to come over to my 'scope...I guess they get the hang of it by seeing the layout and seeing what others are doing. Perhaps being "at the head of the line" made it different. After a few groups walked by, I started calling people over: "hey, do you want to look at the moon?" and they eagerly came to look. Later in the evening, I didn't have to do that...had a fair line most of the night. Showed the moon and Venus early on, then Mizar/Alcor, Alberio, M57, M13, M11, M16, and M17. I always ask what people see in M11. Nobody sees wild ducks. Had a blast and the folks were great. Last visitor at nearly 1:00 AM!

I stayed until about 2:30, just enjoying the sky. Left only because I didn't want to be an unsafe driver on the long drive the next day.

July 14, Sunday

Packed up and left. Dang...wouldn't you know that the best night of all was Sunday night. Oh well, you can't predict that. I had committed to work on Monday, and work pays for the telescope.

A grand time! Many many thanks to all who put this on. I hereby volunteer for some gate duty (or whatever) next year. The good folks who put this together deserve to spend their days doing something else (swimming, hiking, going to observatory tours, sleeping...).