by Steve Sergeant
Though it was only one day before the full moon, at 8,000' elevation the deep sky was plenty visible. We had some significant wind, perhaps 10 - 13 MPH. There were some clouds on the horizon to the south, which climbed to almost 45° and then retreated over the time we were out. Some wispy clouds blew over, but quickly.
With the aid of a Gadget with Light-emitting Properties, I identified a dozen constellations. I'm sure you can imagine the kind of chaotic, unproductive interaction that could happen with an audience of a dozen-and-a-half people: "Do you see that slightly brighter, more yellow-ish star to the east..."
To which they might have answered: "Which way is east?" ... "How can I tell which one is yellow?" ... "You mean the one that's part of the square or the one that's part of the diamond?" ... "Are they about two inches apart?" ... "Oh, are you talking about the one above this rock?"
There was none of that. Using the right tool for the job, I unambiguously directed people toward what to look at, and they could all agree that they were seeing the same thing: Gemini, Casseopia, Perseus, Andromeda, Taurus, Ursa Major, Orion, Auriga, Cancer, Canis Major, Pegasus, Cetus.
Using their binoculars, I went on to show the entire group how to find M31, M42, M45, NGC 884/869, and as the finale for the evening, Saturn. I also tried to find Comet Machholz, but I think the sky was too cloudy near the horizon. Then I let them burn their eyes out on the moon. :-)
All of this in under an hour, standing in the snow and sub-zero wind-chill on the exposed top of a mountain ridge. I never lost the attention of the participants.
During the descent back to the lodge, the talk was almost entirely about where people could go to see more. We talked about light pollution and dark-sky conservation. We talked more about what objects they saw and the scientific explanations for their existence. We talked about public programs offered by amateur astronomy clubs. Everyone was enthused to some degree.
The participants agreed that the Christmas-night moon & star hike was a success. So much so that I've been asked to do it again on a dark-sky night.
Posted on sf-bay-tac Jan 06, 2005 17:01:45 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Jan 25, 2005 19:43:44 PT