Public Star Party, July 30, 2016
Arrived in the early afternoon to do some grounds maintenance with Domingo, Brian V, and Mark. 8 observing table tops were replaced, the walkway work was started, and some 6-month recurring work on the telescope focusers was completed. It was a beautiful summer day, but it sure was hot out there!
Guests started arriving just before sunset, pretty much filling up the parking lot, as the sky turned completely clear. Viewing conditions were about as good as I have ever seen them at EEO, with a cooling breeze throughout the night. There was a very bright Iridium flare just after sunset. Scorpius dominated the Southern sky, and Sagittarius was high in the sky. The Milky Way was bright and clear from horizon to horizon. We got to see 5 planets: Venus, Mercury (great view, it actually set after Venus), Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. M13 Hercules globular cluster and M57 Ring Nebula where nearly directly overhead, perfect for viewing. The Whirlpool and Pinwheel galaxies in Ursa Major were also unusually bright and clear.
One of the best parts of the night was the number of meteors. Most fell from east to west, with several bright green meteors seen. I counted 6, but probably missed another 5 or 6.
Tonight I tried something a little different with the guests. I had brought out an Orion 120ST refractor on equatorial mount, and a Lightbridge 16″ Dobsonian. When a group of people came by, I would show them how to see the bullseye in the Telrad, and then let them position the scopes to look at whatever they wanted, only showing them where the planets were. One kid actually tracked a satellite in the Orion telrad, while we watched it in the eyepiece. I was impressed! Of course, with a rich field telescope and 56mm eyepiece, objects are about as easy to find as with a pair of binoculars.
By 11:30, Cassiopeia was rising, the last guests had left, we packed up, and headed home. This event was a lot of fun, reminding me of how special a place the Eagle Eye Observatory is. Hope to see everyone out there soon!
