Halloween Star Party: Mars Madness
October 31, 2005

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The Amador Astronomical Society held an 'AAS Halloween Star Party: Mars Madness' event for trick-or-treaters on Spanish Street in Sutter Creek on Monday, October 31st from 7 PM to Midnight. The AAS members set up 3 telescopes to treat the kids to a view of Mars on Halloween, Monday, October 31 in a front yard on Spanish Street, Sutter Creek. This opposition is as good as it gets for Mars for the next 13 years. AAS members that attended the function were Dan Fine, Dennis Mashburn, Eileen Sullivan (in costume), Joyce (blinking red light) Sutton and Larry Brown, AAS president.

We had 100 Halloween Mars Commemorative Stickers which Eileen Sullivan diligently stuck on all that looked at Mars. We had multiple reports the next day from Sutter Creek residents that "kids kept coming by with these Mars stickers on". Although Mars was quite low on the horizon, we still got a good look, as did our many visitors. There were lots of trick-or-treaters and their parents, as well as high-schoolers, out on the streets of Sutter Creek that night, and many stopped to take a look through the telescopes. We also observed the Andromeda Galaxy, Pleiades and more. AAS members as well as guests enjoyed a green laser-refracting crystal ball, glowing and bouncing golf balls, wearable red flashing lights, and our own astronomically correct singing, red light, skull. A great show!

Dennis Mashburn and his 6″ Newtonian reflector with Ledger Dispatch reporter James Reece.
Spooky kids looking thru the 11″ Schmidt-Cassegrain with the assistance of Joyce Sutton and Eileen Sullivan. Dan Fine's red 8″ Newtonian reflector is on the right.
An evening of sugar and stars
Mars madness. Ghostly fun with Joyce Sutton.
From the Ledger Dispatch, Wednesday, November 2, 2005: AAS president Larry Brown in costume as a Star Wizard during the Mars Madness event, trick-or-treaters.
Moon/Venus, photo taken by AAS member-at-large Robert Brown from Arlington, TX. Small Olympus C-770 digital camera at 8x zoom. Set on automatic, hand held (against a fence post). Exposure about a sec./f2.8, 11/05/2005 6:20 CDT Arlington, TX