AAS Member Event at Telescope Flat
July 22, 2006
Click on an image to see a larger version.
The AAS Star Party for Saturday, July 22, 2006 began one
hour before Sunset at 8:21 p.m. Attending were AAS astronomers
Harold Connerley, Phil Kreiss, Barbara Kreiss, Joran Kreiss,
and Erik Kreiss.
Highlights included M17, M13, and Barnard's Star.
M17, The Omega Nebula, is also sometimes
popularly
known as the Horseshoe Nebula or the Checkmark Nebula
because of it's shape. It is located in the constellation
Sagittarius.
M13, The Great Cluster, is a globular
cluster in the constellation Hercules.
Barnard's Star
is the second closest star (not including the sun) to the earth.
At magnitude 9.56 it was just barely visible in 10 x 50
binoculars. Barnard's Star is also the
closest Red Dwarf. It is located in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Click here see a
Star Chart
for the night of the event.
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We were mostly looking through the clouds of a thunder
storm that was moving through the atmosphere. Patches
of clear sky would open up for viewing and then close.
Since the site elevation is 4900 feet, check
the weather forcast for optimal viewing.
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Harold Connerley setting up his large Dobsonian Telescope.
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Telescope Flat has a large area to set up telescopes
and plenty of parking.
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Looking at Jupiter and its moons through the big Dob,
through a spotting scope, and through 10 x 50 binoculars.
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A table set up with a planetarium program running on a
laptop computer helped to identify Jupiters moons, and
starry objects. Telescope flat has 360 degree view with
the ability to see very low down on the horizon in all
directions depending on where your telescope is set.
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Phil Kreiss using a 20 power spotting scope mounted on a
camera tripod. Amateurs do not need expensive equipment
to get a lot of enjoyment out of the night sky.
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