Looking into the Past

“9/26/90- Fog, everywhere but up”

    I have been searching through my slides and pictures for shots taken at the Wagman Observatory and of our club. The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) is rapidly closing in on its 100^th anniversary. Hopefully, the pictures I find can add to the club's history. Their observatories, the members, star parties and events they held are all included in my search.

    As I am doing this, I am also winnowing down my collection. Do I really need 10 shots of a partial lunar eclipse taken 15 years ago? Are the slides filled with dots of mold really worth saving? Let me tell you, the wastepaper basket has been getting a lot of use lately!

    While searching I have also come across a lot of pictures that I want to save. I have also come across many that cause me to wonder.

    I found some pictures of the desk in the Wagman Observatory, taken before the addition had been added. One was just the desk and the others were of me, writing in my journal. The colors were red and black. I attempted to enlarge the picture to see what I was writing or what was on the sky atlas open beside the notebook. The pictures weren’t sharp enough to see any details.

    I continued copying slides but my mind kept returning to those pictures.

It wasn’t until later in the evening that an idea hit me. The date was noted on the slides! I could look in my journals and see what I had written. This unfortunately would involve another trip up to the attic. This isn’t the easiest thing to do these days.

    A day or two later, I made the trip. I went through the cubbyhole in the closet and up a sketchy set of rungs into the space under the rafters. I knew exactly where they were kept, in the bottom drawer of a file cabinet. I pulled out the one I needed and then after a moment’s thought, grabbed the entire pile and brought them downstairs with me.

    Looking through them, I found the journal I was looking for and turned to the date in question. There it was! The page in the pictures! Reading the entry, I found out that the evening was foggy. The sky overhead was clear, but it was rapidly disappearing. I had taken some photos of Mars and the Andromeda Galaxy. I had also dropped my camera, breaking a filter and a shutter cable in the process. (8:21PM if you’re interested)

    After closing the roof because of the approaching fog, I took a couple pictures of the desk to check whether the camera was still working. This was a film camera, no digital stuff yet.

    This wasn’t the first time I ever dropped a camera, believe me. I get a chill just thinking about it. Hopefully this occurrence helped me become even more careful with my gear!

    I find it fascinating to leaf through these notebooks. There are times when I can remember the exact day and event listed in them; all it takes is a simple sentence. Of course, there are so many things written down that I have completely forgotten. (Such as the time my car battery died after a Christmas Party at Alleghany Observatory) I enjoy looking at the simple sketches I made and am sometimes amazed at the detail in some of them. The items stuck between the pages are another exciting thing to look at: pictures, newsletters, notes and lists.

    Looking at my journals, I see that the collection isn’t complete. There are more than a few missing. I guess I’ll have to make another trip up to the attic.

    Whether or not these journals will ever be anything other than a reminder of the past is yet to be seen. I definitely am glad that I kept them. They are filled with memories of not only stellar observations but memories of family, friends and good times I’ve had under the stars. They also remind me of some of the mistakes I’ve made, such as dropping cameras. Oh yeah, I need to remember those also, no matter how foolish they were.

Revisiting the Everett Railroad

 

We left early; it was still dark. A light rain followed us but we had high hopes that it wouldn’t last. Our wishes were not to be granted.

    Frank and I were heading east in the direction of the soon to be rising sun. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be for another 8 or 9 hours before we saw any sunshine.  Hollidaysburg was our final destination. There we would be photographing the Everett Railroad’s steam engine. On the way we would be searching for some geocaches (of course) and hopefully, some nice pictures. 

    Driving into the mountains we encountered fog, at times thick enough that we could barely see vehicles in the opposing lanes. The rain changed continuously, the wipers were never set at the same position. Occasionally we would get a glimpse of the autumn colors, oranges and browns when we came into a clear patch. In the valleys, the colors, highlighted by the moisture, spread out across the vistas.

    We stopped for a while at the Cassandra Railroad Overlook where we watched a freight train work its way up the slope. The train was moving slowly. Our first sight of it was just the headlights shining in the fog at the bottom of the hill. Finally, the engine arrived and passed under us pulling a long line of empty cars.

    While watching the gondolas going by, the Amtrak Pennsylvanian appeared in the distance. This engine, pulling only 7 passenger cars quickly climbed the hill and passed the other train. It was then that I bumped one of my cameras and the lens cap popped off. It bounced on my foot, and then the bridge, and then dropped down into one of the gondolas below. It was gone before I knew it, never to be seen again. This wasn't the first time a lens cap had been lost on one of our adventures!

    While we were there, we spent a little time talking with John, a rail fan from Chicago. He and his wife would be riding behind the steam engine that Frank and I had come to photograph. What a small world we live in!

    On our way down into Hollidaysburg, we did a cache at the site of where the Fountain Inn used to stand. This historic Inn was built in 1843. Its name came from a pond in front of it that had a fountain in its center. There were trout swimming in it that could be caught for visitor’s dinners. The inn was destroyed by fire in 1908 and road work has since eliminated any foundations or signs of the buildings. 

    We found a rough stone wall but we didn’t see any foundations. We did find the cache but to get to it, we had to work our way down a rather steep slope and cross over a few downed trees. We also took a short hike up the hill, only to figure out that the cache was at the bottom, below us. It’s all part of the game! While we were searching for the cache, I managed to pick up a tick to take home with me.

    Traveling further down into the valley we came into the town of Hollidaysburg, the county seat of Blair County. 

    The steam engine was sitting beside the station, with a cloud of steam hovering above it. People were crossing from the parking lot and boarding; many stopping to take pictures. The time was getting close to noon, the scheduled departure time.

    Shortly after twelve, the whistle sounded and steam shot out around it. The engine started moving and they were on their way.

    The engine pulling the train was built by Alco, the American Locomotive Company in 1920. It started out its working life in Rhode Island and ended up here, where it started working on the Everett Railroad in 2015. It looks mighty good for an engine that’s 106 years old!

    Frank and I had been here in May of 2016. We had ridden on the train and then later chased after it taking pictures. It was raining on that day also. This time, we decided to head back towards home rather than following it. We stopped at Dean’s Diner in Blairsville for lunch. Eggs, bacon, home fries and toast; breakfast is good no matter what time of day!

    The sunshine finally showed up on our ride home; we had left the rain and fog behind. Getting wet from the precipitation never hurt us before and it sure didn’t this time. We got what we went for and had fun doing it. No doubt about it, it was another great adventure!

Tackling the Steps

With a metallic squeal, the trap door pulls open. Something catches, probably one of the springs, it needs to be closed and then reopened. It works on the second try. Bits of dust and vermiculite fall down as the door is opened. It has been a while since I’ve been up in the attic; the dust has had plenty of time to accumulate.

    As the door creaks open the dark rectangle of the opening appears. The impression of rafters can be seen in the weak light filtering up from the hallway. One of the two springs that pull the door shut, hangs out of line. It no longer notches into the metal retainer as it should, it hangs out, closer to the steps. Right into the path needed to climb into the attic.

    Unfolding the steps, I unconsciously lean away from the spring. I don’t trust it. Well over 60 years ago, the hook on the end had broken off just as my father had started up the stairs. I wasn’t there but I remember the scar. The spring was replaced but it still worries me! Ever since that happened, I have always approached these stairs with apprehension.

    When the door opens and the springs stretch out, they sing. When they reach the point where the weight of the steps overcome the strength of the springs, there is still a twang heard.

    The spring on the right settles between two struts, holding it in position. The one on the left sits a bit off center, humming as it finds its position.

    These stairs are old and the individual steps creak as I put my weight on them. They appear solid, there are no visible cracks, yet each step produces another noise. I listen carefully for the sound of one of them breaking.

    They aren’t wide and I have to twist slightly to get past the one spring. My face comes close to it as I start and I look closely each time, trying to see if there are any new cracks or indications that it might fail. With every step, the spring sings a bit and the hook at its end tries to snag my clothing.

    My head rises up above the ceiling joists and the boards nailed to them. They are grey and dirty. The house is nearly 90 years old and no paint or finish has ever been put on these boards. There are knotholes in them and they aren’t all even. One side sits higher than the other. I can see boxes and old furniture in the shadows under the rafters.

    When I get high enough, I swing my hand around above me. Muscle memory from decades of coming up into the attic finds the string hanging from the peak of the roof. A quick pull and the attic lights up.

    At one time this area was packed full of items, leftovers from my parents and my lives. I have been working for years to clean it up. Like any project that requires time, it doesn’t always go in the direction you want it to. There are times when the recently cleared spaces under the eaves get refilled with more items, things that aren’t needed but can’t be thrown away. Being a collector, or a pack rat, makes it difficult!

    I’ve come up to do some more cleaning. I’ll be trying to find some things that have outlived their usefulness. I’ll be separating the nostalgic from the unnecessary. And then, deciding if they really are useless. It won’t be easy. It is often very tough to determine something’s need.

    The toughest part is past, that’s getting up the steps safely. Now, getting back down will be another thing!

Not Your Typical Morning!

 It was tough getting to sleep. The anticipation was heavy on my mind. After rolling around a bit, tossing and turning, I got up and got dressed. I loaded my telescope and gear into the car and headed up to the Wagman Observatory.

    Arriving on the hilltop at 1, I found two other club members (Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh) in the field with their equipment, taking pictures of the sky. I opened the building and pointed the 11” Brashear telescope at Saturn. I invited the men in to take a look. We introduced ourselves and BS’d a bit while we enjoyed looking at the ringed planet. As always, it looked great!

    I had come up to watch the occultation of Jupiter by the moon. These events only happen every 13 years, give or take. The conditions were looking good this morning, the sky was clear and crisp, and the moon/Jupiter pair would be in a good position to observe them. Unfortunately, the event would be hidden from the Brashear telescope by the building, so I closed up and went outside to set up my gear.

 The camera came first. I took some pictures of the moon rising behind some trees on the horizon. Jupiter followed close behind.

    Setting up my telescope came next. Another club member, John Holtz, showed up and started setting up his scope. I had imagined that more members would be here but I guess that since it was a Tuesday morning, work may have played a part in it.

    By eye we could see the bright planet getting closer and closer to the bright arc of the moon. The moon was only 20% illuminated and paired with Jupiter, they looked like a poster!

    Through my telescope I could see the entire moon. The majority of it was a dark semi-featureless disc against the sky. The lit portion beautifully showed craters and mountains. Moving in on it was Jupiter. The planet's cloud bands could be seen. In front of the planet, closest to the moon were three of the Jovian moons and behind the planet, another one. This all could be seen through the eyepiece. It was overwhelming!

    The first moon in line, Europa disappeared into the bright arc and about a half minute later, Callisto disappeared. I lost sight of Io, the third moon in line and never saw it touch the lunar disc. Then came Jupiter! It took a minute for it to completely disappear. (4:20:56am by my clock) Finally, bringing up the backend was Ganymede.

    John and I compared notes and shared our thoughts while we waited for what we imagined would be the best part of the show.

    Just over an hour after Europa disappeared, it came back into sight.

    In my eyepiece I was looking at the dark section of the moon. It showed up nicely compared to the sky beyond. The bright section was hidden from view. I had an idea of where the moon would reappear but wasn’t sure exactly. I scanned back and forth. Then, suddenly there it was. There was no mistaking it; it looked as if a light had been turned on!

    Spectacular!

    Two minutes later Callisto appeared and less than a minute later, Io joined the train, slowly drifting away from the moon.

    Then the real showstopper came, Jupiter. It took a minute and six seconds to fully appear. (5:23:05am) It looked unbelievable; the cloud bands crossing its surface looked great against the dark arc of the moon. About a minute and a half later, Ganymede joined the parade. 

    I just stood there and watched as the moon slowly distanced itself from the Jovian grouping.

    Then it was time to break things down. We watched as the Chinese space station, Tiangong crossed the sky overhead. We saw a bunch of satellites and a couple meteors as the morning progressed.

    The morning was more than I had hoped it to be. Seeing the advancing moon covering over these bright objects was wonderful, but the reappearances on the dark side were the best. Watching Jupiter and its moons come out from behind the darkened side of the moon was not only extremely easy to see, it was also extremely memorable. It was like a science fiction movie but it was real life! Motion in space! I will remember this for the rest of my life! (I hope)

    What a great morning. Science and astronomy rocks!

The Selfish Observer

 

Sharing my love of astronomy has been part of my life for decades. Pointing out things in the sky out to neighbors, setting up my telescope at Halloween for the kids to look through or helping out at star parties, I always enjoy doing something astronomical. It is just what I like to do.

    There is a certain kick I get when I hear someone’s exclamation after seeing Saturn through a telescope. It’s fun to explain how Jupiter’s moons move during the night or how the moon can cover a star. Seeing people lined up waiting to get a look through a telescope is exciting. I can’t help but hope that some of them will continue on and become astronomers themselves. Hopefully, I would be a part of that decision. After a star party or even a simple astronomical interaction, I always feel good and am happy with the world.

    The astronomy club (3AP.org) recently had a pair of star parties, one on Friday and the other on Saturday. The first was clouded out. Star parties work best when you can see the stars!

    The skies on Saturday were deep blue with hardly any clouds. The observatory was opened at 4 and club members and guests started arriving soon after. One of the scopes was pointed at the sun and guests were able to see a couple small sunspots on its surface. They were told to stick around until dark, that was when the real fun would start. The planet Saturn would be the high point of the evening, everyone loves to view Saturn! Before long, the observatory started getting crowded.

    I kept thinking about seeing Saturn through the big scope as the evening progressed. I also thought about going home and using my own scope to see it!

    As the sky darkened, both scopes in the building were open and lines had formed. The room between them was filled with people talking and looking at the displays. Kids were running around having a blast while their parents attempted to keep an eye on them. Outside, members were showing people the views through their own scopes.

    Having been there for over 4 hours, I was ready to head back home. I’m not as young as I used to be and standing for that long puts a strain on my legs. I said my good-byes and tried my best not to drive over anyone on the way out. The members’ telescopes had plenty of people around them!

    I never had a chance to view Saturn so I decided when I got home to set up my scope in the front yard. Surprisingly, there were very few lights lit in the neighborhood. Porch lights shining on me is one of the major problems with observing at home.

    Within a short time I had the scope set up in a corner of the yard. Unfortunately, Saturn was still hidden from me by a tree. It would appear soon and so I just spent the time browsing. I looked off towards the west and visited some old familiar sites such as M-57, the Ring Nebula and Epsilon Lyrae, the Double-Double star. I easily found the Coat Hanger Cluster with my binoculars and then spent some time just pushing the scope back and forth, seeing whatever popped into my view. The sky was extremely clear, a rarity in Glenshaw.

    A car pulled up to a neighbor’s house and, of course, the lights shown directly onto my scope. It was time to take a small break; I went into the house for a drink.

    Coming back outside, Saturn was now above the tree so I turned the scope towards it. The next ½ hour was spent fixated on the ringed planet. The telescope provided me one of the best views of the planet I’ve ever seen through it.

    One of the nice things about long observations is that even though the view may look great, it often improves for a few seconds. What looked absolutely fascinating can suddenly become mind blowing! On this evening, it looked 3-dimentenal, it looked like a photograph. At times it appeared like a fine pen and ink drawing, the lines looked so delicate and exact! I couldn’t remember ever seeing the planet look this good when viewed from Glenshaw or through this telescope. This was a night to remember!

While observing this wondrous sight, I was thinking about the star party. Should I have stayed? Was I selfish coming home to observe by myself?

    Even though I enjoy sharing my hobby with others, there are times that I just want to be by myself. It can be extremely relaxing to be out under the stars with no one else around. Listening to crickets chirping, coyote pups yipping at each other and maybe the quiet footsteps of deer walking past, oblivious to your presence, these are all things that I’ve experienced. Standing in an unbroken field of snow with the stars sparkling on the snow crystals and watching the moon rise over a hilltop can be almost a religious experience. I’ll never get tired of seeing these things, and being there by myself gives me a chance to look into my inner being a bit.

    When observing at a telescope, being alone allows me to take my time, to relax and enjoy the view. I can take notes, experiment with eyepieces and if I choose to do so, just push the scope around to see what pops into view. There are no distractions and no time table.

    I had put my time in at the party. There were others that could do what I was doing, in fact, they would do it better! So this personal bit of observing wasn’t greed or a desire to get away from everyone…I’d like to look at it as a small reward. I’d done my sharing for the evening, now it was time to relax and enjoy.

By all means, I’ll always share my love of astronomy with others but whenever I get the chance to do some solo observing, I’ll grab it! The peaceful quiet of the night is one of the things that has always grabbed me, I can’t give it up! No, it isn’t greed, it’s more like love…