Fingers Crossed

 (1/13/25, Noon) 

Coming back from the eye doctor’s office, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. My eyes had been dilated and I was wearing those stylish plastic sunglasses that are held in place by placing them behind your glasses. The dark tint enhanced the color of the sky! I couldn’t help but get my hopes up, even though I knew better! I had tried to find three geocaches earlier in the morning but couldn’t find any of them. The fourth that I had in my GPS…I decided to ignore, it just wasn’t my day.

    Later this evening, the moon will pass in front of the red planet Mars, an occultation. I have been looking forward to seeing this for a month or two but I have been trying not to think about it. By getting excited about this would make it an even larger let-down when the clouds move in. I know what Pittsburgh weather is like, believe me!

    Astronomical occultations are when one heavenly body, such as the moon, passes in front of another stellar object. These are things that I look forward to; I find that it is exciting to see actual movement of a stellar object in real time. The stars and planets are all moving but rarely is it as obvious as when you are watching through a pair of binoculars or a telescope and can see the two objects getting closer, and closer together. The moon frequently occults stars but they are usually faint and harder to watch. The moons of Jupiter are often occulted by the planet and that also is exciting to watch. I find it fascinating that someone was able to calculate when these events would be happening!

 This evening’s moon will be full so it will be extremely bright.  Mars is easy to see in the night sky but sitting very close to the moon will make it difficult to see without some optical aid. By using a telescope with a drive on it, hopefully I will be able to use a powerful enough eyepiece so that only a small portion of the moon’s bright surface will be visible.

    I have started making my list of things to take with me. I find that by making a list, there will be less chance of forgetting something important. There is nothing worse than driving for a long distance and discovering one of the most important things I wanted to bring was left at home. I’ve done it before; my camera memory left sitting in the computer or batteries left in the charger, these lists help me, considerably!

    It is going to be cold, so I'll need to dress for that. I’ll bring along a hot beverage and maybe a snack.  My journal and a couple pens, the camera, binoculars and my eyepieces are just a few more of the things on my list. It will continue to grow as the day wears on.

    The sky is still clear, not a cloud to be seen…eight more hours to go. My fingers are crossed!

(Written 1/14/24, 9:00AM)

    Well. Let me tell you about last night. I prepared for a night at our clubs observatory by dressing for the occasion. I wore long underwear, top and bottoms, heavy socks over my regular socks, a winter jacket, gloves and a nice thick alpaca tousle cap to keep my head warm. All the gear I had on my list was in the car, and it was almost time to leave. 

    The moon was rising from behind the trees on the far side of the valley, there were no clouds in the sky at all, things were looking good! There was one more thing to do before hitting the road, watch the International Space Station pass over my neighbor’s houses.

    It was just past 6 and the sky was cloudless. I set up my camera and waited. In less than a minute, I saw it coming from behind one house and rising up to pass over another. A couple neighbors passed by and I pointed the satellite out to them. I’m not sure how excited they were, but I was!

    A quick stop was made for a large cup of coffee and then a drive through the countryside followed. The moon was getting higher and it was easy to see the scenery on the sides of the road. Mars could be seen sitting below the moon whenever I stopped to look.

    A fellow club member, Jody was at the observatory when I arrived. Together we opened the roof and exposed the telescope to the cold air, Eric showed up soon after. 

    Using the Brashear 11” refractor, I pointed it first at Venus. It appeared to be about 50% illuminated. After a quick look we moved the scope over to Saturn. This was a much more important view as far as I was concerned. The planet is just a couple months away from when its rings will appear edge on.

     I couldn't help it, I was ecstatic...the view was spectacular! The seeing was nice and steady. A couple light bands could be seen crossing the planet, but the most exciting thing was its rings. 

    The planets rings appeared like two golden bars on either side of the planets disc. Just below the bars was a thin black line crossing the planet, what I am guessing was the rings shadow. (Excuse the poor drawing, I wish I could’ve gotten a picture!) Off to the side was the largest of its moons, Titan.

  The brightness of the moon lit up the interior of the observatory, the red lights were useless this evening!

    The moon rose up over the observatory’s roof about 30 minutes before the occultation was due to happen. I put a high power eyepiece into the focuser and centered it on Mars. (14mm, 295X) We were able to see the markings on the planet’s surface and the northern ice cap. During periods of extreme clarity we were able to glimpse the southern cap as well.  

    As I watched, the moon eventually entered into the eyepieces field of view. Just a small section but as I watched, it got closer and increased its size in the eyepiece. Slowly it got closer and closer. As it neared, it seemed to increase in speed though this was just an illusion. This effect was really noticeable when the moon was only a “planet diameter” or two away from Mars. It was there one moment and gone the next. It was dramatic watching the planet as it was cut in half and then disappeared behind the moon!

    Yells and high fives were shared after it happened!

    I thought how amazing it was to see this planet, looking so small beside our moon, which looked so big. Mars is about half the size of the earth!  Mars is about 61 million miles away from us while the moon is only about 239,000 miles away. Quite a difference!

    Jody and Eric left soon afterwards but I stayed to watch the reappearance. Approximately an hour and 13 minutes later the planet showed up again, just as predicted.

    I then shifted the scope over to look at the planet Jupiter. The planets moon, Europa was nearing the planet. I watched as it finally appeared to touch the planets disc and then cross over in front of it. It “touched” Jupiter in nearly the same spot as Mars had disappeared behind the moon. In a weird kind of way, it was as if I was watching the event all over again. I watched until the moon had completely crossed onto the planets face, a bright dot sitting below one of the colored bands decorating the planet’s surface. Then I updated my journal and started to close things down.

    The temperature was a balmy 19° as I loaded my car. The wind made it feel even colder.

    Driving home I was almost tempted to turn off my headlights since the moon was so bright. (But I didn’t!!) The day had started out badly but it sure had taken a turn for the better!  The Pittsburgh weather gods had smiled on us all this evening! I finally uncrossed my fingers as I pulled up in front of my house.

“To see an occultation during a night of observing is sort of like putting a dollop of vanilla ice cream on a slice of warm apple pie, oh…so comforting!”

Patience

 Looking over some of my photos, giving them a good critique, one of the things I find myself guilty of is the lack of patience, the failure to wait until the “right” moment to snap a picture. While I am happy with most of my pictures, I’ve come to realize that they could have been even better if I had just waited a bit longer before pressing the shutter.

    Patience is a difficult thing to acquire I’ve found. In a typical scene, I see something that looks exciting; I get the camera, focus and snap the picture, possibly even a few times. If I had waited a bit, the sun may have changed its position, a cloud might have moved over or from the sun, changing the shadows or the amount of contrast. Sometimes waiting will result in different colors or the subject might be in a better position. Perhaps a person might walk into the scene, giving it more of a human element rather than a plain static shot.

    Using a bit of patience might involve taking a walk around the subject, looking to see if there isn’t a better angle to shoot from or to see if there are any interesting patterns that might make it a better picture, rather than my first thought.

    When using a larger format or film camera patience is very important. These cameras limit your possible exposures as compared to using a digital camera. With the 4x5 Speed Graphic, I usually only carry two holders with me, (four sheets of film)  I don’t want to waste one (or more) of these negatives. The cost of film photography is also higher than when using a digital camera, all the more reason to be patient when lining up a photograph.

    Taking the time to go over all the settings, the f stop, the shutter speed, the composition. Is the camera steady and straight?  Take a look around at the scene, these are all things worth double checking. Patience, I have to recheck all the vital details before I take the plunge and push the plunger. Is this really what I want to take a picture of? Give it a second thought…

    Stepping back and looking at everything, doing a mental checklist will help me get a better picture. Making sure everything is correct before hitting the shutter button is worth the wait, it will help avoid disappointment later on!

    Needless to say, that anticipation may cause a bit of a problem with this concept. The excitement of creating another picture, the anticipation of another "wonderful photograph" that has almost been taken, all I need to do is click the shutter! This will probably be followed by the disappointment of seeing what I rushed into.

    This habit comes in handy with both photography and astronomy; sometimes we have no choice except to be patient. The rain will eventually go away and the sky will clear up.

    Of course, it goes without saying that these practices also come in handy in regular life also! Taking our time with the things we do, no rushing through our tasks, taking pride in our jobs. Patience is also an important part of dealing with the people we meet and interact with, both friends and strangers alike. The outcome of all our endeavors, from photography, astronomy, friendships to driving on the roads will definitely turn out better if we exercise just a little bit of patience!

What Can We Do This Weekend?

 Nothing planned for the upcoming weekend, are you looking for something to do? Let me give you a couple ideas…

    Foremost on my list are the two star parties being held by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, (AAAP) at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park. On  Friday and Saturday nights, the 28^th and 29^th of April, the club members will have a variety of telescopes set up on the observatory grounds and the two permanently mounted scopes will be open for viewing also.

    The bright planet Venus will be one of the objects viewed along with the moon, double stars and galaxies. If you’ve never been to a star party, this is your chance! If you’ve been to one in the past, come on back! You can’t beat the price, it’s free!

    For more information about the AAAP and the star parties, go to;

3AP.ORG

    The second item on this short list is that Saturday April 28^th is Independent Bookstore Day!  While you are out and about during the day, stop into your favorite independent bookstore. Many of the store will be having special events to celebrate the day.

    Before we go up to Wagman, we will be stopping at City Books, located on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Open from 11 to 5, they will have along with their great selection of used books (and new), Haley Clancy who will be composing poems for interested customers. She types them on her typewriter as she creates them, each one an individual one-of-a-kind poem.

    For more information on City Books, go to;

CityBooksPgh.com

    Support your local bookstores, they bring both knowledge and class to our neighborhoods! If you happen to visit City Books or come up to the star parties, keep an eye out for me. I’d love to see you there!

“There are stores that enrich the streets with their presence, and the most precious of them are the shops that sells old books!”

― Mehmet Murat ildan

Star Party Season is Almost Here!

If you are at all like me, you remember the two bright objects, very close to each other, in the western skies a few weeks ago. They weren’t stars, they were planets. The brighter one of the two was Venus and the fainter one, Jupiter. Since then, Jupiter is neared the horizon in the evening skies while Venus still stands strong in the twilight.

    Did you know that the planet Uranus will be close to the bright planet Venus towards the end of the month? You can see the pair from your backyard, use binoculars to see the fainter Uranus, OR, you can come up to the Wagman Observatory and see them there.

    The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding star parties on the last day of March, (the 31^st) and the first of April. (no joke!) Being held at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park, the club members will show you these objects and many others during the nights. Star parties are held in the warmer (?) months of the year. The March/April parties will be the start of the 2023 Star Party Season.

    The club holds these events to allow the general public to come and look through the telescopes belonging to the club and its members. There are two permanently mounted scopes at the observatory, an 11” refractor built by the prominent Pittsburgh optician John Brashear (above) and a 21” reflector. The mirror for the reflector was made by the same company that John Brashear founded over a century ago. (We are a very Pittsburgh oriented club!)

    There is no charge for these parties; they are open to anyone who wants to see more of the sky above them. Bring the family, please! The observatory is in a darker portion of the county and almost everyone will see many more stars than at home in their light polluted neighborhoods.

    Are you thinking about getting a telescope and aren’t sure how to go about doing it, not sure what kind or what size to get? There are lots of options available. At a star party there are always a variety of scopes, different styles and sizes, you can browse among them and see how the views differ and ask the owners what their opinions are.

    Have you recently gotten a telescope and aren’t sure how to set it up or how to use it? Bring it with you and chances are someone will be there that can give you a hand or some advice. Ask at the desk to see if someone can help you. Just setting up a scope will bring club members over to see what you have! You can also join the club if you're interested!

    The kids enjoy being able to look through the scopes and seeing planets they’ve read and learned about. There are a couple programs available for the kids to participate in. Those between 2^nd and 6^th grades can work on the Passport to the Universe Program. They are given a passport and the idea is to find the various astronomical things listed in it. After finding them, they are awarded a certificate and a book. For the older kids there is the Junior Messier Program. After finding some things a little bit harder, they also can get an award and a certificate. Club members are happy to help them find the objects they are searching for.

    Weather permitting, (a big condition here in Pittsburgh) during these star parties, we will be able to see Jupiter and Mercury, very close to the western horizon. They will be setting soon after sunset. Higher in the sky will be Venus and beside it, the planet Uranus. Since Uranus is so much dimmer than the brilliant Venus, you’ll probably need some binoculars or a telescope to see it. Club members will direct you to it, it won’t be hard to find, especially when you have a bright planet to lead you to it!

    Chances are, the moon will be the first thing the telescopes will be pointing towards, since you can easily see it while the sky is still bright. As the sky darkens, Venus and Uranus will come under scrutiny by the observers. Then things such as Mars, Orion and it’s nebula, star clusters, galaxies and double stars. If we are lucky, we will see a pass or two of the International Space Station or maybe the Chinese space station, Tiangong. There is also the possibility of seeing a couple “falling stars”. You never know what you might see at a star party till you get there and see for yourself. That’s part of the fun of them, what new things will I see tonight?

    Bring your binoculars; you’ll be amazed at how much you can see with them! Leave your flashlights at home, the moon will be providing more than enough light to see. Bright lights are frowned upon because the darker the area is, the easier it is to see the fainter objects and to see more details. So being, please, turn off your car headlights as you enter the grounds.

    For more information about star parties or the A.A.A.P., click here, 3AP.Org. Directions to the clubs two observatories can be found there along with the dates of future star parties. If the weather looks doubtful, call the observatory (724- 224-2510) to see if the party is still on. Inclement weather, clouds, rain or snow will be cause to cancel the event.

    It is a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night, after a hard week of work, relaxing under the stars in the fresh air. Best thing of all…it’s free!

    If you come, look me up. Hope to see ya there!

Astronomical Pittsburgh - 1996

 Sorting through slides taken over the years, I came across a small box with the title “Ast Pgh”.  Opening it, I found a batch of slides I had taken in the mid 90’s. They were of places with astronomical names. Many of these places no longer exist. How many do you remember?

The streets are still there, so let’s start out with them.

Brashear Street, named after John Brashear, is in Point Breeze.

Telescope Street in the city’s Southside, not far from where John and Phoebe Brashear lived.

Jupiter Drive in Hampton Township.

Moving into the planets, I started by visiting the Venus Diner in Hampton Township. It has since been moved to another location, possibly in another state.

Then I visited the town of Mars! I always thought this historic sign was interesting since it states the town was named after the star Mars, not the planet…

and what would a visit to Mars be without seeing the UFO?

The planetary visits stopped with Pluto’s, in the Strip District. Pluto is no longer a planet and Pluto’s is no longer a nightclub.

Moving into the stars, there was Starlite Classics located in Wilkinsburg,

and Star Discounts on the main street in Lawrenceville.

Star Tile And Marble was in Aspinwall.

The Starlite Lounge was in Blawnox,

and less than a block away is Moondog’s.

The Comet News was in Braddock, and finally,

here’s a picture that was taken on that same roll of slides,

a comet flying over Wagman Observatory…1996, it was a fun year!

Foolish for Astronomy

 There is a man in my astronomy club who has been using remote telescopes to image objects in the sky. Scopes mounted in Chile, Hawaii, Peru and Australia, in places with clear seeing and without the problems of light pollution. He has shown the club some truly spectacular images of nebulas and galaxies. Having been the president of the club along with belonging to numerous other clubs, he has the ability to accurately describe what we are seeing and his processes in getting these great shots.

    An e-mail from him arrived early in the morning on the clubs list-server. In it, he told how excited he was about a shot he had just taken.

    His post described using a telescope located in the Canary Islands named the Sloof Scope. He had managed to image a shot of the planet Saturn as it transited the sun. Clouds had hampered his short amount of time on the telescope, but he managed to get a shot just before the planet left the suns disc.

    I clicked on the picture included with the e-mail and it wouldn’t open. I tried a few times, all without any luck. I sent him an e-mail describing my problem and rather quickly got a response with another picture attached. This one opened and I was shocked at what I saw!

    It was spectacular! I could see the wisps of clouds which had hidden the sun from view and near its edge, a nice sharp silhouette of the ringed planet!

    This was the type of shot that astro-photographers dream of! This was contest winner material! This was worthy of a magazine article!

    I sent him a gushing congratulatory e-mail saying how lucky he was to have gotten it and how spectacular it was.

    After hitting send, I started wondering about it. I wondered when he had taken it. I thought he had said that morning but Saturn has been rising before the sun for a month or so. Maybe he had taken it earlier and had spent time “tweaking” the picture to make it as “perfect” as possible. Astro-photographers are known for take shots and then spending days or weeks working on correcting everything before presenting it to be seen.

    Going through a few reference books and some magazines, I found out that the sun and Saturn had been in conjunction last on February 2^nd, nearly two months ago. Running things around in my head I suddenly realized that Saturn could NEVER go in-between us and the sun! It’s orbit is too large, it is impossible! That shot could not have been taken from earth! Turning my head, I glanced at the calendar.

    It was then that I realized this man who I looked up to, a man who had taught me things about space and astronomy, a man who I consider a friend, had played me for a fool!

    It was April first…April Fool’s Day. Re-examining the e-mail I saw that he had used the “Lirpa Sloof” camera on the “Sloof” Telescope. That would be April Fools and Fools spelled backwards.

    I don’t know how many others in the club that he fooled but he had gotten me good! I fell for it without even considering that it was a joke. My enthusiasm got the best of me.

    It wasn’t the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. He proved what I already knew, I can be a real fool when it comes to astronomy!

(A few of the "facts" have been altered for a better story line)

Up on the Hill

        Silhouetted trees surrounded me on all sides. It was Thursday night, I would probably have the hilltop to myself.

         In the west, Venus was shining brightly as it slowly dropped down into the treetops, to the left; Jupiter and Saturn were sitting proudly in the southern sky. The evening was still as the sky darkened. One by one the stars appeared until it was impossible to determine which one came next. Suddenly it seemed, the sky was filled with dots of light.

        While standing and watching the day disappear, I couldn’t help but notice the sounds. Insects were starting their evening songs. Off in the distance a few dogs barked at something, then a voice yelled at them to be quiet. A few cars drove by, the noises of their passing intruding into the songs of the insects. After they pass, the quiet returns. A couple deer snort over the hillside, heard but not seen.

        I had set up my telescope and was waiting to watch Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons pass behind the planet. With about a half hour to go, the moon was getting close, The movement was slow, very slow! I’d watch the sky for awhile and then look through the telescope to see where the moon was.  With about five minutes to go, the slender dark space between the moon and the planet became difficult to see. Then it finally happened, the two appeared to touch. Watching carefully, I saw the moon shrink in size as Jupiter covered it, until just a small bump remained.

        The moon was lined up with the darkest band of clouds on the planet and because of this contrast, I could easily see the bright yellow moon as it slid behind the planet. When it finally disappeared completely, I checked my watch; the time was right when it was predicted!

        It is amazing to watch something happen a little over 396 million miles away. The light of the sun took over 35 minutes to reach the planet and almost that same amount of time for it to reflect back to me.  Wow, I was looking just a little bit back into time. My observing as the night progressed, viewing other stellar objects, would take me further back.

        I turned the scope over to Saturn and marveled, once again, about how cool it looks. It appeared as if a ball had just fallen into a hole. A small shadow was visible on one side of the rings, adding to the 3 dimensional look. Separate sections of the rings could be seen at times, when the seeing improved.

        A young couple passed me, going over to a different section of the hill to do a little stargazing of their own, in private. No words were spoken, I don’t even know if they saw me. The sounds of the insects had fallen away, forgotten, drifting into the background. Traffic on the roads in the distance had decreased. Far away, a train traveled along the river, its whistle faintly drifting to the top of the hill. Every so often, I’d hear another snort from a deer or bits of conversation from the couple over the hill. It was a perfect night!

        I spent it visiting places I hadn’t been to in years. It was easy to find fainter objects with no moon or lights to interfere. The clarity of the sky helped me in my search.

        By 11, the grass was getting rather wet and dew was starting to cover the telescope. I decided it was almost time to pack it up. The couple must have thought the same, I said good night as they passed and I think I startled them. They came over and I showed them Saturn and Jupiter. They had never looked through a telescope before and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. (I love when this happens!) I told them about the upcoming star parties and they said they would be back. Then I was alone once again, on the hill top.

        I turned the telescope to the Andromeda Galaxy before I tore things down. This is really time travel, the light takes about 2 ½ million years to get from there to here. Time travel to the extreme! Returning to the present, I started disassembling the scope. Once everything was in the car, I stood for awhile to enjoy the view. I knew when I got home, I wouldn’t be able to see half of what I was seeing then. With a final look, I got in the car and started for home, happy and content!

 An Evening Under the Stars at Wagman Observatory

9.11.21

     The evening sky had lots of clouds in it but we were still hopeful for clearings as the night progressed. As sunset neared people started coming into the field surrounding the observatory, some members and some guests. The AAAP star party was starting.

     The clouds came and went during the evening; mostly they stuck to the horizons. The seeing wasn’t great but we could still see the usual crowd pleasers.

     We viewed the Moon and Venus in the west and as the sky darkened Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast. Some of the members with go-to scopes were able to show some of the fainter objects over our heads to the crowds.

     Jupiter had four of its brighter moons visible as the night started, around 9:30, the moon Io passed in front of the planet and disappeared from our sight. I don’t know if anyone was watching as it as disappeared It would have been a great thing to see!

     The moon looked nice as it settled into the thicker atmosphere near the horizon. It turned from bright yellow into a dark orange. With wispy clouds drifting in front of it, it would’ve looked good on the cover of a science fiction novel!

     By eleven, most of the public had left and the members were packing their gear. The “clear” skies had disappeared leaving only the brightest stars visible. It was time to call it a night.

     It was a wonderful evening! For a short while I was able to man the 11” Brashear refractor. (The high point of my night!) Jupiter and Saturn, always look good through that scope! It was originally built in 1910 by Pittsburgh optician, John Brashear, and rebuilt by the club in the mid 1990’s. It is 111 years old!

     We had over a hundred guests show up, there were plenty of questions and something I always enjoy…lots of “OH WOW’s”.

     It was a great night to hang out under the stars with friends! Can’t wait until the next one!

 

A Chance Encounter

 

        Clouds were drifting through the sky as sunset approached. Overhead I could see Vega. I had hopes for an eventual clearing…so I went to take a nap!

        Waking a bit after 11 I went outside to see a nice clear sky. Jupiter and Saturn were right in my “window”.  My front yard is framed by trees. Saturn was heading towards the trees to the west and Jupiter had just appeared out of the trees to the east. Best of all, most of the neighbors lights were off!

        I set up the scope and aligned the finder scope. My first observation was of Saturn. The image moved in and out of focus a bit as the telescope acclimated to the slightly cooler temperature. It settled down rather quickly and I was treated to a nice crisp, steady view of the ringed planet and its brightest moon, Titan. I was using a 12.5mm Coulter Optical eyepiece which gave me 12X. Before the planet slipped behind the trees I put a doubler on it for awhile.

        When I moved over to Jupiter, there were only three of its bright moons visible. I figured the fourth was either behind or in front of the planet Curious about where the fourth moon was, I consulted The Observers Handbook. I quickly found out that the fourth moon, Ganymede, was transiting across the front of the planet. Best of all, I saw that it was due to reappear in about 12 minutes!

        This is one of the reasons I like to have reference materials close at hand. I could’ve looked this up on the computer but I would have ruined my night vision in the process.

        I went to the telescope and put a Meade Ultra Wide 4.7mm eyepiece in the focuser. This gave me 32X.

        One of the first things I noticed was a sharp black dot near the center of the planets disc. Situated between the two darkest cloud bands, it was the shadow of Ganymede!

        I kept a close eye on the edge of the planet’s disc. As the time neared, (12:36AM) I started to see a bump grow. It increased in size until a little after 12:36, I could see a sliver in-between it and the planet.

        Not long after watching this, I started to tear down my set up. Jupiter was heading towards the trees and my scope was covered with dew. In all I had observed for a little over an hour and in that hour I had watched the universe in motion! As so often when observing you are looking at objects that are set in place. They are so far away you can’t see any movement at all except for the spinning of our own planet. Watching the transit of Ganymede was cool, happening upon it at the right time was lucky!

        After putting my equipment away, I went outside to check if I had left anything behind. The sky was starting to cloud over again. Seems I timed it just right! I returned to my bed because I had important dreams waiting for me!

        (Excuse my amateur drawings, they were taken from my notes)

P.S. The A.A.A.P. is scheduled another star party on September 11th, at the Wagman Observatory! You might want to mark that on your calendar!

Mom Nature Strikes Again!

 

The weather has been playing games with me this weekend. Yesterday, it darkened my hopes of going out to our clubs observatory to hold a star party. It had never looked promising but every so often a bit of sunshine would break through the cloud bank. Thunder and downpours pushed any hope out of my mind.

Today was very similar. I just experienced rain, accompanied with thick dark clouds. Now, as I write this, five minutes after the rain, sunshine is glowing on the near-by field. I know there are more clouds, if not rain coming behind this brief bit of brightness. The star party for tonight has been cancelled.

I am sitting beside a stream enjoying the sounds the water makes. The stream is high and the water is dark. The sounds are soothing, water tumbling over rocks accompanied with occasional chirping of birds. No cars pass by, increasing the feeling of isolation.

The wind blows through the trees, a little psithurism to accompany the birds and giving a bit of movement to the scene I’m looking at. The field lightens up and then like clockwork darkens again. Looking at the sky, there is no clearing, only thinning cloud cover. Dark angry clouds drift along the edge of the valley with pale haze overhead.

I have known for weeks that the weather this weekend would be bad. When planning a star party, it is always a gamble, especially here in Pittsburgh where the weather is prone to rain and clouds. I shouldn’t be disappointed or upset, the odds were against us!

It has been a long time since our club, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, held a star party. Over 20 months according to one of the members. The Covid epidemic has put a hold on so many things in our lives, the star parties are really a minor thing! But still, we miss them!

There have been a lot of discussions about these star parties. Will it be safe, how can we keep our equipment clean and sterile? Do we need masks? Do we need to worry about possibly catching anything by allowing the public to use our gear?

Most of us are going along with the idea that if we are vaccinated, we should be safe. The desire to share the night sky with others drives us on!

My own personal schedule has opened up and I didn’t have any required demands for Friday nights. I have been looking forward to this weekend since the star party dates were announced. Even as I penciled in the dates, I knew my chances were slim. Still I kept my fingers crossed.

A small bit of blue sky drifts overhead, surrounded by grey clouds. Dark, thick clouds are moving into view. The blue sky was just a tease. Mother Nature is playing with me, laughing at my hopes and my dreams.

Rain drops start splashing on my windshield and spotting the surface of the stream. There won’t be any telescope viewing tonight. I guess this will only make the next clear night all that much more enjoyable!

Last but not least, this cartoon reminded me of Pittsburgh…for some odd reason.

Geocaching to the Extreme!

 

Geocaching has taken me to many cool spots, all over the country. I have been to the tops of a couple mountains, gone into caves, found lakes and cliffs and mysterious stone structures hidden deep in the woods. This morning I made a find in a place I’ve never been before. The planet Mars!

                When NASA sent its Perseverance Rover to the red planet, included on it was a tracking number that could be logged on the Geocaching.com web site.

                Travel bugs have been taken into space before, taking rides on the International Space Station but this is the first time one has gone to another planet!

                Launched from Earth in July of 2020, the rover landed on the red planet in February of 2021. On the 17^th of March, the rover sent pictures back to earth. Included in these pictures was one of its calibration chart.  The tracking code is “hidden” on a 1” piece of glass that is part of that target.

                This is one of those things that just tweeks my geek genes! It combines geocaching and astronomy, wow! I love it! There it was 12:40 in the morning and no one to talk to.  There was no one to share my story with, a story that will be told many times later today, starting with this time!

                So, tonight when you look up in the sky and see that red dot not too far away from the Pleiades and the bright star Aldebaran, just think about the rover moving around on its surface, taking pictures and sending them back to earth…and even more exciting, that you can go geocaching there!

Oh, it is the simple things (?) in life that excite me!