Perseid viewing

[Thor]

I'd like to show the night sky to some friends this weekend during the Perseids, and I'd like to take them to Baylor/Eagle Lake, but I don't recall the visitor policy there. Can MAS members show up even when there is no public star party scheduled? Are there access or parking restrictions? What do I need to do to make this work? Thanks, Thor.

[merle]

PM sent

Also see forum post:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=10238



Merle

[rdavidjohnson63]

FYI: there are private star parties both Friday and Saturday nights at ELO.

[Ron Schmit]

Thor! I'll be out at ELO during the peak from 9:00 on 8/12 to 3:00 am on 8/13. You and your friends should come join me!

Hey, Dave: I don't see any private parties listed for Friday or Saturday. Where are you getting that info?

UPDATE: Oops! Sorry, Dave. It was WAY down at the end of the page. Boy, we sure could use that reservation calendar, again.

[Enberg]

There will bea bunch of us at Metcalf on Saturday

[Thor]

Thanks Merle for the info, and thanks Ron for the invite! The weather outlook is good for Sunday, so I hope to join you at ELO.
Thor.

[Thor]

I did not find references to private star parties either. Where will I find them? The end of what page?

[ahmedreda]

Here is the reservation for the Saturday night star party. I was made back in April.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10226

[Deane Clark]

Sorry about any misunderstanding Thor. Our current “system” for reserving ELO is to post a reservation to the ELO Keyholder forum, but subsequent postings push these down so they are hard to find without a dedicated search. A new reservation system is in the works, but has some integration issues that Clayton hasn’t had time to figure out, so he has posted on the main discussion forum looking for a volunteer programmer to do it. Know anyone?

I don’t think there is any reason a member, keyholder or not, couldn’t come out tonight, but there will be a group of around 50 people, some of them small children. So, that might affect one’s enthusiasm, positively or negatively

[Thor]

I was able to take my friends to ELO for the Perseids last night. They were entirely unfamiliar with the concept of "stargazing", "star parties", observing, or whatever amateur astronomers like to do in the dark of the night. One of them is a writer, and a character she's trying to develop in her current work is an (amateur) astronomer, so she was curious about what is the draw, what is the experience of aiming a telescope, and just what does one see in the eyepiece?

I wanted her to have more than just me as a template, so I was really pleased that even though it was not an official public star party, Ron Schmit arrived to open the observatory. He showed her, and dozens of others who came to see meteors, a grand tour of the night sky, while the Perseids made their silent accents across the sky. She was so enthralled with the whole experience that she ended the evening making plans to attend a future star party. Thank you Ron for your welcoming introduction to the night sky.

It was also my great pleasure to encounter Mike Kibat on the observing grounds. Two decades ago, Mike was president of the MAS, and he was an inspiration to me to become involved, as he was to many others at that time. His life path took him away from amateur astronomy for a while, but evidently the curiosity about the universe that infects us all has re-directed his interests back toward observing. I look forward to running into him again at future events.

The meteor count was lower than expected, but the companionship under the stars as wonderful as ever!

Thor.

[Ron Schmit]

Thank you Ron for your welcoming introduction to the night sky.

Thor, it was my great pleasure to give Poldi, Wayne, and Kristen, a tour of the sky. I was surprised to find conditions so clear since, just days before, the smoke covered EVERTHING. That's the most fun I have had with the Video Rig in a long time. After a tour of all things visual, they (along with a dozen or so guests) sat on the benches watching Monitor #1, as we toured through what must have been 30 or 40 deep sky objects. The Lagoon and Trifid looked AMAZING!

I too was especially pleased to see Mike Kibat. I didn't even recognize him in his bug gear and floppy hat. "And you are...? MIKE!!" It was GREAT to see you! For those new to the group, Mike was one of the key individuals responsible for the building of Onan (the first building and the start of what would become the Eagle Lake Observatory.)

I first met Mike when I moved to the Twin Cities in 1986. The MAS was meeting in the penthouse of the old Science Museum of Minnesota. He was standing next to a table with plans for the Onan Observatory, trying to drum up support. I know, it was a team effort (and Mike would be the first to remind you of that) and there are a lot of people who contributed, but without Mike stepping up, and doing his part, I don't know where we would be, today. Maybe, 30 years later, the Larson would still be sitting in some guy's garage, waiting. Thank you, Mr. Kibat!

Sunday night was just another example of how easy it is to do outreach at Eagle Lake. Push some buttons, flip some switches, lift some covers, and pull... puuuullll... PPPPUUUULLLLLLLLLL back the roof, and it's on! You just show up, and it's ALL there! Think of all the thousands of people served since 2001, and you get an idea how important this thing has been. "Thank you" doesn't seem enough!!