Field Trip to Frosty Drew Observatory
December 2022 :
On Sunday, November 20th, members of Skyscrapers attended an observing night at Frosty Drew Observatory. It was forecasted to be a cold but clear night with wind chills in the 20s. About 17 intrepid Skyscrapers members bundled up to brave the cold for a view through Frosty Drew’s new 24” PlaneWave, Corrected Dall-Kirkham telescope.
Frosty Drew is in Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI, and the dark sky was immediately noticeable upon exiting the car. It was so dark that some of us had trouble finding the observatory and parking lot! Once our eyes dark adapted, hundreds of more stars were visible than in other suburban sites. Andromeda (M31) was a naked eye object there. Led by Scott MacNeill, Frosty Drew Observatory Director, and telescope operator at Brown University, we learned about the purchase and challenges of installing and commissioning such a fine piece of equipment. The mount is as impressive as the telescope itself. It is a direct drive Alt/Az mount that does not require gears. The movement of the telescope is smooth and almost silent as it pivots to reach its target. For someone who loves telescopes, the operation is really something to behold.
As it turned out, the wind died down quite a bit after sunset, providing some relief for our party. Although still cold, the lack of wind made observing a much more pleasurable experience. Scott kept the Theater and Science Center open for anyone to warm up or use the restrooms. Our observing started with deep-sky objects. Old friends M57 (Ring Nebula), M27 (Dumbbell Nebula), and M31 (Andromeda) took on new life observing through a 24” telescope. We then moved to some interesting globular clusters, and some other galaxies, such as M74.
Although the seeing wasn’t optimal, we turned the scope to Jupiter and then later, as it got higher in the sky, Mars. After getting past the image brightness provided by this fast focal ratio telescope, the view of Jupiter revealed much detail. The Great Red Spot was clearly visible, as were the equatorial and temperate belts when the atmosphere settled down. Mars was also a treat, showing us its southern polar cap and some dark mare structure. We ended the evening with some double stars, and even a bright red carbon star, S Cephei.
It was a nice evening, and the members were happy they attended. We thank Scott MacNeill for inviting Skyscrapers to Frosty Drew, and for guiding us through a wonderful night of observing with an exceptional telescope. It was agreed that we should organize another such event in the future.
Related Topics
