Star Party Report
by Dave Huestis
Clear skies greeted 15 members of WINGS (Women In Need of Growing Spiritually) from St. Thomas Church in Greenville on Monday, September 15.
The group arrived early to take a tour of our facility during bright twilight. The first stop was our pride and joy ... Seagrave's observatory and the beautiful Clark refractor. The group was fascinated by the scope Frank received for his 16th birthday present in 1876, and marvelled at the now 100 year-old observatory that housed this magnificent telescope. They loved the history and complemented Skyscrapers on maintaining the building and telescope for so many decades.
In deepening twilight they moved out to the 12-inch Meade where Matt provided them a tour of that building and telescope. It was then dark enough to observe Saturn through Kent Cameron's Astronomers Without Borders 5.5" reflector that he had set up in the courtyard. (Saturn was not visible from the 12-inch or the Clark.) He also viewed Albireo, Alcor and Mizar, and the Wild Duck cluster (also known as M11, an open cluster in Scutum). Jim Hendrickson was set-up nearby, using an 80mm f/6 refractor. He showed our guests Mizar and Alcor.
They were invited back into the dome where they observed M13. Unfortunately Albireo was almost at zenith and not accessible from the Clark. Part of the group went back to the 12-inch Meade and Matt showed them Albireo, M57, Mizar and Alcor, M27, and M13. The group migrated back and forth between the Clark and Meade.
They left around 8:45pm. Everyone had a great time and several said they would return to observe the Moon and a bright planet. (I mentioned Jupiter would be returning to the evening sky later this year.)
Submitted by Dave Huestis
