Friday, October 23
Weather: Clear, 35°
Participants: Francine Jackson, Jim Hendrickson, John Kocur
Attendees: 20
Observed: Waning gibbous Moon, Saturn, Vega & Double Double, Polaris, Vega, Altair, Saturn, NGC 457, and Gamma Andromedae
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD8M8s
Report by: Jim Hendrickson
A completely clear Friday night at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park (River Bend Farm) in Uxbridge seems fairly infrequent, but that’s what we experienced on October 23, when we were able to conduct our third consecutive monthly Night Sky event on the open field.
Francine Jackson and Jim Hendrickson arrived at the park early, after an early afternoon commitment and lunch with friends left spare time to explore some autumn splendor along the canal path before the Sun set.
The night would be defined primarily by the 94% illuminated waxing gibbous Moon, and of course, Saturn, which was still too low to be observed during out last monthly outing on September 18.
John Kocur set up his 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and observed the Moon, Saturn, and a few other objects, including Polaris, NGC 457 and Gamma Andromedae
Francine’s Astroscan reflector concentrated on the Moon, and I set up the 80mm refractor to view the Moon, Saturn, and Vega with the Double Double.
Dave Sopchak, a member of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, set up his homemade 18-inch Dobsonian telescope to provide views of the Moon and Saturn. We invited him to bring his telescope to Seagrave Observatory open night on Saturday, but he had another event on his schedule.
One visitor asked about seeing Neptune, but the presence of the bright Moon nearby would have made it challenging to see in a small telescope.
We had about 20 visitors in all, including our regulars Ruth and Marc Gravel. Sherine Hamade, the local park ranger, joined us on the field for the duration. We closed the session by showing one of Francine’s favorites, the Coathanger.
With the temperature dropping into the low 30s, we’re no longer hearing nocturnal insects at these outings, and the cold nights give an indication that our star party season will be winding down soon. The final Night Sky at River Bend is scheduled for Friday, November 6.
