Saturday, August 29, 2026
Weather: Clear, calm, 62°
Participants: Bob Janus, Dan Fountain, Rich Doherty, Katie Chippendale, John Kocur, Francine Jackson, Jim Hendrickson
Observed: Waning gibbous Moon, M13, NGC 457, NGC 6802, Arcturus, M3, Albireo, M57, Coathanger, Waxing gibbous Moon, International Space Station, M22, M26
Attendees: 22
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD3EgD
Report by Bob Janus
A stretch of clear sky and mild temperatures provided a productive late summer Public Night on August 29th. Skyscrapers members Katie Chippendale, Francine Jackson, Jim Hendrickson, John Kocur, Dan Fountain, Rich Doherty, and Bob Janus introduced 22 visitors to the night sky. The 12 inch Meade (Rick & Dan), a Seestar S50 (Jim), a 12 inch Go-To Dobsonian (John), and the venerable Alvan Clark (Bob) offered a variety of telescope views.
By 9:30 the nearly full, waning moon had risen high enough above the trees to be seen through the Alvan Clark. Unfortunately, Saturn was not up yet, but will be a feature for Public Nights in the coming months. We officially opened at 9 pm but there were a few early arrivals. Shortly after we closed at 11 pm, patchy clouds arrived covering most of the sky.
I was at the Clark for most of the evening; so I do not have details about what was going on elsewhere.
I invite the other members to add their comments about last night to complete the picture.
