Sunday, June 6, 2010

Double/Double Duty Time For CR150/UA

The day broke clear and cool with a just past 3rd quarter Luna sitting pretty in my skies along with sunspot group 1076 making freckles on the Sun. Sounds like a Saturday morning Sol & Luna Street Astro is in order. So I hurriedly load up my tools of the trade and out we go and the park is busy! I start to set up my outpost and folks are stopping by! Art in the pic was one of the first to come by and was instantly taken in. He received the full brunt of a SUG modeling demo "Why & When We See The Moon" which explains the Lunar Phase Cycle and why we see the moon at various times throughout the days of the month. Just what is with this daytime morning moon anyway? Well Art got a serious Lunar education and left only to come back later with friends in tow for the same hands on education. As the Sun rose in my skies CR150/UA was back and forth from Luna to Sol with my visitors being treated to fun views of both. The Sunspot group 1076 through "small" was putting out the faculae show which was easy for most of my peps to see along with Solar Granulation. I was out for just under 3 hours with over 40 exposed to some daytime astronomy.

I was fairly tired when I arrived home and thought I was done for the day. After lunch I helped my neighbor Edi with some yard work (trench digging) and some house cleaning. I was tired and loading up on pasta salad for dinner did not help. But the skies were calling, not clear clear but good considering the strange weather patterns we have been having so CR150/UA is out of the car and on the patio! Excitement is building : Double Stars, Saturn, Waning Luna, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and a morning comet await my gaze! And I'm not tired anymore. (OK a iced black tea did help with some of this!) Oh yes the SUG is in observational mode and doubles are falling right and left down to about 4". Patience is required with the unstable air but even my neighbor Edi (who needed a double star fix) was seeing some of these "stellar huggers" with his weaker vision. I helped Edi get re-acquainted with the sky with a Constellation/Messier Tour and he is ready to begin observing again! About 3 a.m the lenticular clouds floated in killing any chance for comet hunting and quality Lunar & Planet views. I could hear my pillow calling so off I go. As I land in my sleeping place I remember that CR150/UA is not at all snug as he is uncovered and exposed to the chill and this can not be so I stumble down the stairs to cover my acromatic telescope with his grey knit blanket to let him dream of other full astronomy days.

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