GCSP reports

Hey guys, those of us who made it to GCSP ought to relate our experiences...

Astromarters Thom, Nancy, Denise, Mike, and myself were at the South Rim - who else? Thom got a pic of Mike, Denise, himself and I one evening. Also present was astromarter John, my boss at Griffith.

I was clouded out for the first time at a GCSP on Wednesday. I know it's just been good luck on my part over the years, but it was quite weird to be there in the parking lot at Yavapai, all set up, staring at clouds with just the most fleeting of sucker holes. I threw in the towel at around 11:00. Heard it cleared around 1:00.

You really do need to get to Yavapai by 5:15 at the latest if you wish to grab a spot in the parking lot. For this purpose, the various feeds arranged for the astronomers at around 3:00 are very nice - you head over right after you struggle to your feet to leave the feast! Different groups did different things, with my personal gratitude going out especially to Thom and the Sirius lookers, who adopted my daughter and I for the trip and included us in their daily potlucks and made sure we knew about the other get-togethers like the mostaciolli at Mather campground (what a great bunch of people - thanks for hosting us, Elaine!) and the BBQ at the ranger's home.

The North Rim has nothing like this level of organized group grazing - it's a smaller bunch of folks, tending to break into little subgroups. I'm still full of fond memories of the North Rim experience two years ago with Kim, John, Nancy, Richard, and Mark!

Mark, we missed ya down south!

Anybody get to the North Rim?

Conditions Thursday and Friday were dicey early, with some clouds, followed by clearing and a window of an hour or two before the wind got to be a big factor. I had my friend Richard Wade's 20" Starsplitter, and it made a fine weathervane after about 10:30 or so each night. Lots of people got good looks before this occurred, though.

Saturday was better, although not entirely free of the wind. The skies were beautiful, although with the air movement, we never had really great seeing. Nice and dark, though.

If you've never made it to GCSP, I enthusiastically recommend it - lots of great people to meet, lots of astonished members of the public to light up, and one of the greatest settings one could ask for. Not a quiet gathering of "serious" observing friends, but a rather raucous, exuberant sharing of dark skies with loads of "civilians" who are already primed to appreciate nature by their presence at the Canyon. Looks like it will fall in the very early portion of June next year, tentative dates looking like the 4th through the 11th. Make your plans now! Next year I'm going to try to plan a run up to Escalante either just prior to or just after the party - probably just prior.

Clear Skies!

Jim

This was my second year at the GCSP and I hope to have quite a few more years of participating in this fun, educational, and beautiful event. The first three nights I had my Meade 8" Schmidt on a wedge but soon got tired of watching the nebula and globular dances in my eyepiece after 10:30 when the winds kicked in. The last few nights I setup my old AT1010 ( referred to as the battleship model by Vic Marris ) on a Sanford and Davis tripod, this setup laughed at the winds, steady as a rock with great wide field views of the Milky Way. I think Joe Bergeron (AP Stowaway on a Losmandy G11 mount, one awsome little telescope! )and I were the only ones not affected by the winds. I really wanted to get a look through some of the big dobs, but we all got over ran with people wanting to see Jupiter right after the sunset, maybe next year. Also my family and I would like to thank Thom and all the folks that put on the great feasts before observing, it felt like everyone is part of one big family, mushy but true. I hope to see all the familiar faces as well as new ones next year. Finally a BIG thank you to Dean Ketelson and the TAAA for allowing us to join you in enjoying a couple of natures great and grand views!

GCSP report? Nice idea, but to write up a report I'd have to actually have the time to do so. It's been *how* long since the party, and I'm only just now getting back online.
The star party was great. I can see now what I missed out on last year by running off on my own... not only are the nights of observing wonderful (when the wind and/or clouds allow--grrr!), but the days of hanging out with fellow astronomers and getting spoiled rotten with Thom's wonderful cooking were great. I'd been planning to sneak away and head up to the North Rim, but somehow, I got sidetracked and never made it. Maybe next year.
I got there late on Tuesday night, so tired from work that all I wanted to do was wander around and look through other people's scopes, joining in with the general public. This was my second year at the Canyon, and it seemed like this year the crowds of curious people were actually a lot smaller. But some of them were really cool, like the newlywed couple who stuck around for an hour or so Friday night and left discussing what kind of telescope to buy. It's fun to spread the addiction.
The first night I set up was Thursday, due to clouds on Wednesday. It was kind of funny--people seemed to get a real kick out of something relatively boring, the "eye chart" stars in the Big Dipper. Everyone set up around me was showing things like galaxies and nebulas (er--nebulae? which is the correct spelling, anyway?), which I was really wanting to get away and look at, but when I tried to shift my scope off those stars to something else, people didn't want me to. Go figure. At least they were ooh-ing and aah-ing.
On a more personal note, my second day at the Canyon I ran into a friend from last year, who rather quickly became my boyfriend, and who is now my fiancee. So I'd definitely say the GCSP was a life-altering experience for me,as well as being a lot of fun.

~Denise