Night at the Museum

Started by mirfak, 07/18/2009 03:53AM
Posted 07/18/2009 03:53AM | Edited 07/18/2009 03:56AM Opening Post
A hot, humid, and surprisingly clear night at the museum.
The public enjoyed views of Saturn, Cor Caroli, Mizar, and Beta Scorpii. Lightning flashed from a storm on the western horizon.

The people who viewed thru this scope included families both suburban and inner-city, college students, young couples, a few seniors, and one homeless man.

The granite globe in the background is possibly the largest kugel in the US.

http://twitter.com/ScienceMusofVA/status/1864313708


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mirfak's attachment for post 47526
Posted 09/19/2009 03:11AM | Edited 09/19/2009 03:19AM #1
Another good night. Cloudy all day, then sudden clearing before dusk. But not clear enough to warrant a trip to dark skies outside the city.

About 50-60 parents and children had views of Jupiter with 4 moons on one side. Even at 46x many first-time observers saw the "rings" of Jupiter (the cloud belts) I used 30mm and 12mm Pentaxes.

The sky was too hazy for any fainter targets. One guy was a daily microscope user so we had a nice discussion about exit pupil, objectives, and eyepieces. And pens that write on glass.

Common questions are:
Is this your equipment? [COLOR="Blue"]Yes.[/COLOR]
Is this your job? [COLOR="Blue"]No, I wish.[/COLOR]
How much did this cost? [COLOR="Blue"]Not as much as a bass boat or Harley.
[/COLOR]Do you guys do this every month? [COLOR="Blue"]Yes, we bring astronomy to the peeples. [/COLOR]
Im thinking about a telescope...what do I get? [COLOR="Blue"]Here's an Orion catalog. Take it with you.[/COLOR]

99% of my equiment used tonight was purchased here on Astromart. Scope from Jeff, mount from John, power cord from Don, eyepiece from Kurt, etc. Thanks again guys.

John