Last night, at DHO, our Public Session attracted about 25-30 guests. Most had never been to DHO before. Several families spread blankets on the central lawn, many brought binoculars, some even had telescopes. All were curious and engaged with our 6 members who’s telescopes were overflowing with colorful photons,as the warm dry summer night delighted everyone…including a private party of hornets who have built a 8″ paper nest, hung it from the soffit on the NW corner of the main building, and have set up housekeeping in their new residence. How RUDE! The mid-60s air was still, and dry as […]
Public Night Observation Reports
7 posts
On Friday, July 22, 2022, as the sun began to set, the threat and presence of strong winds and heavy rain hampered everyone’s setup efforts a few times, and the board meeting occupied an hour’s chunk of time, too. Gremlins plagued my telescope’s alignment for nearly an hour while spectators, more than 30, visited the 7 telescopes and binoculars stationed on the hill. Some sat patiently on the lawn while I frantically sought to get my EAA rig performing properly. Ray and Tony hosted a visual observing ‘song and dance’ on the Cave platform to distract from my woes, showing […]
Last night was an unexpectedly pleasing mixture of excellent skies and visitors. After a murky, cold, and windy day, the cloud gods held their convention elsewhere and the skies opened up beautifully for us at DHO. Tony K, Bob O, John R, Mike Z and (new member) Kevin L arrived early to set up and prepare the Cave for a crisp and clear night. After a long twilight, the wind died down, the predicted clouds never arrived, the sky darkened to a inky black velvet texture, and the Milky Way traced a lovely bright path across the entire sky. […]
Twelve members took time out of their busy schedules to schlep their gear to DHO for a wonderful night on the hill. The temps outside hovered around freezing once the sun set, but the chartroom was heated and lots of home sapiens added to the warmth…both physically and mentally…and with Mike Z’s thoughtfulness, we had a plethora of Vitamin O modalities to explore…bakery-style, gluten free, and classic Oreo’s to keep us going throughout the night. A few of the observers were die-hard astrophotographers, but there were quite a variety of stargeeks on the lawn. Mike F brought his lawn chair […]