The Oregon Star Party 2006 08/24 to 08/27

[vorblesnak]

It is that time of year when the die hards gather in the desert to look at the stars. The 2006 Oregon Star Party is the weekend of August 24th through the 27th. The sky in the Ochoco forest is amazing. Go to the web site ..

http://www.oregonstarparty.org/

for full information.

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

[mike alexander]

I'm about 80% sure I'll be going.

[vorblesnak]

Every year I say, "that is the last one." Every year I am back. I think it is a disease. I have decided to bring all of the junk I have worked on this past few years. The pie plate scope, the 16 inch, the 12, the rock scope .. my plan is to leave them all there.

I will be around the D11 / D12 area.

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

A really bad scope maker.

[redshifter]

I'd love to go, I missed the Table Mtn. star party in central Wa. last month. I'm closing on a house the 29th, so I'll be making move preparations before that.

[mike alexander]

If I make it I'll look you up. Never been, so it will all be new to me.

If I can finish it I'm going to bring my homebrew spectroscope.

[vorblesnak]

If I make it I'll look you up. Never been, so it will all be new to me.

If I can finish it I'm going to bring my homebrew spectroscope.

I'd like to see it if you get it done. I got all of my Honey Do's done so now I can begin to focus on getting the kit together for the star party.

I have a 12 inch dob I made. That is going. The binoculars and the parallelogram are going. I have to take the pie plate scope, I promised I would have it there this year.

I don't know about the 16 inch, it takes up a lot of space. That and I bought a used Celestron refractor, a six inch, that I would like to try out. If it shows up.

Two viewing awards to try for. Mostly Messier's but I am newbie enough to get excited by the quest. I hope to do the easiest of them with the binoculars.

I see they got a barrista lined up, the cook will be back. Showers and garbage service. Heh heh heh, who says we have to suffer to view at a dark site.

Hope to see some of you folks there.

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

[vorblesnak]

Well, I went I saw, I came home.

The skys were incredable this year. Not as clear as some previous years but way better than the last two years. It was one of those target overload type of skys. You got your planets, your nebulas, your globs, your stars, your dark lanes and you can see them all in exquisit detail.

I personally like going to bed early and getting up around 2 A.M. or so to view until daylight. A morning kinda guy.

Lots of folks there, lots of scopes there. Jerry Oltion was there with his tracking ball scope. An amazing little f 3.8 10 inch. Big dobs and small Apo's. Binoculars and mounts made out of bowling balls.

Some pictures at ...

http://www.bbastrodesigns.com/osp06/osp06walkabout.html

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

[mike alexander]

Sorry I missed you there, Dave. Perhaps next year.

I tried to get the spectroscope working but something must have jarred out a bit on the last two miles of washboard. On the other hand, I've never seen skies like that.

As my very first star party, I just spent Thursday night mainly looking at the Milky Way from horizon to horizon. I tried taking a couple of monochrome pictures Friday, but it was mostly a run to learn what to bring and not bring.

Anyhow, the first image I've ever taken at a star party. M13. Man, I was freezing my pegiggles off.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5410/m13combinednf9aq4.th.png (http://img155.imageshack.us/my.php?image=m13combinednf9aq4.png)

[vorblesnak]

Sorry I missed you there, Dave. Perhaps next year.

I tried to get the spectroscope working but something must have jarred out a bit on the last two miles of washboard. On the other hand, I've never seen skies like that.

As my very first star party, I just spent Thursday night mainly looking at the Milky Way from horizon to horizon. I tried taking a couple of monochrome pictures Friday, but it was mostly a run to learn what to bring and not bring.

Anyhow, the first image I've ever taken at a star party. M13. Man, I was freezing my pegiggles off.



Ah! The scope colimation test track. Wasn't that a dandy? I was tempted to try the mythbusters trick of driving really fast. That and the guy on the ATV that went by me at about 45 made for an interesting drive up.

Where were you camped at? I was just west of the shower truck, between the shower truck and the espresso trailer.


David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

[vorblesnak]

Anyhow, the first image I've ever taken at a star party. M13. Man, I was freezing my pegiggles off.



It is always a learning curve when you try a new site. This is my sixth or seventh year and I just about have it down pat. Saturday night Chuck and I were sitting in the recliners using the binoculars and just looking, no where in particular, just looking. So much sky. We were beat. Chuck was looking up around Draco and found a positional double. Not a real double but just two stars close along the same sight path. We got to talking about doubles and he commented, " ..you notice two stars, kinda close, seem to have a relationship .." and I said, "and then they get to fooling around and we have little nebula wandering all over." He blinked a couple of times and started to laugh and we were both pretty well done for by then.

When we calmed down we realized it was very quiet and everyone was looking at us. Ted asked, "what was that about?" Chucked replied, "the sex life of stars", and we were nuts again. Just time to go to bed. Too much sky, too many stars, too many late night, early mornings and caffine.

It was a great time, sorry I didn't meet you. Nice shot of M13 BTB.

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391

[mike alexander]

We were down the right-hand turn past the espresso place, almost to the trees. Past the band trailer. We got in about 6PM Thursday and had to go out a bit.

Oddly, I was tempted to try the Mythbusters trick as well, until my wife said I would have to clean up the vomit. And I think I was passed by that same madman going 45 on a 4.5 mph road.

Anyhow, we're already planning for next year. How about meeting 8PM Friday at the espresso hut?