|
Lockwood
Custom Optics
at the Winter Star Party 2019 Back home again..... in the Florida Keys..... All images and text Copyright Mike Lockwood, 2019. May not be used without permission. |
| Two
years is a long time to have to wait for a proper taste of the
delicious southern sky. Though I did make the trip to Chiefland in early 2018 to visit and give talks at the displaced Winter Star Party, the weather didn't cooperate much of the time, and it turned into a predominantly social occasion for me. A few nights offered periods of clear skies before fog or low clouds filled in, ended the visual observing portion of the evening, and forced us to resort to sleep or socializing while consuming tasty beverages. It did seem darker at Chiefland that year, which was encouraging. However, observing from a landlocked location is not the same as seeing the winter Milky Way cascade into the ocean a short distance from your telescope and hearing the wind rustle the palm fronds. We were informed just before the event that there was no power or water yet at the Girl Scout camp, the site of WSP for some time. To remedy that, generators were to be allowed if courtesy was observed, and the Boy Scout camp next door would be available for camping and for attendees to use their showers and bathrooms. I was curious and a bit concerned about how different the place would look. So, it was with anticipation and a little trepidation that I headed south on a Sunday morning, dodging most traffic and getting to Marathon in time for a late lunch at Keys Fisheries, my go-to place for seafood. Sitting on the deck looking over the water, enjoying the sunshine and sea breeze, and watching the pelicans swoop over the water and then perch on a piling, it was damn good to be back in the Keys. After talking with an English tourist couple that I met in line and having my first Keys seafood in two years, it was time to make the final 20 minute drive to the WSP site and see just how bad the damage was. As it turned out, to my surprise and relief, to me it didn't look that different. I drove into the site and saw familiar faces and the ocean, and I was back.  While the wheelhouse was missing its staircases and the screened in area beneath it, it was still there and was structurally sound. The men's restroom and shower was damaged, and the concrete slab at the door had been heaved up by the powerful forces of a storm surge. Both buildings are seen in the photo above. The grass and plants around the building were long and had not been mowed, but you could still walk around, and we eventually set up John Pratte's 32" very close to the restroom. The famous berm that you see in front of you when you drive into the camp was noticeably shorter, the sand having been washed into the camp and later reportedly hauled away to help restore the beach at Bahia Honda State Park just to the east. The infamous concrete building in the center of the camp, condemned after a previous hurricane, still didn't even have a window blown out of it, much to the amusement and bemusement of the WSP staff. It was not damaged that badly in the previous storm, but was still condemned and couldn't be used, and it seems like a wasted use of a building to all those that know about it. The afternoon passed quickly as I talked to the staff and helped John Pratte get his 32" out of the van. It was a bit difficult to roll it around on top of the tarp sitting on top of the high grass, but we managed, and the mirror box was leveled and made ready for assembly. I wandered off to say hello to the staff and other friends. The staff were set up near the vendor area instead of by the water just south of the bunkhouse/wheelhouse, as was previous tradition. After talking to staff in their new area, and listening to them wonder if they should let in some poor confused soul who got his dates mixed up and arrived a day early, Charlie gave me a ride back to where John was set up in the golf cart (can I play through, Charlie?), and after conferring with the camp staff, they decided there was no reason that people couldn't set up around the wheelhouse or sit underneath the building to stay in the shade. There was nothing hazardous around, so why not? Time passed as I caught up with friends, and I explored the site a little bit. Charlie and I took a trip on his golf cart over to the boy scout camp to check out the facilities, which looked excellent. The bathrooms and showers were all elevated, and they were all fairly new, very clean, nice, and spacious. Soon the sun was sinking lower - it does that more quickly from the latitudes closer to the equator. I was at 24 degrees north, after all, and the sun slides down a bit faster and steeper than at home at 39 degrees north.  As sometimes happens with this event in February, this Sunday coincidentally happened to be Super Bowl Sunday, and there was a plan to enjoy the game, in the dark, under the stars, between two motor homes, on a rather small TV. In previous years we had watched in the wheelhouse, where talks used to take place. Pizza was ordered, and I had a small piece. I opened up some leftovers from the previous night's fresh seafood feast that I had helped cook at my uncle's place and reveled in the flavors of bacon and scallops while I watched a defensive battle develop. After watching the game a bit into a scoreless second quarter, I decided to embrace the clear, steady sky above and go do some observing with John Pratte. Below we see John and his 32" f/3.6 set up beneath the southern sky, with the winter Milky Way just to the left of the telescope.  It was like we hadn't missed a year. As the warm breeze blew across the southern ocean, as cars cruised by on US 1, as the winter Milky Way arched upward out of the southern ocean into a triumphant Orion perched in delicate blackness mixed with stars above, as Mars shone distinctly red in the west and offered detail to those who dared to observe it, as we watched the reflection of a bright Canopus shimmer off the ocean between small swells, we slid effortlessly back into southern skies observing mode, and that is a great place to be. In terms of relaxation, it's a bit like Margaritaville, but it doesn't smell like a bar. We viewed M46, M42, and a few other objects just to get a taste of what we had missed in 2018. Forget the football game, we were back in the Keys and loving it. I shot a few photos to commemorate the occasion, and before too long it was time for me to head back to Marathon to meet Allan Wade. With a favorable weather forecast, I was not worried about missing the rest of a night of observing. Allan is a client and friend, and he was a member of the flight crew coming in from Australia to Dallas. From there he flew to Miami, rented a car, and headed for the Keys. We planned to meet at the house that I was staying at in Marathon. He arrived a little early, just as I was lugging my bags into the rental house with a great view of the ocean on the south shore of Marathon Key. After catching up a bit, we unanimously decided that due to an excellent forecast and our level of fatigue, we would stay at the house and defer our observing to the next night. We watched the end of the Super Bowl and enjoyed some good beer on the balcony overlooking the southern ocean. It is always a pleasure to hang out with Allan and hear about what is going on with his 32" telescope and new observatory. I will be visiting in April (as I edit this it is late March and nearly time for me to head south), so I was eager to hear the latest and have some company for a couple of days in the otherwise very quiet house. We got as much sleep as we could and enjoyed a bright, beautiful Monday morning. The only flaw of the house was that the window shades were not very opaque, and they did nothing to help keep the glow of sunlight ouf of the bedrooms so that it was possible to sleep later. However, this was as good as a Monday could be, and a nice breeze made a very sunny morning quite pleasant. Allan and I took the short walk north to US 1, and we took a left and walked about five minutes west to the venerable Wooden Spoon for brunch. We sat at one of their characteristically tiny tables while expert waitresses took our order and brought out plates of great diner food and cups of coffee.  With some food in our stomachs, we got organized and headed to the site to register, see how many people had come in, and say hellos to old friends. It was great to be back after two years, and the usual cast of characters was on site. We made the rounds, then headed back to town to go grocery shopping and pick up gas for John Pratte's generator. We agreed that we definitely should have dinner at Keys Fisheries, and we got there in time to miss the dinner rush. Following another relaxing seafood dinner on the water, we headed to the site for a night of observing. After dropping off some things near John's camp, I parked the car on the road, ready to head back into town when we ran out of energy and wanted to head back to the house to relax and get some sleep. It was a bit hazier than the previous night, but the sky was still quite clear. We observed NGC 246, the Skull Nebula, and found that NGC 1535 is a very nice Eskimo Nebula alternative. IC 418 has a beautiful red fringe. M82 and M108 were nicely detailed, and a pleasure to view. Intermittent clouds arrived after midnight, and we decided to quit at 12:30 and enjoy a good beer before turning in. Below we see Joe's 32" telescope all ready to observe the southern sky, with the winter Milky Way and Orion floating above.  Tuesday dawned sunny and beautiful. I gave my first talk at 1pm under a pavillion at the Boy Scout camp, about 50 feet from the ocean. The projector was bright enough to overcome the daylight, and the crowd was good as a gentle breeze blew through. I had a bit of a sinus headache, which was very annoying. We hung out at the site after I was done, and at 6pm, the annual Glatter memorial dinner began in the Glatter tent as a tribute to Howie, with Korean beef, veggies, potatoes, all made by Pok Sun, and the traditional spicy bean paste to give it all some kick. Of course there was soju, and I brought beer. We ate a lot and toasted Howie's memory. We miss him dearly. Below is a photo of the pavillion under which I gave my talks.  After dinner and spirited conversation, it was time to observe. Allan and I headed back to the east end of the camp and joined John Pratte and company for a night of observing. Here are the highlights - we observed NGC 2022, a small, but nice, planetary nebula. I had brought my nightvision monocular this night, so we gorged ourselves on h-alpha objects - the Medusa, the (very large) Seagull, and Horsehead nebulae were all detailed and obvious. If you have not seen the Horsehead in nightvision, you have not truly seen it, in my opinion. M42 was ridiculously bright with amazing structure, and it trashed our nightvision. The nearby Flame Nebula was like a photo, and the Eskimo at lower power was quite detailed, and the nightvision monocular boosted contrast so that features were more obvious than they were visually at higher power. Viewed with nightvision, NGC 1535 in Eridanus was a nice object that northerners might overlook. NGC 3242, the Ghost of Jupiter, was transformed with the monocular. Tim Khan and friends were impressed. Again, some clouds showed up around 12:30am, and the coverage was just enough to annoy us when objects disappeared in the eyepiece just after we had climbed the ladder. Then someone on the ground usually would say "just wait a minute, there is a hole coming" a bit jokingly, but it was usually true. I was a bit tired. With the telescopes covered for their owners' napping, I said goodbye to Allan and he headed off to Miami. I headed back to Marathon to an empty house. I passed him at an intersection in Marathon, and we waved goodbye until April, when I would finally get my first taste of the southern hemisphere skies at his dark site. Wednesday morning dawned beautiful and sunny, again. I could get used to this. See the photo of the site below under blue skies, a nice breeze, and bright sunshine.  I went for a run to get some exercise in, and then worked on updating my talk. After lunch, I finally relented and went just down the road to CVS to get some Aleve for my persistent sinus headache, which I blamed on not enough humidity for most of the winter. That medicine mostly took care of it. I had leftover Korean beef (from Tuesday night) for lunch with a salad - and it was excellent! I have no idea where the day went or what I did that afternoon, so it must have been relaxing. I think I swam for about 15-20 minutes to get another workout in and to enjoy the outdoors. Around 4:30, I headed west several keys to Boondocks, and waited for my dinner companions, which were Markus Ludes, Pak Son Glatter, and Dirk from Infinitees. In this area, little hurricane damage was visible, and the only possible signs were some newly planted palm trees along US1 that were braced so that they didn't fall over. My companions were a bit late, but we had a nice meal and soon some other friends from the star party showed up just as we were leaving. It is a popular destination for dinner for WSP attendees before a night of observing, so it is not uncommon to see others in astronomy-themed shirts there. The drive back is relaxing after making a hasty left out onto US 1 amidst post-dinner traffic. As with other nights, I took observing notes on my phone in the form of a text composed to a friend who was stuck in the frigid, windy wasteland of central Illinois. NGC 2440 showed very nice dark lanes, and lots of structure was observed. NGC 2467 was a nice large nebula with dark center and complex dark lanes, also known as the Skull and Crossbones Nebula. NGC 2579 was small but interesting with a small cluster to one side. NGC 2316 appeared as a small nebula around two stars, and was not very exciting. NGC 2261, Hubble's Variable, showed very nice detail. IC 466 was faint and small. While viewing NGC 2585, we noted three small galaxies all with structure. These were likely NGC 2584 and another unidenified galaxy. Joe's 32" f/3.6 was also set up and running superbly, and we wiewed the Eskimo nebula at 1845X in his 32", which had no problem holding that power. NGC 3115, Spindle Galaxy was very sharp. The Ghost of Jupiter planetary was very colorful on this night. Slewing around with the nightvision monocular attached to a 55mm TeleVue Plossl, the Vela supernova remnant (SNR) showed countless wisps with an h-alpha filter in John Pratte's the 32". This is a HUGE object, and every viewer was encouraged to slew around by several fields to try to take it all in. On this night, clouds arrived from the southeast, and we called it a night around 1:30am after a great observing session.  Thursday morning I sat at the house, overlooking the ocean (image from the third floor balcony above), finished up the updates to my second talk, and then finished off the Korean beef leftovers for a most excellent lunch! Just before noon, I headed to the site to get ready for my second talk, which was at 1pm in the Boy Scout pavillion. After a well attended talk, I changed into swim trunks for a kayak tour around the island. The normal tour guide was not feeling so great, so I took a one-person kayak out by myself. I started out past the camp around 2:30pm, and after what seemed an eternity, but was really more like 45 minutes, I finally got to the bridge at the east end of Scout Key. There I was greeted by a vicious current under the bridge that tried to push me southeast, but I fought it. I made slow progress under the bridge and around the point of the island, and though it was choppy, it was never even concerning to me. I've kayaked quite a bit in various places, and this was not too bad. With the bridge finally behind me, I passed under the power lines and headed northwest. I took a break to stand up for a bit at a jetty where people were fishing on the north side of the island. The east wind was at my back as I lazily paddled along the north side of the island, checking out the mangroves and taking a couple of breaks to stretch my legs and back. I cruised on the current under the Summerland-Big Pine bridge to the amusement of some fisherman who watched me float on by at a very nice cruising speed. I arrived back at the Boy Scout camp around 4:15 and headed for the shower to wash the salt spray off. After dragging the kayak through the muck onto the shore, I found out that the Boy Scout camp managers were having Stone Crab for dinner for a very fair price, so I decided to join the group after my shower. I had eight claws, dirty rice, slaw, and a brownie, all in all a very full meal. Then it was time to change into long pants for the night and head over to observe with plenty of fuel in my stomach.  It was a good day already, and as it got dark, it
was clear.IC 444, The Jellyfish, was large and detailed with nightvision and an H-alpha filter, and its complementing object, IC 443, showed faint tendrils. The Horsehead was like an excellent black and white photo. Moving east, I slewed the 32" around by a couple of degrees to see all of the Rosette. It was a landmark night - I FINALLY definitely saw the Cone Nebula convincingly - it stood out nicely against the background nebulosity with the nightvision monocular. I should note that the nightvision monocular that I refer to is a white phosphor third generation (Gen3) unit that is available to US citizens from a variety of sources, though I purchased mine from Tactical Night Vision Corporation (tnvc.com). NGC 2403 was dialed in by accident due to a little bit of confusion of the number, but it was very detailed with NV, and we declared it a superb bonus object. The intended target, NGC 2903, almost looked layered, with 3 or 4 arms and an elongated nucleus that was even more detailed with the 27mm Panoptic. Happy accidents are a wonderful thing at star parties under the southern sky. I have to say that M82 is simply RIDICULOUS (in a good way) with nightvision. The jet in M87 is easily visible when the seeing allows, which is about 50% of the time, as well as a nearby smaller galaxy. NGC 4565 is HUGE, and absolutely amazing with fine detail galore. The image is burned into my brain. It was a fine night. I called it a night again due to clouds after viewing NGC 4565 in what was probably the last view through the 32" for this event. Back in town, I could not see southern objects from Marathon due to clouds, and I slept very well after a fulfilling night of observing. On Friday morning I headed, all by myself, to brunch at the Wooden Spoon, and as usual it was excellent and hit the spot. I then vegetated in a chair staring at the ocean, and enjoyed another little dip in the pool. John Pratte, who had packed up his 32" earlier in the day, joined me at the house around 4pm, and we headed to Keys Fisheries about 4:30pm, getting caught in a backup for about 10-15 minutes due to an accident in Marathon. This is not uncommon in the Keys. After a lobster bite basket (a nice treat), we headed to the site and did random observing as the moon took its time setting. Observing the moon under good seeing conditions is always an enjoyable pasttime in the Keys, since the moon always appears much more detailed than at home. Since we were without a large telescope, I took my nightvision (NV) unit down to the staff area where Tim Khan had his 8" f/9 refractor set up. After some conversation, I suggested he use a focal reducer if he had one, and he did, we got it down to f/6 or so. On this last night of observing for me, we observed just about all of the h-alpha objects in the sky - the Horsehead and Flame, M42 for fun, Barnard's Loop (really!), the California, the Seagull, Rosette, Cone, Medusa, Jellyfish (IC 444 and 443), Flaming Star, and Heart and Soul nebulae, M1, and a few that I have forgotten. The Vela SNR has a large and small area of interest in its eastern part, and wisps and arcs in the western part. I believe that the Pencil, as it is called, is the brightest portion of this complex. Then without NV, we viewed M42, the Leo Trio, M81 and 82. Having to get up early, I decided to quit around midnight, found John Pratte, and we went back to Marathon and slept soundly. Below is a final photo tribute to the Keys sky, taken earlier in the week, with Allan Wade standing on the boy scout camp dock facing the southern sky from our northerly latitude of 24 degrees north.  It was an early morning as I departed Marathon at 8am under overcast skies with scattered showers that sprinkled my windshield as I headed east. However, I must say that officially it was the least stressful exit from the Keys ever. Unfortunately the Turnpike was very busy and annoying, but I am trying to forget all of the morons on that road as I revel in the nice memories from WSP 2019. As I edit this, I am busy processing images from my latest journey, which will be the subject of my next article. Stay tuned. |
Clear, dark, southern skies, no hurricanes, good seeing, and cheers. See you at WSP 2020. -Mike Lockwood, Lockwood Custom Optics |