While several others were cultivating Gate Mojo for Dino at Pacheco I was at
an different Astronomy Day event. This one was at the NASA Exploration
Center at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View. There were about 10
scopes but I never got a good count. We set up in the parking lot in front
of the Public Affairs/Gift Shop building across the parking lot from the
Exploration Center.
The PAS officially joined forces with Ames to provide a series of lectures
on Saturn and Cassini with viewing following the lectures.
The targets of the evening, in addition to Saturn were the Moon and Jupiter.
The Moon was at a very opportune phase since the terminator was near the
Apollo 15 landing site. In the Exploration Center there is Moon Rock from
that mission. Seeing was OK with moments of good to very good. The sky was
partly clear with bands of high cloud that varied from barely there to thick
enough that I lost Saturn to the naked eye.
There was, however, one aspect of the event that set it apart from most star
parties. The NASA PR people there did a rough head count. 3000 visitors.
There was someone, ranging from babes in their parents arms to NASA
researchers, looking through my C8 (and every other scope there) without a
break from 8 till a bit after 10.
-Leonard
Received on Sun Apr 17 20:13:39 2005