CN3y Sharing the Sky web log 18

Four of Six!  A fabulous Adirondack Astronomy Retreat

            This year’s Adirondack Astronomy Retreat was our most successful yet.  Out of six possible nights, substantial portions of four of them were dark, sharp, and clear during our 7^th annual Retreat held August 6-12.  Of these nights, the final one was the best.  It didn’t start that way, however; in fact during that whole lazy afternoon, thick cirrostratus clouds seemed unwilling to break up.  Moreover, all the forecasts we checked that afternoon  agreed that the clouds would stay.  I disagreed with all of them.  I thought that these clouds were not thickening, and often when that happens the clouds dissipate towards evening,  And that is precisely what happened.  At 9:30 that evening the sky was completely cloudy, by 10 there were small holes in the cloud cover; by 10:10 there were large holes in the cloud cover, and by 10:30 the sky was completely clear!  Nice.  

            Not only was the last night clear, but also it marked the maximum of the Perseid Meteor Shower for 2010.  This was far from a scientific count—it was really just for fun.  Our observer count ranged from one to six or seven as the night went on.  These meteors came in spurts; we would see several within a few minutes, then enjoy breaks during which the sky was quiet.  Although at no point did the numbers of meteors reach storm levels (1 meteor or more per second), there were several periods during the night when the rates reached a few per minute.  Over the course of that last night we counted 271 meteors—an extraordinary number.

            Aart telescope:  The Cutting Pavilion is dedicated.

This was not the only night we counted meteors.  

Vince Mateo took this marvellous piucture of a Perseid streaking over the retreat, night of August 6/7, 2010. 

During the two retreats that week we informally counted meteors on several nights.  Our second night of the first retreat, during which we counted 92 meteors, coincided with what we call “VIP night” when senior officials of the University that owns the camp, the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, joined us for a fancy evening meal. 

An "almost point meteor" seen on August 7, 2010.  Doveed photo.

At this event we also officially opened, after a long seven-year wait, the David H. Levy Observatory’s Cutting pavilion, named after the family of an amateur astronomer who  built the building and used it for many years. 

The David H. Levy Observatory's Cutting Pavilion stands proudly and prominently on its site at TWin Valleys Camp.  Photo by Doveed. 

  It was a very good, emotional ceremony.  In my remarks I expressed the strong sense of accomplishment I have whenever a new observatory, a new member of my astronomical family, is dedicated.  We even had a contest to name the telescope; the winning entry was Aart, for Adirondack Astronomy Retreat Telescope, and thus a new “child” telescope begins to inspire people to look toward the sky.

I could’ve sworn it was Heaven.

Just about everyone who has visited Twin Valleys Camp has been struck by its sheer majesty.  This year, as Wendee and I drove up the road, the observatory building was the first thing we saw.  “Now that’s where the observatory belongs!” I said when we first caught sight of it.   “Front and center.”   The observatory reinforces the profound impact the site has.  The “Twin Valleys” name implies that the site consists of two valleys, one which contains the camp, the other which is empty save for the foundations of a long-deserted farm.. In between the two valleys are a series of low mountains across which hikers enjoy walking long well-marked trails.   One of these trails leads upwards to the rim of Ferguson Mountain, where Horseshoe Ledge offers a stunning view of the entire camp.  I’ve been up there several times over the years, even taking some pictures to prove it.

Twin Valleys Camp from Horseshoe Ledge. Doveed photo.

You can experience the magic of this place yourself next summer.  Our retreat dates will be July 31-August 6.  Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

As wondrous as the camp is, its real magic comes at sunset.  As the sky begins to darken the place takes on an eerie, otherworldly mood.  As I look around the same thought invariably enters my mind:  I love this place.  I love everything this place offers, especially its peace, relaxation, and a sense that all is right with the world.

CN3y Sharing the Sky Weblog No. 16

A Fabulous General Assembly


Getting together with fellow stargazers is one of the best things about being a stargazer. Yesterday, while flying home from the General Assembly of the RASC, I realized how much fun I had in the preceding few days. This year, the 10-year-old New Brunswick Center sponsored the General Assembly. Held on the University of New Brunswick campus in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the program updated its delegates on astronomical advances, on the latest trends in observing hardware, and a lot on needs and methods of astronomical education. One of the highlights of this meeting was a presentation by the astronomy group at the Miramachi Rural School. These young people, with the help of Adam Hayward, their enthusiastic teacher, have built an observatory, installed a telescope, and have turned their astronomy class into an interactive project that has most of Miramachi under the stars. These children presented something so magical and exciting that their presentation earned them a standing ovation from the delegates.
Most of us stayed at the Joy Kidd residence on the University of New Brunswick campus, which was also the site of the BBQ dinner and the several parties that featured astronomical songs sung by Peter Jedicke and his sidekick, me. The Wu Center, where all our meetings were held, was comfortably air conditioned.
At lunch on that day, I was honored to be able to present my paper “A Nightwatchman’s Journey: My Life and Hard Times” as a comet seeker.” It was a retrospective of the 45 years I have spent comet hunting so far. For the first time talking to a national audience, I also recounted the highlights of the observatory crisis in 1967, when, at the age of 18. I was nearly expelled from the RASC. I do recall deciding to give up astronomy at that time, but I am glad I didn’t. The crisis was precipitated when Isabel Williamson accused me of bresaking the centre’s antique barograph. My repeated denials were ignored, and I was nearly expelled. It was a difficult time, but ten years later I began a correspondence with Miss Williamson that turned into a friendship that lasted to the end of her life in 2000. That friendship included a conversation about the RASC National awards during which I discovered that she had never received the RASC service award. Miss Williamson did receive it a few months later. All in all, Isabel K. Williamson was one of the central figures in the RASC during the generation before ours. Her efforts and strength of character have recently been noted by the Society.
A real highlight was a visit to what is likely the first astronomical observatory in Canada. The Brydone-Jack observatory is named after William Brydone-Jack, a professor of mathematics and later president of the university. Thanks to Brydone-Jack’s efforts, Fredericton was the first location in Canada to have its longitude accurately calculated.

 

This six-inch diameter refractor might be the telescope mounted in the oldest observatory in Canada.  D. Levy Photo.

There was a central personal reason for this meeting, said Chairman Paul Gray. It was a thank you party for two of his mentors, outgoing national President David Lane and incoming President Mary Lou Whitehorne. He ranks these two highly on his list of mentors who helped him get into astronomy and keep him there, and especially into his beloved hobby of supernova searching, which has now yielded several discoveries of supernovae shining from distant galaxies.

The view from Joy Kidd residence, University of New Brunswick.  D. Levy photo.

However, more than anything else, Gray sees the RASC as a national family, filled with people who love the sky and love to watch it.

The annual RASC pyramid.  Levy is on bottom row, second from left.  Photo by Dianne Jedicke.

This is the key to enjoying the RASC. Besides looking up at the night sky, it is the people we meet and the friendships we make that render it all worthwhile.