I am heading to Mosquito lake state park for the eclipse. Leaving the 7th..?
Christa?
Hi Everyone!? I have been updating the website, registration is now OPEN.?
I've working on some things and ideas since last year, and like everyone else, life happens here, too.
I've invested in power options for the party, solar panels and batteries, and a small generator.? This will be available for some limited recharging, but there is no AC power on site.
I am planning to drive to the April 8 Eclipse centerline, possibly in Ohio.? If anyone else is planning to witness it, perhaps you can mention your plans, or share a location to meet at.? I may only go for the day, or possibly longer.? I remember the traffic from the 2017 event, and I'm hopeful there are enough highways available so as not to repeat that experience to that degree.?
I hope to share any more information by the end of this weekend.
Please be safe in your travels, and I hope to see many of you at the parties this year.??
As always, thank you for supporting this effort, I can't do this without your help, even if it is only to advertise it by work of mouth.? And have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Phil
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Hi Everyone!? I have been updating the website, registration is now OPEN.?
I've working on some things and ideas since last year, and like everyone else, life happens here, too.
I've invested in power options for the party, solar panels and batteries, and a small generator.? This will be available for some limited recharging, but there is no AC power on site.
I am planning to drive to the April 8 Eclipse centerline, possibly in Ohio.? If anyone else is planning to witness it, perhaps you can mention your plans, or share a location to meet at.? I may only go for the day, or possibly longer.? I remember the traffic from the 2017 event, and I'm hopeful there are enough highways available so as not to repeat that experience to that degree.?
I hope to share any more information by the end of this weekend.
Please be safe in your travels, and I hope to see many of you at the parties this year.??
As always, thank you for supporting this effort, I can't do this without your help, even if it is only to advertise it by word of mouth.? And have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Phil
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Fall Star Parties in Southern Virginia
Hello all,? I recently received an email asking to spread the word for a couple upcoming star parties in Southern Virginia. The first one in October is a bigger party (large field, electricity on field, low priced Cafe, showers, maybe up to 100 people usually) and the second one is smaller (no electric on field, no cafe, maybe 20 people). I go to SRSP twice annually and I've been to James River SP once. Both are great. Dark skies (I can see mag 12 in my simple 10 inch dob) and good people. So if you are looking to add more observing time, check these out, and let me know if you have questions (theastroranger@...):
Two great star parties coming up at Dark Sky Parks in Virginia!
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Staunton River Star Party, October 9-15, Staunton River State Park (near South Boston, VA):?There are not enough good words to describe this star party. The park staff does an incredible job by being extremely welcoming, super helpful, and treating us to the best star party food anywhere! Here is link to a video of a previous gathering if you want to experience it's sights and sounds?
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NOTE: Registration closes October 1.?Please be sure to pre-register as it helps the park purchase the right amount of the delicious food they provide. Registration can be done at this link:
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If you want to just visit the astronomers and see the sights, you can attend on public night Friday, October 13 from 8 ¨C 10 PM. You can also visit the park during the day on Saturday, October 14 and see a partial solar eclipse from about 12:00 noon until 2:00 PM in the company of knowledgeable astronomers with safe solar telescopes.
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James River Star Party, November 10-11, James River State Park (Buckingham County, VA):?Enjoy beautiful dark skies in the mountains of Virginia! Astronomers are invited to set up and camp at the viewing site at no charge in return for sharing your knowledge with park visitors from 8 PM to 10 PM both nights of the star party. Camping is primitive but flush toilets are nearby. Electricity for battery charging is available at the nearby picnic shelter. Generators are not allowed. Although there is no fee, astronomers are required to pre-register by sending a message to? president@.... Cabins and campsites elsewhere in the park are also available at their usual cost online through Reserve America:?
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2023 AFTER PARTY THANKS AND THOUGHTS from PHIL
Wow what a year.? Everything went so fast.? Thank you Everyone for your support, and for enjoying yourselves at these parties.? I was thrilled to see 4 clear nights and days allowing observing solar and nighttime observations most of the time.??
I have dates picked for 2024 to share with you, as well as some thoughts.
2024: Wednesday 10am (if needed to allow for lawn mowing)-Sunday noon
June 5-9, new moon on the 6th.
September 4-8 new moon on the 2nd (on Labor Day- events not allowed by the State Parks).
I am planning to maintain a no-frills status but will no longer rent the pavilion.? I will run a generator during the day to offer recharging power for those that need it, and if we need it for any impromptu activities.??
I will work on and finalize any additional amenities that can be offered next year, if any.? Observing was the primary activity, as it should be, and I was very happy to see the amount of socializing amongst everyone, which is possible in a smaller star party.? Most other activities that I have offered in the past were nice, but not necessities, and take additional time and work, which I've tried to do in the past.? I am going to keep it simpler in the future, which will allow me to keep enjoying doing this star party in the future.
On October 14 there is a partial solar eclipse viewable here.
Next April 8 is the TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, which I hope many of you can observe.? I went to Athens, Tennessee for its twin in 2017, which was the first time I saw the corona.? Stunning is the only word I can use to describe it.? I might be in Ohio for this one.
I wish everyone a safe holiday season, great shopping on the fall Amazon sale in about 3 weeks, and take advantage of clear skies whenever possible.? Remember the important people in your lives.? Thanks again, Everyone!? It was a pleasure to see all of you!
Phil??
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
Hi Dave,?
It was fun meeting you and I am glad you liked the view through the Lunt Ha scope.?
Prasad - AB3EH
On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 09:19:40 AM EDT, WA4GUD Dave via groups.io <blennie96@...> wrote:
I¡¯d like to pile on that bandwagon and thank Phil too!? A great show, ideal weather, and very friendly crowd.? I was able to see several segments of the Veil Nebula in my 8¡± Edge HD with O-III filter, a first for me in an 8¡± scope.? Also greatly enjoyed all the open clusters in Cassiopeia and Perseus.? Jupiter needed a Moon filter to avoid getting blown out by the brightness.? My golden retriever greatly enjoyed the night under the stars as well ¨C his first camping expedition.? And on the way out the door, I was invited by Prasad to take a quick look of the hyper-active Sun through his Lunt double-stack ¨C a spectacular view. ? Thanks Phil! ? Dave, Donna, and ¡°Max¡± Tillman
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
I¡¯d like to pile on that bandwagon and thank Phil too!? A great show, ideal weather, and very friendly crowd.? I was able to see several segments of the Veil Nebula in my 8¡± Edge HD with O-III filter, a first for me in an 8¡± scope.? Also greatly enjoyed all the open clusters in Cassiopeia and Perseus.? Jupiter needed a Moon filter to avoid getting blown out by the brightness.? My golden retriever greatly enjoyed the night under the stars as well ¨C his first camping expedition.? And on the way out the door, I was invited by Prasad to take a quick look of the hyper-active Sun through his Lunt double-stack ¨C a spectacular view. ? Thanks Phil! ? Dave, Donna, and ¡°Max¡± Tillman
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Hi Bill,
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I have the 90 degree APM 120 APO. I think Lunt Solar is the only dealer in the U.S. Before these I had a set of Oberwerk 100 mm 45 degree binos. They were also good, but the 90 degree is much better for aiming them high into sky. With the 45 degree it was really hard on one¡¯s neck to look 45 degrees upward if you are aiming high in the sky.?
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I have a set of 6.5mm Explore Scientific eyepieces that get me just under 100x. I always need to rotate them to get the images to merge. All my other eyepieces merge immediately, but pushing to 100x is really tough with any binocular setup. The Oberwerks were essentially impossible to get the image to merge with eyepieces for 80x, they were good to about 60x.
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I had a great time under this stars this weekend, glad to meet you and all the other folks at YCSP.
Don
On 09/17/2023 5:14 PM EDT bill@... wrote:
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Hey Don,
I'm thoroughly entranced by your binocs. Curious about a couple things. First, I believe you had the 45 degree angled eye binocs, correct? Second, what's your take on how high a magnification you can push that guy to??
Best,
Bill
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
Thank you, Prasad.? Wow, these images are awesome!? You've been keeping yourself busy, with great success!? Thanks for sharing your success, and keep up the great work!
Get
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
Thank you Phil as always, for the star party. This year I was to get there on Saturday only for a short daytime session and I had a wonderful experience as usual. Here are a few images I managed to capture with my Lunt.?
Prasad
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On Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 05:38:09 PM EDT, Phil De Rosa <philderosa1@...> wrote:
Thanks guys, I'm simply the host/coordinator, you and everyone else make the party a success.?
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
Thanks guys, I'm simply the host/coordinator, you and everyone else make the party a success.?
Get
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Hey Don,
I'm thoroughly entranced by your binocs. Curious about a couple things. First, I believe you had the 45 degree angled eye binocs, correct? Second, what's your take on how high a magnification you can push that guy to??
Best,
Bill
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Re: A big THANK YOU to Phil!
I second this! Great work Phil! I had a blast - great people, great skies, cool park! Thank you for the work you do to put this together! I got to really drill down on some great globulars on Thursday night! And hopefully, I got great data for NGC 281!?
Clear Skies,
Bill McGeeney
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The YCSP is over for 2023 and I want to thank Phil for all the work he puts into this event. The field had many participants, but there was room for a lot more, so next year let's all talk it up and promote it to increase the number of people coming out from all the local clubs. I was only there Friday and Saturday nights. The sky Friday was excellent, an experienced observer and I were able to just pick out the 5th magnitude star in the little dipper, and the Milky Way was shining overhead. The sky Saturday evening had a few clouds but they cleared early. I didn't stay up late but certainly enjoyed the observing while I lasted.?
Thanks again Phil!
Clear skies,
Don Knabb
Treasurer, Chester County Astronomical Society
Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers
ChesMont Astronomical Society
Delaware Astronomical Society
Chair, Mid East Region of the Astronomical League
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Re: FALL PARTY WITHIN 2 WEEKS!
Thanks.? That gave me an chance to send that info out to the group.? C u when I see u!
Get
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Re: FALL PARTY WITHIN 2 WEEKS!
Thanks for the info Phil.
My plans may have changed but regardless I wouldn't have planned to be there in the morning on Wednesday.?? See you there.
Bob
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Re: FALL PARTY WITHIN 2 WEEKS!
Q:?Hi.? What time on Wednesday does the field open for camping?
Hi!? Good quesrion!? The field is open 8am.? Please read this email completely!? It is ALL important info!
I am attempting to arrive by 8 am.? I'm not always successful.? If this is your first time here and you are planning to arrive before noon, I suggest you email me for a short chat, or speak to any veteran supporters to get any suggestions about location.? The field is big enough, it's never been crowded the first day.
If you must be an early bird, I will discuss the weather and field briefly.
If you can be patient and wait for me, you can park on the right past the bathrooms in the big lot.? I have a silver SUV and a Scamp camper.? Once I drop the camper near the batting cage, I can drive around and greet people.? Or you can hang out in the pavilion if it doesn't have a reservation posted.
Good news: The FIELD has let heavy rains drain away quickly, we've never seen pounding or mud, even after a 2" deluge overnight.? Dome tents on the field have sheltered campers successfully without anyone drowning, even during that near-miss tornado in June.
THE RAIN FORECAST: That said, if you can wait to arrive until around 2pm, you might not need to set up in the rain.??
8am is about the time the heavy (80% chance of 3/4"-1") overnight rain is projected to end.? However, daytime showers (50% chance of +1/4"-1/2") are projected to continue until about 2pm.? After that, chances of rain becoming lighter look better.
NOTE: NO VEHICLES ARE ALLOWED within THE BALL DIAMOND. THIRD BASE IS NOT EASY TO FIND. ENTERING THE FIELD: turn left onto the macadam before the pavilion. Go straight onto the grass.?? GO STRAIGHT PAST THE BATTING CAGE ABOUT 150 FEET BEFORE TURNIN RIGHT, GOING PAST "THIRD BASE" area.? Pick a spot.?
NOTE: ALL LARGE CAMPERS AND RVs MUST USE THE GRAVEL LOT on the right PAST THE BATHROOMS. Please wait for me to provide setup instructions (even veterans), the state park people changed the rules this year.
Thank you, everyone!? See you soon.. Phil
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Re: FALL PARTY WITHIN 2 WEEKS!
Hi.? What time on Wednesday does the field open for camping?
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LOL!? You had me going for a minute!? Great respite for a busy day!? Phil ? Sent from for Windows ?
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From: Bruce CollierSent: Monday, September 11, 2023 2:35 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [YCSP] Registration ? Great. I¡¯ll be bringing my soccer team and 6 dogs. Kidding. Just me. I¡¯ve been going to your Star Party for many years. Back when it was at the horse park. Haven¡¯t been recently, though. Really looking forward to it and seeing some old friends.
Bruce
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Great. I¡¯ll be bringing my soccer team and 6 dogs. Kidding. Just me. I¡¯ve been going to your Star Party for many years. Back when it was at the horse park. Haven¡¯t been recently, though. Really looking forward to it and seeing some old friends.
Bruce
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Hi Bruce!? I remember your name.. Yes there is room for your trailer in the RV parking are.? Yes, you could pay when you arrive.? Just park on the right side of the entrance road when you clear the woods coming into the park, opposite the paved area on the left to the pavilion.? You will see my Scamp Camper behind the ball diamond, I could be there, or inside the pavilion.? Good timing, too.? I expect to be here at 10am. Phil PS--How many are in your party? ? Sent from for Windows ?
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From: Bruce CollierSent: Monday, September 11, 2023 10:21 AM To: [email protected]Subject: [YCSP] Registration ? I¡¯d like to join you all for the Star Party. I have a 28ft travel trailer. Would there be space for me? Can I register when I arrive? Early afternoon on Wednesday.?
Thanks, Bruce?
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Kristin
