Astronomy

62 ASTRONOMY • SEPTEMBER 2017

As amateur astronomers know,

high winds tend to ruin the seeing,

the measure of atmospheric steadi-

ness necessary for observers to dis-

cern small details in celestial

objects. And wind is doubly trou-

bling in the desert Southwest

because it kicks up profuse amounts

of dust. Too much dust over pro-

longed periods will coat optics, but

the more immediate concern is its

insidious penetration of the

mechanical parts of telescopes —

focusers, mounts, and drives. Oh

well, nothing to do but wait and see

what the next 12 hours would bring.

Chatting up

astronomy

Of course, a lot happened in that

half-day between breakfast and

evening twilight. After a lunch

whose quality far surpassed other

star parties I’d attended, Dave and I

each gave two talks. His first one

was “The New Cosmos: Great

Discoveries of the Past Decade,” an

up-to-date look at the state of

astronomy. People asked lots of

thoughtful questions, and I think

Dave could have gone another hour

if time had allowed.

After a short break, I was up

next, and presented “The Great

American Eclipse of 2017,” my main

focus during the past three years.

My goal during that talk was to light

a fire under anyone with an interest

in astronomy who was thinking of

skipping the eclipse.

A longer break followed, then

Dave wowed everyone with

“25 Exotic Targets for Deep-Sky

Observers.” Examples included the

weird galaxies NGC 520, Centaurus

A, and Maffei 1, and odd nebulae

like the Witch Head Nebula and

Hubble’s Variable Nebula. His

knowledge of objects outside the

boundaries of our solar system is

impressive indeed. Finally, I gave an

overview of the objects that would

be up when night fell with “What

We’ll See Tonight.”

Nightfall

After my second talk, we adjourned

for a two-hour break. Our caravan

then gathered in the hotel lobby

and drove from Lordsburg to the

DSNM site in Animas. The half-

hour drive was quite scenic.

Plus, the percentage of cloud cover

continued to diminish with each

passing mile.

Upon arrival, we were all wel-

comed into the DSNM Ranch

House for a chuck wagon-style din-

ner. There was plenty of food for

everyone, including a chips-and-

salsa appetizer, a wide variety of side

dishes, and even sweets for dessert.

Roughly every two minutes, the

door would open, and someone

would venture out to take a quick

look at the sky and assess the wind.

“Sk y ’s clea r ; w i nd ’s st i l l up,” wa s t he

report heard the most. As the Sun

set, however, and the energy to drive

45

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4. Eicher
   contemplates
   the cosmos as he
   delivers a talk
   based on his book
   The New Cosmos
   during the party’s
   daytime hours.


5. Astronomy Senior
   Editor Michael E.
   Bakich tells star
   party attendees
   the details of the
   coming total solar
   eclipse that will
   wash across the
   United States in
   August.


6. Owners prepare
   large telescopes
   for observing
   prior to the end
   of astronomical
   twilight.


7. The new owners
   of Dark Sky New
   Mexico (from left),
   Michael Hensley,
   Larry Rosenberg,
   and Steven
   Blum, welcomed
   several dozen
   enthusiastic
   backyard
   astronomers
   to their first
   gathering.


8. As the Moon
   sets, Bakich casts a
   flashlight skyward,
   pointing out the
   constellation Leo.