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Stargazing Event - Interest Level?
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Stargazing Event - Interest Level?
Yes - Let's stargaze
78%
 78%  [ 18 ]
No Interest
21%
 21%  [ 5 ]
Total Votes : 23

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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 3350
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 3:20 pm    Post subject: Stargazing Event - Interest Level? Reply to topic Reply with quote

We have some accomplished astronomers among our kind here...Wondering if there is enough interest in a sky viewing on a dark night somewhere near town ?

Post your interest level Smile
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Hikngrl
Canyoneering is my 'Happy Place'




Joined: 27 May 2003
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PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I'm thinkin that if you are near town you are not gonna see much. Too much light.
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Trishness
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Joined: 21 Sep 2003
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PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Maybe come out to AJ/Gold Canyon to do star gazing.......only 30 minutes from Mesa/Tempe. I've had some problems stargazing with extraneous lights in my backyard but if I go around the corner on Baseline/Idaho Road, it's pretty decent.

Maybe we could make this an event of some kind?

Mr. Green
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azhiker96





Joined: 05 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I'm betting we can get some shielding from the Phoenix lights at the Peralta TH.
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Trishness
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Joined: 21 Sep 2003
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PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

George,

The stars are amazing at LDSP and at Hieroglyphics TH at the end of Kings Ranch Road too!!!

Mr. Green
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~~~Trish~~~

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings.
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wanderingsoul





Joined: 19 Jul 2004
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Location: Gilbert AZ

PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 7:11 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I'm interested. Couple of times I drove out towards Usary Park and parked car along the side of the road in early morn hours to watch meteor showers. Would be better to be somewhere else than along side of the road.
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IGO





Joined: 08 Feb 2005
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PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 8:14 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I love star gazing. Might I suggest Hualapai Mountain Park summit in Kingman. I know it's too far away but I've seen a few stars from up there.
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threedogz





Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 668
Location: Chandler

PostPosted: 2/5/2007, 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

This would be great, I am a big fan of Carl Sagan... count me in.

I'm not sure if I would drive to Kingman for stars, the only thing I do in Kingman is use the restroom and fill up for gas.

I'd like to go to the observatory in Tucson as well, they have tours for visitors.
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jmzblond
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Joined: 03 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I'm always interested.
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kurthzone
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Joined: 31 Dec 2002
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PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sounds like fun to me! Just let me know when and where.

Anyone who has backpacked with me can most likely tell you how to find the only galaxy visible with the human eye (at least under good viewing conditions). They would tell you that it is halfway between the most proximate points of Pegasus and Cassiopeia. Without doing an internet search, can anyone name that galaxy and what kind of galaxy it is?
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Antares





Joined: 30 Nov 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Orion arm, third rock from the Sun

PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Stan, most likely you are referring to the Andromeda galaxy (object #31 in Charles Messier's catalog). It is the nearest large spiral galaxy... and it's only a mere 2.2 light years away in the constellation of Andromeda.

But, if you get out to a truly dark site you can also see the Triangulum galaxy naked-eye (M33). It's another spiral galaxy, but it is quite large and viewed nearly face-on from our location - hence it is very diffuse.

The Andromeda galaxy, on the other hand, is viewed much closer to edge-on.

Peter
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Antares





Joined: 30 Nov 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Orion arm, third rock from the Sun

PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

It does look like we have some interest in this activity. Ambika's suggestion likely came from our conversation on the Picketpost hike.

I can bring my telescope, but I need a fairly easily-accessed site, as I haul it around in a 5x8 trailer.

The sites I normally use are in the area west of Phoenix, between Gila Bend and Yuma - about 30 miles east of the middle of nowhere. That's nice and dark, probably around a Bortle class 2 sky. In warmer weather I use a spot near Happy Jack, not far from the site of the Discovery Channel Telescope. That's a Bortle class 1 sky.
I know of some sites we can use where we could also camp.

I have set up in the lot at Picketpost trailhead before, but lately its been home to a few campers.

I also have another suggestion. This one wouldn't involve any camping, but it might be more convenient for attendees. I may be able to arrange use of the lower (gravel) parking lot at Boyce Thompson Arboretum for such an event.

If we do hold such an event combined with camping, we would have to refrain from any campfires as I can't have any fire anywhere near the optics. The other issue at a stargazing event is that we would refrain from using any white light. It takes the better part of an hour to become dark adapted, but it only takes a second of white light to take it away. Red light is much easier on the eyes in this regard.

Right now, Saturn is nicely placed for viewing around midnight or 1:00 am. In another month it will be situated nicely for observation around 10 or 11 pm. Saturn is always quite a sight to behold.

Naturally, there are lots of interesting objects outside of our solar system too... galaxies, globular clusters, planetary nebulae, etc.

Peter
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kurthzone
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Joined: 31 Dec 2002
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PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Antares wrote:
Stan, most likely you are referring to the Andromeda galaxy (object #31 in Charles Messier's catalog). It is the nearest large spiral galaxy... and it's only a mere 2.2 light years away in the constellation of Andromeda.

But, if you get out to a truly dark site you can also see the Triangulum galaxy naked-eye (M33). It's another spiral galaxy, but it is quite large and viewed nearly face-on from our location - hence it is very diffuse.

The Andromeda galaxy, on the other hand, is viewed much closer to edge-on.

Peter


You are correct sir! I didn't know about M33.
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evenstar





Joined: 03 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Truth is, the our nearest galaxy is our own Milky Way....a Spiral Galaxy where upon we reside on the outskirts, so to speak.....like Globe to Phoenix proper.
Used to love to camp out in my backyard as a kid in Fresno, CA at night and see this broad band of stars stretch across the sky. Now, of course, if you're anywhere near a large, or even a small, city you're lucky to see any stars at all. Camped with my dad off the Stanislaus River in the Sierras every August 'til 1998 and would wake in the middle of the night to pee; loved to look up and see the milky way and stars so bright at that altitude.....of course, had to put my glasses on not only to see the stars, but to keep from walking off the river bank into the river!
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Antares





Joined: 30 Nov 2006
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Location: Orion arm, third rock from the Sun

PostPosted: 2/6/2007, 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Yep, our solar system is situated within the Orion arm of the spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. Our home galaxy is the second largest in the Local Group (after the aforementioned Andromeda galaxy), and we are located about 28,000 light years from the core.

Oops... just noticed an omission in an earlier post. The Andromeda galaxy is 2.2 million light years away... but what's a bunch of zeros between friends. Very Happy
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