Trip Report: Grand Canyon Star Party 2002 South Rim

Good Food, Good Friends, and STARS, it doesn’t get any better!!!

Well this years star party was another great time. Thanks again to the NPS and Carol (our ranger) for having us and Dean for the organization of the event. The skies stayed clear every night so except for some wind we had great viewing. All in all we had a smaller group of tourist so I guess 9/11 effected people. We were (and are still) under fire restrictions, so no open flames, campfires, grills, etc. I brought up food and made dinner just about every night for our group.

Ten of the Sirius Lookers made the trip up, Dennis, Ron, Ara, Ellen, and myself spending all 8 nights. I linked the LX-90 to my laptop so I was driving the scope using Epoch 2000 after I was aligned. Some nights I drew bigger crowds then Dennis’s 28”. People liked looking at the computer screen, it made more sense to them. The green laser pointer was a big hit too. I was flashing it a couple nights at the North Rim trying to get SkyJim’s attention (seems to have worked, he told me he saw it)

Arrived Saturday and started meeting up with the group from last year. Geoff (LCAS) from Chicago land, Jim from Iowa, Elaine from Virginia, and the rest. Saturday was very windy so we only set up for a little while. I had been having trouble with my LX-90 and just got it back from Meade Thursday with a new Autostar that I hadn’t bothered to test out. Of course it didn’t work (no stars were programmed in it). Headed back to our camper in Trailer Village for drinks and astro talk. (dinner sausage and kraut)

Sunday SAC held their pizza party for the whole gang (thanks guys). Then Ron and I headed back to Sedona to reprogram the Autostar. Didn’t take long to download a good version and got back around 7 pm. Set up at the point and had a great night viewing. Got the best view I ever had of the whole Vail Nebula through an Astro-Physics 105 short tube that was there.

Monday we got out early and popped on the solar filter for the eclipse along with everyone else. Had the sun in just about every color (Ron managed to turn it blue by mixing his filters) H-Alphas, SolarMaxs, solar films, and glass lens were everywhere. The air had calmed down from the wind and was pretty stable. Best view I ever had of half the Vail through Ara’s 24”. Omega Centauri looking good even though it was so low. (dinner tacos)

Tuesday was trick bag Dennis day. We had taken some pictures of him when he passed out at a star party at my house back in December. Showed them around to the other astronomers. The look on his face when he saw them was worth the 6 months wait. No I’m not going to publish them on the website, but you can see them if you contact me in person. We have a Moon starting tonight which gives us something to show till it gets dark. I used the computer to find Neptune late that night and Ara wanted me to find Centaurus A for him. Makes starhopping a lot easier when you have a TelRad pointed right on an object. His 24” pulled it out nicely. (dinner stuffed cabbage)

Wednesday began a new tradition for the GCSP. We, Sirius Lookers, hosted a mostaccoili dinner for everyone. We are planning to continue since it went over so well. I played around in Scorpius that night, taking in Scorpio’s Jewel Box (NGC 6231) sometimes called the Northern Jewel Box, a nice little open cluster with nebulosity, you can see some red and blue stars in it if your eyes are night adapted.

Thursday there was a breakfast given by TAAA but it was too early and I didn’t make it. (9 am is way to early after a night of stargazing) We went to dinner at the lodge (food was awful) going to find another place next year. Since we have the Moon I borrowed Dennis’s bino-viewers. Well I found out why you really shouldn’t use them on a SCT. The eyepiece holder loosened and dropped them on the ground. Didn’t seem to break anything but you now see 2 Moons. Dennis said he would collimate them himself even though I did offer to pay to have them fixed. I couldn’t get Omega Centauri tonight, had a RV parked right in my line of sight. Ellen is over playing with Geoff’s Pronto, tells me she wants one of her own. Over beers with the guys after viewing we discuss wide field short tube refractors and decide on a Tele Vue TV-85.

Friday Ron made curry chicken for our group, after we feasted went to the Mather Campground for ice-cream. Sally, our usual ranger’s wife missed us after hosting a cook-out for us for the last 10 years, so wanted to get together with us this trip. They had a wedding to go to so wouldn’t make our cook-out Saturday. Went to point and set up after. Dennis came up with his other bino-view and asked if I wanted to break this one too. I like finding other things to view on the laptop, you get so many views of M-13 and the Ring Nebula at these. Did the Moon then into Omega Centauri, with a stop at M-92. More discussion with refractor owners about the TV-85. Ellen says she wants it, going to buy it with her bonus check next year.

Saturday was the no fire cook-out at Carol’s (the ranger) house. She made a turkey for all of us. I was requested to make my Jambalaya, everyone had a great time and was out of there by 3 pm so Carol could give her ranger class at 3:30. Wind had picked up again and most of the big DOB owners didn’t set up. Ellen playing with Geoff’s Pronto again, comes back and says the hell with waiting till next year, her birthday is next month, order the TV-85. (It comes in Friday)

Got home to find that my pool was empty, seems that the GCSP is a jinx for me. Last year the suction line plugged and it hadn’t filtered, took a week to clean it out. This year the return line broke empting 12,000 gals of water in my yard. Oh well it will not stop me from returning next year. Pool is repaired and filled as of Tuesday night.