Trip Reports

Observation Report by Dennis Young

Well it didn’t work out as planned – we never got Eta Carinae. But we did get some great sights though!

From our southern Arizona location, we managed to spot:

• Two of the stars in Crux (the Southern Cross) – Gacrux and Delta Crucis
• NGC 3324 and NGC 3293 clusters
• Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) – the great globular cluster

Omega Centauri alone made the trip worthwhile. This massive globular cluster, visible only from southern latitudes, contains millions of stars and is a truly spectacular sight.

Trip Report by Dennis Young

This is a yearly outing of a club called Local Group out of LA area. It was a 1000+ mile round trip, took me about 10 hours to drive back…

The White Mountains of Arizona offer some of the darkest skies in the state. At elevation, the transparency is remarkable, and southern objects rise higher above the horizon murk.

The Local Group members were welcoming hosts, and the camaraderie among astronomers from different clubs made for memorable nights under the stars.

Trip Report by Dennis Young

Good Friends, Good Food, and Dark Skies.

First off, thanks to everyone that made it happen – the NPS staff at the Grand Canyon (Chuck, Brian), TAAA and of course Dean. We had great weather the whole week!

The dark skies at the Grand Canyon continue to amaze. Away from city lights, the Milky Way arches overhead in all its glory, and faint fuzzies that are challenging from Sedona become easy targets here.

Trip Report by Dennis Young

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

Well this year’s star party was another great time. Thanks again to the NPS staff and all the organizers who made it happen.

The theme “Canyon by Day…Universe by Night” perfectly captured the experience. During the day, we explored the magnificent canyon views. As twilight fell, we set up our equipment and began sharing the universe with hundreds of eager visitors.

Trip Report by Dennis Young

We (my wife Ellen and I) didn’t go to the North Rim so this only concerns the South Rim. Well it was a great time at the Grand Canyon Star Party. Thanks go out to Dean Ketelsen for organizing it, to National Park Service Grand Canyon for having us…

The weather cooperated beautifully, giving us clear skies for most of the week. The seeing was exceptional at the rim, with the high altitude providing crisp, steady views of deep sky objects.

Public outreach was the highlight – sharing views through our telescopes with park visitors who had never seen Saturn’s rings or the Andromeda Galaxy before. Their reactions never get old!