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Mirrored Image
H
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H A D AT
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HE UR 0 P
LE DA M
October 2003
WI Y O
SC F
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High Dese
stronom
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The Luz Observatory
High Desert Astronomical Society Newsletter
www.hidasonline.com
COMING UP
IN OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2003
10 Oct - Planetarium Show, VVC, 7:00 pm
11 Oct - Star Party, Horsemen’s Center, 6:30 pm
HiDAS Meeting
18 October
Guest SPEAKER!!
17 Oct - Public Observing, Lewis Center, 7:00 pm
18 Oct - HiDAS Meeting, Lewis Center, 7:30 pm
24 Oct - Planetarium Show, VVC, 7:00 pm
25 Oct - Star Party, Fairview Valley, 7:00 pm
7 Nov - Planetarium Show, VVC, 7:00 pm
14 Nov - Public Observing, Lewis Center, 6:30 pm
THE LUZ
OBSERVATORY
MOUNT
AND
TELESCOPES
At the new Fairview Valley site, early arrivals, Willie, Hal & Judy, Gary,
Anthony, Dave and Sue set up their scopes.
Photo by Dave Meyer.
Anthony Rogers and his
“new” 10 inch Newtonian
at the Fairview Valley
Site. Dave Harshman sets
up in the background.
Photo by Dave Meyer.
High Desert Astronomical Society
CLUB NEWS
www.hidasonline.com
Dear HiDAS Members and Friends,
The first use of the Fairview Valley site was a
success! It is a good site, although a bit dusty and
the road…well, see the report below. At the star
party we heard that a guard shack and bright light
had been set up at the Central Road site and Hal
and Judy investigated and found that the site is
now unusable. So, Fairview Valley it is for now. I
have included the map and directions again inside
to the Fairview site. See also the scope for sale
by Hal Pollner on the same page. Speaking of
Hal, Gary Witt and I went to Hal and Judy’s for
first light for his new 12 inch LX200 GPS (named
“Omega”) on the 4th of October. I came away very
much impressed by the new scope’s ease of use
and good optics. It is a great instrument.
November is our annual business meeting where
we elect club officers for the next year. If you would
like to get involved, we are always looking for volunteers, for all positions. See the enclosed sample ballot.
Several members have indicated they would like to run
for various offices and I have included their names on
the enclosed sample ballot. Please call me if you
have any questions about any of the jobs/offices or if
you would like your name in for an office.
.
Those members who want to present a
campaign statement for a HiDAS office please email it to me before the end of October so I can
include it in the November newsletter.
At this month’s meeting on October 18th we will
have a guest speaker. He is Tim Robertson of JPL
and he will be giving a presentation on the Mars missions now en route to Mars. The presentation will be
in the larger GTE room in the west building in the
courtyard because the Daily Press will be publicizing
it to the public. So we need a larger room for a larger
crowd, we hope.
Call me if you want to talk about astronomy or
HiDAS or want to use the equipment at the Lewis
Center. Hope to see you at some of our events.
Dave Meyer
----- Star Party Report ----- by Gary Witt
Cahuilla Cove Inaugural
As I left the pavement of Laguna Seca Road on to Cahuilla Road toward an easterly direction, I quickly glanced over my
shoulder to confirm my scope was secured in my Dakota’s bed. Not having traversed this section of Apple Valley, I was
tentative as I gazed at the ripples in the dirt road. A deep breath, a cautious “stay to the right” approach, and with gentle
pressure on the accelerator, I was moving toward our new “dark” site. “Ok, not bad,” I muttered to myself cruising down
the road. There were a few dips and adjustments made along the way, with an “S” curve or two towards the end to the
site. Near the 1.8 on my trip meter I slowed, not wanting to pass the spot. Although I was not the first to arrive, as a
small contingent was already there setting up, this seemed to be a “nice” site. The navigation of the nearly 2 mile trek
lead me to name it Cahuilla Cove. It was nestled just off the road with a little foothill rising 25-30° ESE to SW. Kinda
cozy. As twilight was fading and more of us appeared, setting up, chatting, and waiting for Polaris to show, the feeling of
the depth of the sky crept into thought. The thin layer of dusty sand at the site gave a somewhat “moon crater” appearance as I was careful not to agitate it. More vehicles arrived with ’scopes and friends. The buzz of voices made me realize that we had quite a group for our Inaugural. All the “usual suspects,” too many to be named, had arrived and setup.
Visitors were numerous, upward of twenty, amassing our total to over fifty. Including a few late arrivals there were 14
scopes, some belonging to future members, of various apertures and 4 pair of binoculars. As we all started targeting our
favorite first objects, the “future” members of HiDAS were appreciative of the views, many asking questions and comparing objects in various ‘scopes. Quite a few stayed late into the evening taking in many different sights. The evening continued into deeper darkness, the Milky Way showing its glow. Galaxies, Nebula, and Double Stars were viewed by all.
Messier objects were of great interest. Later into the night, a group of us were viewing the rising constellations in the
east. Taurus, Auriga, and Orion began to show themselves. M42/43 was quite grand as I viewed it for the first time in my
’scope. Autumn has arrived with new, for me, objects to scan.
The few that remained after the change of date gravitated towards Tom and Larry with their 10" LX 200. They were
working out the bugs on their CCD imaging camera and laptop. Very interesting as they were trying to capture “The
Ring.” More time passed and everyone decided to pack it in about 1:30am. On the way home, I was thinking about
Cahuilla Cove...nice site, a few mods here and there, maybe some gravel (as has been mentioned in e-mails) and one
less cactus that I stepped on, then we have a nice dark site.
As an overview, I was pleased with the turnout of people and the calm, quiet evening. The car lights bothered me less
than the train and water trucks at the North Central site, which I understand now has a guard shack with bright lights?
The dust from the road was evident, maybe a few meters toward the hills may help? The foothill is a bit intrusive, but it
sure cuts the light glow from Apple Valley...I can deal with it. All in all, a great evening with friends and fellow amateur
astronomers.
Gary
ps..the goodies/snacks were great. Thank you to those that brought them.
OFFICERS
HiDAS 2003 BOARD MEMBERS
HANDY PHONE LIST
DAVE MEYER
LEWIS CENTER LIAISON
PUBLICITY, NEWSLETTER
SPEAKER PROGRAMS
ED JOHNSTON
STAR PARTIES
BRIAN COX
PATTY DEUEL
HISTORIAN
AT LARGE
ED JOHNSTON
AT LARGE
TERI CORBO
AT LARGE
BILL FISHER
LYNN COURTNEY AT LARGE
AT LARGE
HAL POLLNER
245-8020
DAVE MEYER
PRESIDENT
LARRY DEUEL
VICE PRESIDENT 949-6644
JUDY POLLNER
SECRETARY
247-4785
DOUG NORMAN
TREASURER
247-4088
CHAIRPERSONS
2
245-8020
245-2921
947-4149
949-6644
245-2921
948-3949
946-0111
868-8348
247-4785
High Desert Astronomical Society
www.hidasonline.com
HOW TO FIND THE HIGH DESERT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY…
Rd.
LewisforCenter
Mojave
Mesa School
St
at
eH
nc
he
ria
s
Tao
Rd
.
Rd.
Educational Research
wy
1
Vista Campaña
Middle School
Ra
h
7t
Wichita Rd.
AN
lle
Va
ple
Ap
15
LO
S
18
St
.
D Street
Apple Valley
Kasota
TO
TO
LA
S
VE
GA
S
✵
GE
LE
S
N
Thunderbird Road
8
yR
P
d.
Hughes
Market
VICTORVILLE
APPLE VALLEY
Wal Mart
The Mall
of
Victor Valley
THE LEWIS CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
20702 THUNDERBIRD ROAD
APPLE VALLEY, CA 92307
(760) 242-3514
JUST A REMINDER . . . . . . .
The month and year your HiDAS membership expires is shown in the upper right corner of your address label.
For your convenience, a renewal form is included in this newsletter.
HIGH DESERT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
INITIAL MEMBERSHIP/RENEWAL APPLICATION
NAME:
PHONE:
ADDRESS:
NEW MEMBER
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
RENEWAL
ZIP
TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP:
(Does NOT include
magazine subscription)
STUDENT
INDIVIDUAL
FAMILY
$10.00
$15.00
$20.00
MAGAZINE REQUESTED
SKY & TELESCOPE
ASTRONOMY
ODYSSEY
$32.95
$29.00
$21.21
(Optional)
DATE:
e-mail
address
*DONATION TO HiDAS ENDOWMENT
SUBSCRIPTION
NUMBER:
*Note: If you want
to claim your contribution to the
endowment on
your income taxes,
please write a separate check to:
High Desert Partnership in Academic
Excellence.
DO YOU OBJECT TO YOUR ADDRESS AND/OR PHONE NUMBER BEING USED IN THE HIDAS ROSTER?
YES
Please detach and mail this form, along with membership dues, to the High Desert Astronomical Society,
17500 Mana Road, Apple Valley, California 92307
(Make checks payable to HiDAS)
3
NO
ron om
i
i t
l Soc e y
H i g h D es e
High Desert Astronomical Society
www.hidasonline.com
LUNAR PHASES
Sep 25
Oct 25
Sep 27
Oct 04
Nov 02
Oct 06
Oct 27
Sep 29
Oct 29
Sep 30
Oct 30
Oct 02
Oct 31
Nov 04
Oct 08
Nov 06
Oct 10
Nov 08
Oct 13
Nov 10
Oct 23
Nov 22
28
Nov 13
Oct 18
Nov 16
Oct 19
Nov 18
Oct 21
Nov 20
HIGH DESERT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Oct 15
17500 MANA Rd.
APPLE VALLEY, CA 92307
r
A st
ca
t
HIGH DESERT ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
November 15, 2003
03/04 ELECTION SLATE
OFFICERS
(* Incumbent)
NOMINEES
ADDITIONAL
NOMINATIONS
PRESIDENT
Dave Meyer*
Dave Meyer
Laura Bernier
Anthony Rogers
VICE PRESIDENT
Larry Deuel*
Gary Witt
Laura Bernier
Anthony Rogers
SECRETARY
Judy Pollner*
Anthony Rogers
TREASURER
Doug Norman *
CHAIRMANSHIPS (* Incumbent)
NOMINATIONS
HISTORIAN
Patty Deuel*
SCIENCE CENTER LIAISON
Dave Meyer*
Laura Bernier
SPEAKER PROGRAMS
NEWSLETTER
PUBLICITY
Dave Meyer
Laura Bernier
STAR PARTIES
Brian Cox*
Laura Bernier
AT LARGE (5 members)
Bill Fisher
Lynn Courtney
Ed Johnston
Teri Corbo
Hal Pollner
Laura Bernier
FOR SALE:
Si x - i n ch f / 5 Cel est r on Ref l ect or on a Mead e Eq u at or i al m ou n t
wi t h t r i p od . Mou n t h as l at i t u d e
ad j u st m en t , set t i n g ci r cl es, l ock s,
an d sl ow m ot i on h an d con t r ol s
f or RA an d DEC. OTA h as l on g i t u d i n al f ocu ser , 6 X3 0 op t i cal
f i n d er , an d ad j u st ab l e h i n g ed
cr ad l e f or t u b e b al an ce an d eyep i ece p osi t i on i n g .
Ask i n g $ 3 0 0 U.S.
HAROLD POLLNER
Directions to
Fairview Valley
Dark Sky Site
Take Central Rd. 1.5 miles North of Hwy.
18 to Standing Rock Rd.
Turn right (East) on Standing Rock Rd.
and proceed for 2.9 miles to Laguna Seca
Rd.
Turn left (North) on Laguna Seca Rd. and
proceed for 1.5 miles to Cahuilla Rd. Stop
at Cahuilla Rd. and zero your trip meter.
This is a nice, dark
site. Those willing to suffer the dirt road will be
rewarded! The driving
distance for most members is about the same or
a little less than the
North Central site.
CAHUILLA RD.
CENTRAL RD.
There is room for
about 15 to 20 vehicles
on the site. Additional
vehicles will have to park
along the road. Set up
telescopes on the dirt
clearing.
STANDING ROCK RD.
LAGUNA SECA RD.
Turn right (East) on Cahuilla Rd. and
proceed for exactly 1.8 miles to the site
turnout on the right side of the road.
(This stretch of Cahuilla Rd. is dirt with a
washboard surface, limiting speed to 12-15
mph, so it will take
about 8 minutes to reach
the site from the Laguna
Seca turnoff.)
DIRT ROAD
SITE