My first star party is in the books. I managed to keep my telescope pointed at the right star cluster for the entire evening. Everyone seemed pleased at what they were seeing. I was surprised that we even had a star party tonight. It was overcast for most of the day, but the sky began to clear toward sunset. The original star cluster I was supposed to show people was covered by clouds, so a different target was selected. I now know a lot more about Messier 41 than I did yesterday.
Almost five hundred people looked through my telescope this evening. I didn't actually count them, but that was supposed to be tonight's attendance. Every night is supposed to be this way. The crowd seemed healthy, but if I don't get the coronavirus after all this, I'm probably immune.
It's a good thing I brought two warm coats. I needed both of them tonight. It gets very cold after sunset on the mountain. I thought I brought my most comfortable shoes, but they still left a lot to be desired. It's hard standing on your feet for that long. My feet hurt, but all in all, I was fairly well prepared. I even brought a little flashlight with a red bulb so I could check the telescope settings without ruining my night vision.
One of the weirdest things about the evening was driving back to the Astronomer's Lodge at the top of the mountain without headlights. You are supposed to keep your lights off so you won't ruin an astronomer's observing session at one of the big telescopes. The staff told me to use my headlights if I didn't feel safe, but there was a full moon and there were no other cars on the road. I just drove with my parking lights and straddled the center line. I could actually see very well, since there was a full moon and my eyes were completely dark adapted by the time the star party was over.
It's been an interesting day. I met some engineers at breakfast who were doing modifications to the huge coudé spectrograph located underneath the 107" telescope. They invited me to tag along with them and I got to see the spectrograph room, as well as the huge vacuum chamber where the main mirror is recoated every few years. The Tull Spectrograph is used to search for exoplanets now and has found quite a few. I always expect rooms where science is being done at these large telescopes to look like something out of Star Trek. Usually they are a messy maze of wires and pipes with plug strips and loose electric cords and cables everywhere. I've learned no to touch anything.
Tomorrow I start doing observatory tours. I have an orientation lesson in the morning and my first work shift starts in the afternoon. I'm going to be kept busy out here. That's a good thing actually. There is nothing else to do on the mountain. The isolation is kind of nice. I'd rather be here than sitting in front of the television in Dallas, listening to alarming news about the coronavirus and stock market crash.
I shouldn't have any problem sleeping tonight. I'm really tired and my room is completely dark when you turn the lights out. Last night I had to keep a flashlight by my bed so I could find the bathroom. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. The forecast doesn't look good.
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