Day 4510

I could get used to this. I woke up early, so I went outside to watch the Milky Way core rise in the east again. There was also a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus this morning. The two planets were very close together just before sunrise. I also saw quite a few meteors. They were probably leftovers from the Lyrid metoior shower, which peaked just a few days ago. It was very windy just before dawn, but I had a warm coat. I'm starting to recognize constellations easier now. It helps if you actually take the trouble to go outside at night. I wouldn't do this in Dallas, but this definitely isn't Dallas.

Saturday has been the busiest day of my stay. In addition to my regular star party duties, I spent the afternoon at a festival booth explaining different types of telescopes to visitors. There were a variety of different types of telescopes on display and I explained the pros and cons of each. I didn't tell people that I rarely look through a telescope myself. I do know a fair amount about them though. I think my presentation sounded reasonably knowledgable. Maybe someday I'll spend more time looking at the night sky. I kind of doubt it though. There's always the blog to write and I do live in Dallas. 

I had the same telescope tonight at the star party. We looked at the same target too. Messier 3 is quite beautiful. I doubt that I could even see it from Dallas. It is quite faint. I'm not sure I'm pronouncing the Canes Venatici constellation the globular cluster is located in correctly. I do know that it means hunting dog in Latin though. I always learn something new whenever I'm out here. I now know how to open, close, and rotate telescope domes.

It's been a very nice stay out at the observatory. I reconnected with friends, got to enjoy some of the most beautiful dark skies in America, had some delicious meals at the Astronomer's Lodge, and had a chance to remind myself why I became interested in astronomy in the first place. I dread the drive back to Dallas tomorrow just as much as I dreaded the drive out here. It's a necessary evil though. There is no other way to get here. It would be nice if Southwest Airlines flew to Marfa, but I don't think that's ever going to happen. You can take a train to Alpine, but Amtrak is incredibly unreliable. Often the train that goes through Alpine is hours late. It's a lot more expensive than driving as well. 

I'm glad I had time to eat dinner tonight. I was hungry and pretty tired. There was about an hour break between the end of the daytime activities and the start of the star party, so I drove back up the mountain to the Astronomer's Lodge and had my dinner. I don't think I'm going to do any more photography. I've had a good look at both the morning sky and the evening sky. Right now getting some sleep is pretty high on the agenda. It's a long drive back to Dallas tomorrow.

Bea is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day'