[meteorite-list] Cub Scouts and a Star Party

From: Walter Branch <waltbranch_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Oct 2010 21:26:20 -0400
Message-ID: <8EC5387A978C4BFF9BFBB9B9B5B8F7F6_at_yourf78bf48ce2>

Hello Everyone,

Greatly off topic, but nevertheless...

I had the most fun Friday night.

One of my neighbors is a cub scoutmaster and he regularly invites me and my
10" telescope to their campouts. I enjoy hosting star parties for scouts.
I, my daughter and a friend of hers arrived last night at the camp site and
began setting up my scope. It was already dark. As I am setting up my
scope, I notice something odd. It's too quite.

If you have ever been to a boy scout or cub scout camp, you know it is
anything but quiet. I gradually become aware of a noise in the distance.
It's getting louder. I turn and peer through some trees at what seems like
hundreds of flickering fireflies. They are bobbing up and down. The noise
is getting louder. Then I realize, they are not fireflies. This a dense
mass of about 300 cub scouts, running and screaming with their little glow
sticks clutched in their little hands.

And they're running right toward me.

I quickly stand in front of my scope, in a defensive position, ready to
"take down" the first kid who breaches the already established "no touch"
zone - an invisible perimeter around my precious scope, through which no one
is allowed but me.

Alas, all was well. Aside from the usual fingerprints, and messing with the
focuser, no actual harm with done.

Jupiter was fantastic. The scouts and their families got to see a nice
treat. One of the moon's shadows was transiting across face of Jupiter.
Cool.

I got asked some really good questions and some of the kids made some astute
observations. One kid however, insisted for what seemed like an eternity
that Polaris was actually in the east because you know "the north star
doesn't really point to north." I began explaining that it was only a
degree or so off but soon gave up the argument (he was determined that
Polaris was in the east) and boldly shouted, "next!"

One lady kept asking me about the "constellation for June", of which I knew
nothing. I realized she was asking me an astrology question (of which I
know nothing).

I was a fun night. After everyone got an eye (or two) full of Jupiter, I
turned the scope to Albireo, a beautiful double star system in Cygnus
consisting of a yellow and a sapphire blue star ( the yellow is also a
binary) but the cubbies had retired to their tents. Even cub scouts have to
sleep.

After dropping off my daughter's friend, we arrived home around 1:00 a.m. I
kissed my daughter good night and set up the scope in my driveway to make
sure nothing was amiss.

I look up toward Pegasus and saw two meteors burn out, their existence
ending in a flash high up in the Earth's atmosphere.

Ahhh, peace and quiet.

Until the next time.

Thank you.


-Walter
Received on Sun 10 Oct 2010 09:26:20 PM PDT