[meteorite-list] Cub Scouts and a Star Party

From: cdtucson at cox.net <*cdtucson_at_meteoritecentral.com*> Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:42:43 -0400 Message-ID: <20101011164243.IR4YQ.167853.imail_at_fed1rmwml4101> · cdtucson_at_meteoritecentral.com

--
Carl or Debbie Esparza
Meteoritemax
---- Walter Branch <waltbranch at bellsouth.net> wrote: 
> 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
> 
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