Star Party at Chase Farm Park
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Saturday, May 15 was our first scheduled star party event of 2021 at Chase Farm Park in Lincoln. We were asked to pick some dates for late summer/early autumn as we have done in past years. We selected some dates in August and September, but Kathy, president of Friends of Hearthside, soon got back to us with a request to have one during spring. These events have been great when the Moon is visible, and with later sunsets limiting what can be seen with a requested 8pm start time, May 15 was suggested, which is also our first time running this event on a Saturday.
Four members brought and set up their telescopes. Ron Zincone brought a Tele Vue 60, Bill Carpenter brought a Meade 152mm equatorial reflector, Jim Hendrickson used an 80mm refractor, and Francine Jackson a 102mm refractor.
Francine gave a presentation introducing the night sky and solar system to 18 guests using an outdoor projection screen at the visitor center. The sky was mostly clear, with scattered low clouds, making just enough to make for another spectacular sunset at the farm. Temperatures remained in the mid 60s with no wind.
Mercury was at its best, and with the farm’s clear view to the west we had a good look at it well into the evening, almost until the end of twilight. Unfortunately Venus was a bit lower, and it set before the presentation was over.
What little cloud cover present had cleared away by the time the sky darkened. Somehow we missed a 8:39pm pass of the International Space Station, and a scheduled rocket launch out of Wallops Island was scrubbed, but the highlight of the evening was the waxing crescent Moon near Mars, which was in the same lower power field of view in some of our smaller telescopes.
The views were enjoyed by all, and the guests enjoyed talking about all sorts of topics from space travel to comets and meteors to light pollution.
The next event at Chase Farm is scheduled for August 19.
More photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVFGrqo
