[Chaos-l] Fireball

[Klaus Hoog]

I went out to Farrington Point last Saturday and met Dana and Terry there. Terry brought his 80mm refractor, while I brought my brand new 130mm Mak. 

No fireballs, but Mars was beautiful and became even more so as the night progressed. Although the air was fairly turbulent, surface detail was clearly visible at 80X and 120X. Early on (around 9:00) 200X showed as just a blob in the eyepiece, but later, as the planet rose higher in the sky and the scope cooled off, it settled down and some more details became visible (I wouldn't describe it as spectacular, but it was well worth coming out in the cold to see).

We checked out some of the standard chestnuts- Andromeda, Alberio, etc. while engaged in a heated discussion of the latest trends in cosmology. At our age, what more could you ask for a memorable Saturday night?

A good time was had by all, and maybe next time we can entice some more folks to come out.

Klaus


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: walter fowler 
  To: Kachergis 
  Cc: chaos 
  Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 7:01 PM
  Subject: Re: [Chaos-l] Fireball


  Anybody else see it?  The listserve has been very quiet of late in terms of personal observations.  Thanks for breaking the silence, Karl.  Maybe the only notable astronomical sights have been in Chatham County.  Certainly someone has looked at Mars recently.  Please tell everyone about it!  Sometimes we need a fireball to stir things up.  Remember MASP this week (check out www.masp.org ).  Hope to see many of you there.  Walter
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Kachergis 
    To: Klaus Hoog 
    Cc: chaos 
    Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2005 9:19 PM
    Subject: [Chaos-l] Fireball


    Around 9:08 I saw a bright flash in the western sky.  It left a trail  
    that lasted a second or two.  The amazing thing was that I saw this  
    through the edge of a tree in our yard.  It must have been very bright.
    Karl Kachergis
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