The MCPO Committee is planning another great year of public starparties. The 2004 dates are set (see AAAP Website), and the Mingo 'Pinksheet' starparty pamphlets have been revised. Additionally, Washington County Parks has listed the AAAP starparties in their 2004 activities booklet. Due to observatory and road construction, the observatory grounds and pavilion will be unavailable for the first several months of the starparty season. Therefore, the committee has moved the location of the April Starparties to the adjacent ball-field and pavilions located further up the main access road, around the horseshoe bend. (directional signs will be posted at the observatory road gate). At this date, the location of the May starparties is undecided. (the ball-field is unavailable in May). We'll get back to you at a later date with the new location of the May starparties. As last year, in addition to our telescopes, we will be setting up astronomy display boards and computer slide shows in the pavilions. New for this year will be short beginner presentations by AAAP staff members. We have purchased a green laser pointer for use by presenters at Mingo starparties, and are looking into getting additional AV equipment for use inside the pavilions (they have electricity). If anyone is interested in participating on the Mingo Creek Park Observatory Committee, or helping out at the Mingo Starparties, please contact one of the Committee members.
Hi all,
The AAAP's 2004 starparties at Mingo Creek Park got off to a successful start this weekend.
The weather kept the number of AAAP and public attendees down, but both nights saw a number
of public show up specifically for the starparty, and several expressed their intent to join
the AAAP.
While Friday (042304) looked to be a wash out, a group of AAAP members arrived around 7:00 pm
and setup the astronomy displays and AV in the pavilion.
Amazingly, around sunset, the skies began to clear, and while remaining hazy for the rest of
the evening, allowed us to observe the Moon, planets, and a few deep sky objects.
About 12 - 15 public showed up and enjoyed the telescopes, displays, and several presentations.
('Introduction to Stargazing', and 'Intro to the Moon' by Larry McHenry, and
'Ursa Major - The Great Bear' by Dan McKeel).
AAAP members on hand include: Dan McKeel, Mike Meteney, Jeff Marsh, Larry McHenry,
Gerard Schuster, George Guzik, Dick Haddad, and Mark Arelt.
For awhile Saturday (042404) looked like it was going to be a great evening,
but ended up being a reverse of Friday nite. Soon after sunset, a band of thickening clouds
rolled in from the west and shutdown the telescope observing.
But, not before we had a chance to show the early arriving public the Moon, Venus, Jupiter,
and Saturn. Once again the displays and presentations at the pavilion kept the evening going.
The number of public in attendance was estimated at between 24 and 30 people.
AAAP members present include: Dan McKeel, Gerard Schuster, Jeff Marsh, Mike Meteney,
Dick Haddad, Rich & Peter Urban, Larry McHenry, Becky Nichols, Vern Cox, and Benjamin Tsai.
Brand new member Jeff S?????, who was at the starparty Friday nite, printed off a member
application from the club website and mailed it, was also back on Saturday evening.
Submitted by Larry McHenry
Below are a few photos from the starparty, also included are a couple of old images showing
the outside of the pavilion, and the side field where we had several telescopes setup,
and part of the 'Intro to Stargazing' was conducted on Friday night. (green lasers are great!)
Hi all, The weather again was not very cooperative for the AAAP's May public starparties. With severe storms moving in, the Friday starparty was canceled. Saturday's starparty went as scheduled, but again, threats of severe weather kept the attendance (both AAAP & public) down. On hand, 8 to 10 AAAP members helped out by setting up the astro displays in the pavilion, and manning telescopes out in the field. About 20 public attended throughout the night. In addition to a well received astronomy presentation by Dan McKeel in the pavilion, the attendees were treated to views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, miscellaneous deep sky objects, and Comet Neat. -------------------------------------------------------------- Below is a report from MCPO member Dan McKeel: The May 22 2004 Star party at Mingo Creek Park went on despite "storm of the century" warnings from the weather people. The pavilion hosted about a dozen members of the public who were given a basic introduction to stargazing, and provided with the clubs brochures, and handouts. The seeing report as provided by Vern Cox said the sky was clear and seeing was good, but got worse as the evening progressed. The members with scopes up on the hill provided fine views, and showed the public the current comets which several attendees mentioned when they returned back to the pavilion. It was quite amazing how clear the sky did get. Some nice ladies for the University Association (?) donated an astronomy theme rug to the observatory which will be displayed as a wall hanging when the building is complete. (Dan didn't get the names of the two ladies, so if anyone knows who they are, please pass that info on to us, so we can properly credit them). -------------------------------------------------------------- Below are a few photos of the pavilion by Dan McKeel: (including the 'astro rug' donation!). pavilion astro displays: http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/southhills/pavilion1.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/southhills/pavilion2.jpg 'astro rug' http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/southhills/rug-donation.jpg -------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, a reminder to club members, Please remember to observe the AAAP club rule in regards to smoking. No smoking is permitted on the observing field during starparties. Please be considerate of those around you, and their telescope optics. Thank you. -------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi all,
While the weather didn't cooperate for the AAAP's Friday night public starparty at Mingo Creek
Park, AAAP members Chrissie Chojnicki, George Guzik, Dan McKeel, Al Paslow, Joe Bergandy,
Larry McHenry, Gerard Schuste, Ed Moss, Dave Smith, and DIck Haddad setup displays in the
pavilion and greeted the half-dozen public who attended in spite of the clouds.
Saturday evenings starparty promised clear skies, and a good number of AAAP members again
staffed the pavilion and setup telescopes in multiple locations on site by the pavilion,
along the road, and at the top of the hill near the partly built observatory building.
(George Guzik, Al Paslow, Les Johnson, Dave Smith, Larry McHenry, Ed Moss, Mark Arelt,
Mike Meteney, Dan McKeel, Dick Haddad, Gerard Schuste, Shane Connellry, Chrissie Chojnicki,
Mike Fallon, Jeff Kerns, Shawn van Mastrigt, and several other members who didn't sign in or
I can't read their handwriting)
Two well attended astronomy presentations were given at the pavilion by Larry McHenry.
('Introduction to the Moon', and 'Stargazing')
Several public guests brought their own telescopes and club members pitched in and helped
with questions they had on using them.
The number of public attendees was estimated at about 60.
(49 'officially' clicked on the counter, but several car loads were missed).
As previously mentioned, in addition to drawing a local crowd,
we had attendees from Brownsville, Belle Vernon, and even Uniontown.
The attendees were treated to views of the 1st quarter Moon, the planet Jupiter,
and miscellaneous deep sky objects. Also observed were several sporadic meteors, and the
spectacular rocket reentry and burnup.
Soon after 10:30 pm patchy clouds started to roll in, and by 11:00, the sky was mostly cloudy.
As all of the public had left at that point, AAAP members packed up the pavilion displays
and most left by midnite.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Images from Saturday's Starparty:
(sorry I didn't make it up to the observing locations).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi all, Friday started out as a beautiful clear day, but of course after setting up for the AAAP starparty at Mingo, deteriorated into a hazy summer night. The early evening hours remained somewhat clear, but soon after 10:30 pm, the skies steadily thickened with wisps of haze. The early arrivals were treated to daylight views of the observatory construction, with MCPO Committee members on hand to answer questions. As dusk fell, AAAP member Larry McHenry gave an 'Intro to Stargazing presentation at the pavilion. Helping work the astronomy displays and greet the public were Dan McKeel and Tim Manka. Mike Meteney and Ed Moss setup their telescopes near the pavilion to help out. The public attendees, (estimated at about 30), stuck it out till after the second ISS pass (which was still bright thru all the haze) at about 11:15 pm, them most left. By 12:30 am the few club members who had stuck it out were rewarded with a clearing, and were able to observe the summer Milky-Way in a dark southern sky. AAAP members Chrissie Chojnicki, George Guzik, Al Paslow, Joe Bergandy, Gerard Schuster, Dave Smith, Shawn van Mastright, Greg Shephard, Jeff Kerns, Ann Norman, Dan Kleppner, Frank Usureski, Fred Klein, Trever Lewis, Jeff Marsh, Larry Sneider, and Chris Genovese setup telescopes on the observatory hill.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by Larry McHenryHi all, Well, as you all can surmise from last night's weather, the Saturday starparty at Mingo was a bust, observation wise. But we did have 16 public attendees showup and review the astronomy displays in the pavilion, and were interested in learning more about the AAAP, our starparties, and the new observatory. They left happy with starparty brochures and StarWheel finders. AAAP members Dan McKeel and Larry McHenry, with help from Becky Nichols, worked the pavilion, while members Dave Smith, Les Johnson, Ed Moss, Dick Haddad, Shawn and Frank van Mastright, and Gerald Schuster were up on the observatory hillside with several telescopes. -------------------------------------------------------------- Progress on the new AAAP observatory at Mingo Creek moved forward this week at a slower pace. The contractor (Waller Corp), completed installing the roof wood mounting plates to all of the walls. Most of the scaffling has been removed, (except for that being used in the refractor room for installing the track), and left-over construction material cleaned up from the planetarium room and other parts of the structure. The metal roof tracks were delivered and work has begun on installing them along the walls of the reflector and refractor rooms. This coming week should see the railing work completed, and work start on the wood sidewalls, roof trusses and plywood roof. -------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a few images from today (Saturday July 10th, 2004): ------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Attendance was low but we still had some nice clear sky even better after the Moon set. It is nice to be able to pick out objects in Sagittarius nude eye. I would suspect that because of the weather reports people were holding off until tonight. We had at lest 9 or ten members and maybe only five public. As in the past some of us were set up in the Pavilion with some telescopes beside it and half of us were on the hilltop. One person, that lives near by, showed up as we were closing up after 1:00AM. Everyone was again impressed with the size of the building. The trusses are now stacked near by along with the sheving and roofing paper ready to go up once all the concrete for the floor is poured. Dave Smith
We had a nice turn out of members with around twenty telescopes. There were around thirty or forty visitors. The ones I asked had seen it mentioned in the Post Gazette. Most of us setup on the hilltop while a few set up next to the pavilion. We also had some presentations there. Saw the ISS and a few other satellites. Even before the Moon set we were able to show objects again in Sagittarius. A few members stay well into the early morning. Dave Smith
Hi all, Well, if you stayed home Friday night due to the weather, no one can blame you. The clouds kept progressively rolling in during the early evening hours, leading up eventually to a short shower. But after the sprinkles stopped, around 9:30 pm, it began to quickly clear off. Those of us who were still left were treated to spectacular views of the Milky-Way running from the NE in Cassiopeia, up overhead thru Cygnus, down thru Aquilia, to the dark horizon along the S - SW in Sagittarius and Scorpius. The rift in Cygnus was prominent, along with the star clouds in Scutum and in the Sagittarius 'teapot'. We were even treated to an occasional meteor, and a nice satellite pass. The AAAP members present (see below), setup displays in the pavilion, and several telescopes on the observatory hill, which was appreciated by the six public attendees. Hopefully, tonight it will clear early, so more folks will be inspired to visit the Mingo Creek Observatory site. Submitted by Larry McHenry AAAP members who 'Signed-in'. Larry McHenry Mike Meteney John Diller George Guzik Gerard Schuster Trevor Lewis Chrissie Chojnicki Ed Moss Dave Smith Les Johnson Al Torcaso
Hi all, While the weather seemed more promising during the day on Saturday, the evening proved to be one of our seemly normal typical starparty nights: partly cloudy and hazy! (are we ever going to get out of this rut! [;)] ) But the 20 AAAP members present at the Saturday starparty at the Mingo Creek Observatory site still managed to show many celestial wonders thru their telescopes to the 41 public attendees. Down at the pavilion, member Chrissie Chojnicki gave an 'Introduction to the Moon' talk, followed by Larry McHenry with a presentation on 'Stargazing'. After the talks, Chrissie and Larry demonstrated how to use the Star Finder handouts, and using the club's green laser pointer, located several constellations and bright stars thru the haze. Both talks were well attended by the public, who afterwards enjoyed the astronomical displays and av inside the pavilion, with AAAP member Gerry Schuster answering many questions related to astronomy, the AAAP, and the new observatory. Assisting Gerry were AAAP parking attendants Brad Kusman and Mark Orsatti. In addition to globular starclusters and nebula, one of the highlights of the evening was a bright Iridium flare pass in the NE. Here's a few images from the starparty: http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp080804a.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp080804b.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp080804c.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp080804d.jpg -------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a few images of the latest construction: ------------------------------------------------------------- AAAP members who 'Signed-in'. Larry McHenry Mark Arelt Chrissie Chojnicki Brad Kusman Mark Orsatti Craig Lang Gerard Schuster Ken Sachs Jeff Marsh Mike Meteney John Diller Ed Moss Dan Reed Dave Smith Jeff Dimitroff Frank Usouski George Pilipovich Al Rusher Fadi Francis (one member who I can't read their writing - sorry) --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
We had around 8 members help out and around ten guest. A couple were from Uniontown and remember Bret Hudock from high school, sorry Brent I forgot his name. There was also people from Greensburg and Bethel Park. The sky looked promising at sunset but only offered a few gaps until around 10:30 then we had some slow clearing and showed the Moon. Most had left when it finally did really clear. However we were still able to show M-22, M17, M6, M11 and the usual such as M27, M57, M-13, M31, M32. We could hear the fireworks from the game or Kennywood? The building now has the main part under cover with truss, sheathing and roofing paper. The Planetarium room, refractor room are yet to be covered. The moving part of the reflector room is still yet to get it's roof. Sure looks BIG! Dave Smith
Hi all, As usual, the clear weather forecasted for our Saturday night starparty was off by about 12 hours. Right after the 5:00 pm rain shower, the fog immediately began to build, giving us a 'fogparty'. The only stars visible to the naked eye were those of the Summer Triangle. (Vega, Deneb, and Altair). We were able to observe one deep-sky object. Dan McKeel located Epsilon Lira (Double Double) in his new Stellervue refractor. The highlight of the evening was an amazingly visible satellite pass near Vega at about 9:00 pm. (bet it would have been a bright one under clear skies!) The fog really threw a damper on our attendance, with only three public showing up. Many thanks to the AAAP members who still showed up and setup their scopes. AAAP members who 'Signed-in'. Larry McHenry Mike Meteney John Diller George Guzik Gerard Schuster Dan McKeel Chrissie Chojnicki Ed Moss Dave Smith Les Johnson --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi all, Finally!!! The weather gods took pity and gave us two decent starparty nights. While both nights were a little on the dewy side, with an occasional scattered cloud, the views overhead and to the southern horizon were outstanding. Friday night was probably the better night, transparency wise. it's only downside was the bright glow to the SE from the football game at Ringgold HS, and a early evening patch of clouds obscuring the Scorpius / Sagittarius area. Once the game ended, and the clouds dissipated, the rest of the evening was quite good. Saturday night, we weren't bothered by the distant stadium lights, but the skies seemed to be a bit more hazy than the night before. Both nights, the AAAP members and public in attendance were treated to bright passes of the ISS. (luckily, both events occurred right after my pavilion presentation on the constellations, and while I was outside pointing out the stars with the club's green laser). Friday night saw 43 public in attendance, Saturday's attendees numbered 38. Many thanks to the AAAP members who showed up and setup their scopes. AAAP members who 'Signed-in'. Friday night: (19 AAAP members) Larry McHenry Mike Meteney John Diller George Guzik Gerard Schuster Dan McKeel Chrissie Chojnicki Dave Smith Allen Tracht Molly Campbell Mike Campbell Margart Jennings Rick Ransil Rae L Ransil Jeff Marsh Al Paslow Joe Begundy Mark Kessler Ken Sacks Saturday night: (16 AAAP members) Larry McHenry Mike Meteney John Diller Gerard Schuster Dan McKeel Dave Smith Mark Kessler Jeff Dimitroff Shawn Van Mastright Franck Van Mastright Craig Lang Rob Preston Kevin Prykull Chris Genovese Gene Henderson Ron Mahinske --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi All, Just want to remind everyone that we have a starparty this Saturday at the Mingo Creek Park Observatory site. Since there is no starparty this weekend at Wagman, here's your last chance to drive down to Mingo and observe the Sagittarius / Scutum 'Milky-Way' from the dark southern skies of the Mingo Creek Park Observatory grounds. As a bonus, for the first time, we will be using the actual observatory building to host all the activities of the starparty. This will be your chance to 'preview' the AAAP's newest observatory, and check out the future planetarium and members rooms. We will be setting up the club's 10" D&G refractor on it's field tripod inside the refractor room, and putting the club's 17" Dob in the reflector room, and rolling back both roofs for observing. Additionally, we will move the pavilion displays & presentations to inside the planetarium room. Come early, and see the latest progress on the AAAP's newest observatory, that we'll be officially opening to the public next spring. For driving directions, see the 'Facilities' page on the main AAAP website: http://www.3ap.org or the Mingo Creek Park Observatory homepage: http://home.comcast.net/~vmaestro/SHOproj/southframes.htm Larry
Hi all, As usual, the first cloudy night in the past week occurs on a starparty nite! But AAAP members present didn't let that minor detail curb the excitement of actually using the new observatory for the first public event. MCPO Committee members setup the club's 10" D&G refractor on it's field tripod in the refractor room, and the club's modified 17.5" Coulter Dobsonian in the reflector room. Additionally, the astronomy displays and AV was setup inside the planetarium room, and a temporary reception desk was staffed in the reception area at the main entrance. http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/mingo-construction/site/starparty-10-09-2004-a http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/mingo-construction/site/starparty-10-09-2004-b http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/mingo-construction/site/starparty-10-09-2004-c The night observing wasn't a total loss, as we were able to show the 30 public attendees a few objects through the occasional holes in the cloud deck. A group of girl scouts were very appreciative of the star wheel handouts and the presentation on constellations. Many thanks to the 16 AAAP members who assisted: Mike Meteney John Diller Joanne Diller George Guzik Gerard Schuster Dan McKeel Larry McHenry Chrissie Chojnicki Mark Arelt Al Paslow Ed Moss Mark Kessler Larry Sneider Gene Kulalowski Charlotte Tunney Jim Tunney --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi to all, As reported by Larry McHenry we had great time with our Mingo Star Party! Telescopes were setup within the walls of the observatory and a number of members and visitors attended. The weather did not cooperate for much of the evening with only occasional cloud breaks. However, we wereable so show some visitors, Vega, Altair, Albireo, and other objects as they poked in and out of the cloud banks. A few of us started just after 10 am Saturday morning and met at Mike Meteney's home to transport both the 10 inch refractor and the 17.5 inch Dobsonian reflector. Mike lives just a short distance from the park. The 10 inch refractor mounting had previously been dismantled and the lens cell, finder, focuser & mounting plate removed from the tube for storage. We needed to separate the tripod legs from the equatorial mount. This required quite a large pipe wrench which Mike had acquired for this project. He had them in only two sizes - super large and super heavy and just super large and plain old heavy! We placed the telescope mount in Mike's pickup while the tube, all secured in pop-able bubble wrap was placed in Ed's van. Off to Mingo we go! Here's what you do with tripod legs longer than the length of your trucks bed, as Ed looks on! http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p3f078d0dc1f03183829fb01511b68e86/f6b1f85c.jpg Removing the telescope tube from Ed's van: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p11893f5de4d75f53ccbfdee346ec3685/f6b22279.jpg After unloading we began to assemble the tripod. Ed & Mike pose for this shot: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p775dccdae80c6b1d774b2623e3d00995/f6b22274.jpg Shortly after we started working on the 10 inch refractor it became obvious that the roof needed to be opened. Some problems with binding of the shingles occurred preventing us from opening fully the roof of the refractor room. While Mike attended to the roofing situation the refractor assembly continued. Refractor Equatorial mount and tube backing plate, etc - along with the ?super large and plain old heavy pipe wrench! http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p6c9457d4b9b5b47450b35967cfd48c83/f6b2229d.jpg Assembled tripod with Ed, Mike and Larry Sneider, club member & electrician on far right. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p87f8d0ef1a1aae2608abd908a82b2714/f6b222ca.jpg Ed and I worked on two separate ladders while Larry handed up the heavy parts. Hey Ed, someone asked Do you think the telescope will clear the roof when we put the tube in there? http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p82faa1e8a25c43e191a79ce9b1277eb0/f6b2227f.jpg Ed was well aware of this and Larry Sneider was able to use what appears to be a portable band saw and cut a full 14 inches off of each tripod leg. ( see Larry McHenry?s e-mail images ) By this time more club members arrived to help us. We tilted the giant mount up against the slide of the building and held on as the cuts were made. Larry Sneider did a fantastic cutting job!! The next item was to install the 10 inch main objective lens and the mount the focuser plate assembly. Here Ed Moss examines the 10 inch D & G lens & mount? http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p63de4aeb0790bf6f92b6f0ab08757ad7/f6b21e92.jpg Ed, myself and Larry McHenry mounted the lens assembly. At the other end of the telescope tube; a spider was found living in the baffles and was cleaned out with a yard stick! After mounting the tail piece which contains the backing plate and focuser this shot was taken - left to right: Ed , Larry Sneider,Mike Meteney, Larry McHenry and Chrissy Chojnicki. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p135d98518e08edff948aa7bb70453959/f6b21eb5.jpg The completed telescope, finder & all: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p0a7870aaf782b6c2f8f89494cbf6cdf3/f6b222a9.jpg As reported, Chrissy and Mike repaired the mirror mount on the 17.5 inch which was then ready for mirror installation. More shots: Club president George Guzik, joins us at the 17.5 inch telescope: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/pb3a91c2be610fc4a432123a51d3d7d5e/f6b22284.jpg Visitors enjoy the view in the 10 inch! http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/pa9ec7f9f6786afa52b727310a61f71bf/f6b1f865.jpg Some club member shots: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p9858b3b70e629b36a24b7c22f589f64a/f6b22294.jpg http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid142/p4ba01f792a9be4fb7129095f368d478f/f6b222ad.jpg In all this has been a very satisfying experience. Thanks to all who attended. Hope to see you next time at the Mingo Park Observatory! Al Paslow Member Mingo Obs. Committee.
Hi All, Not much to report for Saturday's starparty at Mingo. With the heavy cloud cover, threatening rain, and no public attendees present, Ed Moss and I decided at 7:00 pm to call it quits. We locked the building up and went home. Our last starparty this year at Mingo is Wednesday's Lunar Eclipse. The event officially starts at 8:00 pm, but come early and see the building. --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi to all,
Despite the occasional cloud cover that lingered
about the heavens we had a wonderful Lunar eclipse
party at Mingo Creek Park Observatory.! A number of
members attended and the general public are now
making inquisitive appearances.
Earlier yesterday, I was in Washington, Pa on business
matters; and at 3:00 PM I arrived at the observatory
to check progress and snap a few images of our
painting crews in action. The boys were wrapping
things up, however and a conversation with Jason
(from the painting contracting company) yielded the
following information - the outside paint work has
been completed. That means the block sealer has been
applied and the final coats of paint top coat are
finished. As reported by Larry McHenry the building
now has a nice reflective blue gray appearance and
should protect our concrete block for years to come.
Painting on the inside of the building is now
underway. The ante room to the 10 inch refractor
telescope was just completed as I arrived, with a nice
final coat of epoxy ( Oh, no what about our star party
tonight and drying times!!) It sure does look good!
Jason and the ante room:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p7f490430c6a6c66fea6327c4567e0173/f67b4750.jpg
Upon further exploration of the building, I was
pleasantly surprised to see Flacc Stifel and Wade
Barbin measuring up a storm in the 24 inch telescope
room for roof retraction concerns. Flacc had brought
old Wagman Observatory roof mechanism plans showing
the gears, chain, etc. assemblies. These will be used
in conjunction with analysis with our present railed
roof design to come up with a smooth - safe retraction
system that will work best.
Here Mike Meteney (l) joins Flacc Stifel (middle) and
Wade Barbin ( r):
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p0c43b66e69e928c77e030a8d16b640f1/f67b4743.jpg
As an added surprise, Wade & Flacc brought a 16 inch
RC telescope, tube shown and mirrors in boxes:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p519c5a0a08effda0fea143739d5976f6/f67b473d.jpg
Flacc, Wade & Mike outside our freshly painted
observatory: ( Flacc, I hope you aren?t doing a rain
dance for tonight!! )
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p57e06345612b39cad964843b0ad51523/f67b4729.jpg
As I left, in anticipation of returning for the
eclipse, I had to stop at the bottom of the hill to
the Mingo Observatory and shot this fine scene of
the Henry Bridge. If you ever visit Mingo Creek Park
Observatory this bridge is a must see don?t miss it
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pf43121f10d28e1fa186ebcdc3070bedf/f67a2630.jpg
Lunar Eclipse Party:
Here are some images of guests looking at the eclipse
at the 10 inch refractor:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p9419fdaa24254c1763b69d7cc814448b/f67a263a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p8dcb55f1d3f6329d6d096a6024a03a0a/f67a2641.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p0afab97a6160cd74df87a9d76bb0ebcf/f67a2618.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pcc7af5f23334b93f51f8b38f1b07de03/f67a2686.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p9d4cde30fa0904225a252d6e8e511ec6/f67a2609.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pb04ba071a23f45397af428cae299b4ba/f67a261e.jpg
Larry McHenry did his usual outstanding performance
not only by slide presentations but recorded the
eclipse by video camera. Of course the image was
available and presented on TV screen for amazed
onlookers.
Here Larry entertains a group outdoors:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pac479a8185c074ea9f3a752ecacbf64b/f67a265a.jpg
Larry inside:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p64f3348e101ac766c559053efac7ce29/f67980d9.jpg
Here?s some images of club members:
Dan Kleppner, at the 10 inch:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p4b82f496af13be9990f8e5a36531973f/f67a2624.jpg
Les Johnson:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pf42170879d7ea822125118b5f3edc520/f67a267a.jpg
Ed Moss, MCPO Committee director, sights in the
eclipsed moon for guests:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p89b333836ce91299d79112794d228a96/f67a266b.jpg
Harry McHenry??Yep, Looks pretty good.? !!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p594dd4116af0072a8f78eb411db6f448/f67a260f.jpg
Chrissie Chojnicki, of the MCPO Committee enjoys the
view:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pbd90e4399c5dd51fbcd37f5e4fc96f19/f67a262b.jpg
? and hey, that?s me, Al Paslow, I get a look too!!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p9a99ff46f0d79e0432ccf28aa443aed0/f67a2663.jpg
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Various images of observers in the 24 inch reflector
room:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/pe96d7fbf3f90d346a0d6bbe123b0ec54/f67a227a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p08a6c72936f7ed2bee238a75749f6d0f/f67a2673.jpg
More visitors observing the eclipse:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid144/p2d173a97082c3974fac5c761ac722c23/f67a2680.jpg
The sky began to clear nicely after totality and after
our guests left; Dave Smith and I decided to take
advantage of the clear sky and the totally eclipsed
moon and look for deep sky objects with the 10 inch
refractor. Before long we observed Albireo, M-27 ,
M-15, the double cluster in Perseus, the Pleiades and
even got a good look at M-42 rising in Orion all
during a full moon!!! The images were good and crisp.
A 55mm eyepiece provides us with just more than about
? degree field of view and yielding something just
short of 60x. Nice for the eclipse viewing! Just wide
enough to see both of the star clusters together in
the double cluster and many of the Pleiades in the
same field of view. Not bad for a 120 inch focus f-12
telescope!
This gave us and other remaining members very nice
views and our first real chance to really use the 10
inch refractor. Our opinion?.. ?We?re happy.?
We closed up shop, but it must have taken 6 of us to
close that roof on the 10 inch telescope, as stated
the mechanisms are on their way.
Lastly, We all had a great time. Thanks to everyone
who came & attended.
In the sense of great exploration among the stars,
please click on the following link.
I feel the result will bring pleasant smiles to those
of you who remember and is a tribute the end of a
great night of space exploration.
http://www.the-ocean.com/trek/sounds/endmusic.wav
Good day,
Al Paslow,
Mingo Creek Park Observatory Member.
Along the same theme, There was a Lunar eclipse in the 70's that took place after midnight and some lady was reported to have called a planetarium, not here, to complain and ask if the eclipse couldn't be scheduled earlier next time so the kids wouldn't have to stay up as late. We were interrupted some with clouds at Mingo but did get to see most of it and do some deep sky observing. We had a respectable crowd there, not as large as Wagman, including some people from Uniontown, Houston and Cannonsburg. The 10" refractor inside the building was a popular attraction. Larry McHenry had a telescope set up with a video monitor and a PP presentation on AAAP until the battery power waned. We also had several instruments set up in the reflector room and a few on the lawn. Dave Smith
Hi All, As previously reported by Dave Smith and Al Paslow, the last AAAP starparty of the year at the Mingo Creek Park Observatory was a success! Thanks to the help of the 15 club members present (see list below), we were able to push open the roofs and operate telescopes in both wings for the 72 public visitors in attendance. (can't wait till we install the gear systems). The evening started off promising, but a band of clouds steadily progressed out of the southwest, eventually obscuring the early to mid portions of the partial eclipse phase. Thankfully, there were plentiful suckerholes to allow us to follow the eclipse progress. Finally, a few minutes prior to the onset of totality, like the curse of the bambino, the clouds lifted and allowed us to observe the total eclipse. Here's a few photos of the night: http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp102704a.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp102704b.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp102704c.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp102704d.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~lsmch/southhills/mstp102704e.jpg What a great starparty to end the season! Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi all, Here are some pics from Mingo Creek Observatory. These were taken at the "dawn" of our first Star Party opening. This is first attempt at utilizing this website. Hope it works! And through this door, the magic will begin..... http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p0c71c86a2e5178151dd14c5ac557188d/f6693981.jpg Hey, were did that mirror go? http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/pec12e6d6b1fc4a98f36b02854c2ba6bc/f669397c.jpg Work in progress: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p767131f99eb2873962590f2418112d8b/f66939a0.jpg Now, that's more like it. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p69b840a34478df0780e7f8f4fc3296e5/f66939b0.jpg I think this screw goesssss here. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p15fa223b5efdca745669c84b77a3ae12/f669398a.jpg Are you sure this tube is balanced? http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p749e50f16168a3475a6e7164101cebaa/f66939ab.jpg More pics: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/pf949a1d05a7f3272e4659f162da660b2/f669399b.jpg Darn...it's not balanced: http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p7f184ddc3791c920739fc3c1ae4347cc/f66939d7.jpg Easy does it. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p50a95168801fb3df2a0de18b5b31753b/f66939f7.jpg I hope I didn't drop my wrench in here... http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid145/p11349127a4484af28c9a06e156edee35/f66939cf.jpg Chrissie Chojnicki
1) Construction news: Observatory Building - With the winter weather finally starting to break, the MCPO Committee is moving forward with the observatory construction plans. (see diagrams at the AAAP website 'Facilities' page ). The building blueprints have been finalized, and a bid specification document written and revised. We have received final approval from Nottingham Township, Washington County to begin construction. After final approval from the AAAP Executive Committee, we will be letting the project out to bid and selecting a builder. We are looking to begin construction of the building structure sometime in the mid to late April timeframe, with the building completed sometime in mid to late June. To help keep costs down, we will do all the painting, and the electrical work (under supervision of a qualified Electrician). Observatory dedication is tentatively planned for late July. If you would like to volunteer to help work on the observatory, please contact MCPO Committee Chair Ed Moss. Observatory Road - While the main road construction was completed at the end of the fall construction season, the road still needs finishing work. This work, and the creation of the required parking area will be completed after the principle building construction is done. Additionally, the park access road will be rebuilt by the Washington County Parks after the AAAP has finished it's heavy construction. 2) Telescope news: The AAAP purchased a 10" D&G refractor for use at MCPO. Having been authorized by the AAAP Executive Committee, this past weekend MCPO committee members Ed Moss and Mike Meteney paid for and picked up the 10" D&G refractor that AAAP member Nick Martch had offered to sell to the AAAP. The telescope is currently being stored by Mike until the observatory building construction is completed later this spring. As is, the telescope and mount can be used manually, and once a drive system donated by committee member Dan McKeel has been modified and installed on the mount, it will be able to track celestial objects. Several options are still being explored for the reflector telescope at the observatory. The committee is working on plans to adapt the 16" 'Autoscope' that was purchased last year from the CSC. The mounting and the holder for the secondary optics is being redesigned. The goal is to have the telescope in working condition sometime late this summer or early fall. Additionally, the committee has applied for a state grant specifically to purchase a Parallax Instruments 24" Ritchey-Chretien goto telescope. If we are successful in receiving this grant (a real possibility), this telescope will replace the Autoscope as the observatory's primary instrument. The RC will be our primary visual instrument for public starparties, and used as a first class regional educational tool. It will also give us research grade instrument capabilities for serious amateur research projects, for which the committee is presently putting together a list of potential candidate projects. The 16" Autoscope will still be utilized by mounting it on wheels, allowing us to roll it out onto the observatory grounds for public starparties.
Here's a photo of the committee hard at work during tonight's meeting.
http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/southhills/mingostaff-032204.jpg
(photo by Larry McHenry)
The bid specification has been finalized, and we will be letting
the project out to bid by the end of the week.
We are looking to begin construction of the building structure sometime in
the mid to late April timeframe, with the building completed sometime in
mid to late June, or early July.
Groundbreaking for the new building is tentatively scheduled for May 1st.
(details to follow)
The MCPO Committee has identified several amateur research projects.
These include:
1) Solar research - tracking sunspots and imaging active regions. (AAVSO & ALPO)
2) Variable Star Photometry. (AAVSO)
3) Supernovae hunting in galaxies. (AAVSO)
4) Lunar Occultation's. (ALPO)
5) Surveillance patrols of Jupiter and Saturn's cloud bands. (ALPO)
6) Search for NEO's (Earth crossing asteroids)
7) Search for Extrasolar planets. (seriously). There is actually a group of amateurs presently
conducting 'transit' searches for other planets.
Here's the website: http://www.transitsearch.org/
(they're using 8" & 10" off the shelf SCT's!).
We will continue to build a list of possible projects and what equipment might be needed.
After we get the observatory up and running we will look for volunteers to headup a 'research'
subcommittee.
If you would like to volunteer to help work on the observatory,
please contact MCPO Committee Chair Ed Moss.
The Mingo Creek Park Observatory project recently took several steps forward.
In late March, Requests for Quotation for construction of the facility were sent to two
construction firms. Each RFQ package included a Bid Specification prepared by Flacc Stifel
and Ed Moss and included a set of drawings for the MCPO facility.
Representatives from the construction firms visited Wagman Observatory on April 12
to participate in a "walk-down" of the facility.
MCPO utilizes many of the design features of NEWO. T
he walk-down afforded the prospective bidders the opportunity to review in-person the design
of NEWO and the details of its construction. It also gave them an opportunity to ask
questions related to the RFQ packages.
Sealed bids for construction of MCPO are due back to the AAAP by April 26.
The bids will be opened at the Executive Committee meeting planned for May 2.
submitted by George Guzik.
---------------------------------------
Below is a series of recent site images taken on April 9th, detailing the new road and
work done to clear the site of scrub growth.
(the last 3 are of the April 23-24 starparty site).
At the April 19th MCPO meeting, I will show a video 'tour' of the site.
(bring your own popcorn [;)] )
(photos by Larry McHenry)
Hi All, The MCPO Committee met last night to plan for the upcoming starparties and continue construction preparations. Additionally, committee members welcomed back to Pittsburgh our chief fund-raiser Dick Haddad, from his Florida winter residence. The committee reviewed preliminary cost estimates for running electricity to the new building, insurance for both the construction phase and general occupation of the new facility, and current MCPO budget income and expenses. Also discussed was Ed Moss's upcoming trip to the US Navel Observatory to see a similar RC telescope that we are considering for MCPO. The April 23rd & 24th starparty plans were finalized. Weather permitting, we will be setting up telescopes near the ball-field, and displays inside the first pavilion located just past the old stone house on the left side of the road. Friday's weather prediction is not looking favorable, but as long as it is not severe weather, the astronomy displays will be setup and several members (Dan McKeel and Larry McHenry) will be making presentations inside the pavilion. The committee also reviewed digital photos (Mike Meteney) and a video tour (Larry McHenry) of the observatory site. Finally, plans were made for the official observatory ground-breaking, scheduled for Saturday May 8th, at 2:00 PM. Committee members and any other interested club members will be arriving at noon to prepare the observatory site pavilion for refreshments and speaker presentations. Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi All, Today was the AAAP's groundbreaking ceremony for the new MCPO Observatory. The weather gods smiled on us with a partly sunny, warm, dry day. Even the hillside dried out from yesterday's rains, and allowed us to access. At 2:00 pm, MCPO Committee Chairman Ed Moss, serving as Master of Ceremonies, began the pavilion program by welcoming the approximate 85 AAAP members and guest in attendance, and gave a brief history of the 'South Hills Observatory' project. Ed introduced the Reverend Bill Roemer, who gave an invocation for the event. AAAP President George Guzik then reviewed the AAAP's club history. Then AAAP MCPO Committee member Dick Haddad made a few inspiring statements, followed by various remarks from Washington County Commissioners Lawrence Maggi, and J. Bracken Burns, and the Director of Washington County Parks, Lisa Cessna. The pavilion program ended with two special presentations. First was Lou Waller Jr, representing the Washington Federal Foundation, who presented the AAAP with a check for $10,000. Then the Honorable State Representative John Maher announced that the AAAP has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the State of Pennsylvania for purchasing a 24" RC telescope! (the audience expressed their appreciation via applause at both announcements). The MCPO Committee members, invited guests, and AAAP members in attendance, then proceeded up the road to the top of the hill for the actual 'Digging of Dirt'. The ground was broken with the use of two special shovels for the occasion. The original shovel used in the Nicholas E Wagman Observatory groundbreaking in 1987, ( spruced up for the event), and a new gold MCPO shovel. MCPO Chairman ED Moss and AAAP President George Guzik paired with the government dignitaries present and broke ground for the new observatory. Afterwards, members of the MCPO Committee and other AAAP members there took turns at the shoveling work. Once the dirty work was complete, the attendees enjoyed the scenic view from the hill top, then everyone proceeded back down to the pavilion, where cookies and punch awaited. Additionally, schematic drawings of the new observatory were on display, along with photos of the existing Wagman Observatory, and starparty handouts and a club AV slideshow. Below are a few photos taken with my digital camera. Unfortunately, the images were a little overexposed. No doubt, we can look forward to our professional photographer, David Smith, having much better images of the event. I also videotaped the ceremony and groundbreaking, and at a later date, a tape will be available for viewing. Larry
(notes from Mike Meteney - AAAP construction site supervisor) The Mingo Creek Park Observatory project construction is underway!!! Today, the AAAP received final approval from Nottingham Township zoning supervisor of our building permit. Immediately following the approval, the contractor (Waller Corporation), arrived on site with their equipment and have begun preliminary groundwork. They will probably be done with the leveling of the area by the end of the week. The subcontractor doing the block work stopped by to check out the site. He said it looked like a good area, nice dirt, etc. Starparties scheduled for this weekend (Friday & Saturday) will still be held in the general area of observatory site, but not on top of the hill. The scout camping field on the right-hand side of the observatory road will be the field location for the telescopes. The pavilion will continue to be the location of the astronomy displays, AV shows, and member presentations. Remember, now that construction has finally started, the top of the hill should be avoided. We don't want any club members having an accident. Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi all, This afternoon, I visited the construction site and took a few photos. As you can see, the contractor (Waller Corporation) as reported last week, has begun preliminary leveling groundwork. Before construction can continue, we will need to re-survey/stake the building site lines to determine true-north. Hopefully, that will be completed sometime this week, so foundation work may begin. Remember, now that construction has finally started, the top of the hill should be avoided. We don't want any club members having an accident.
Hi all, It's been a busy week at the construction site. Things are really starting to move. -------------------------------------------------------------- The N-S site was set on May 24th, by Mike Meteney, Ed Moss, and Dan Reed. They returned the next day and resurveyed the foundation markers. The electric supply line from the pavilion up the hill to the observatory has been cleared of trees and trenched by the Waller Corp. We are now ready to put in our electric conduit. The building foundation footers were dug on May 27th, and the concrete poured on the 28th. The wall block laying should begin on June 1st. Work has begun by Flacc Stifel on the track fabrication for the roll-off roofs, and the hand crank mechanisms. He has made several drawings of the dimensions at Wagman for reference, and has ordered the roof roller wheels. Ed Moss is in the process of ordering the steel railing. -------------------------------------------------------------- I visited the observatory construction site yesterday to shoot video and digital images, and to see the progress. When you look at the observatory layout schematic's, you can kinda get a feel for how big the building will be. But walking inside of the space outlined by the footers for the planetarium/classroom, reception area, and both telescope rooms, really brings home the size of the structure!! Using just a little imagination, you can envision how the observatory and grounds will look this fall when everything is completed. Below are a few photos of the footer construction: -------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi All, Work continued this week on the footers and walls. The block for the walls was delivered on Wednesday. The contractor (Waller Corp) was able to lay the block up to about the floor level. They plan on finishing that work on Monday. Then they will back fill the foundation inside and out and compact the soil. A backhoe will dig the telescope piers, probably on Wednesday. Then on Wednesday while the backhoe is there, the contractor will finish digging the trench for the electrical conduit. AAAP members on hand will put in the conduit pipe, hand-shovel the first foot of fill, and lay the required warning ground tape. Waller Corp will finish covering the trench with their equipment. As we will need to lay about 600 feet of conduit, a little assistance from AAAP members is requested. If any member is available on Wednesday to help, please contact Mingo construction site coordinator Mike Meteney. --------------------------------------------------------------- Just a reminder, mark your calendars for the June starparties at Mingo. (June 25th and 26th). Pavilion activities will kick off at about 8:00 PM. Dave Smith and I visted the site this afternoon to survey the progress. Here's a few images from the trip: --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry
Hi All, Work continued this week on the foundation footers and walls. The block laying for the ground/footer walls was completed, and the open trenches around the footer walls were backfilled to ground level with topsoil. Next the piers were excavated to bedrock and then poured. They are both 30" by 30" poured concrete structures reinforced with rebar, and both are approximately 8 - 10 feet deep. In preparation for pouring the concrete floor, several inches of gravel has been spread over the topsoil of about three-forths of the interior structure floor. Due to scheduling, the electrical conduit work has been postponed for at least a week. Notice will be given via the listserver when help is need. Thanks goes out to those who previously volunteered. We will probably reschedule this job the week following StarCruise. --------------------------------------------------------------- I visited the site this afternoon to survey the progress. Here's a few images from the trip: --------------------------------------------------------------- Due to my being at StarCruise, I will not be able to get down to the construction site next weekend. If someone would like to visit the site and take a few digital images and send to me detailing the week's progress, I would appreciate it. Thanks, --------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Larry McHenry all Mingo images are available via hyperlinks from: http://home.comcast.net/~lemaaap/mingoarchive.htm