Re: SF Sidewalk Observing (kinda long).

From: jerry warner (jwarner_at_zee.net)
Date: 12/19/04 

Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2004 00:09:58 -0600

Somebody ought to do a newspaper feature on him. Funny S&T
hasnt, but they are up to bigger things like forging spikes on
stars! The guy really is great.
Jerry

Dawn Baird-Chleborad wrote:

> Awesome report Uncle Bob!
>
> My family did a night of Sidewalk Astronomy with John before and had a
> blast. My husband, daughter and I had dropped John off at his apartment
> earlier that day and had decided to bum around SF for a while. It was
> getting dark but we didn't want to go home yet so Cary said, "I wonder if
> John is out." I replied, "Let's look!" We know that John liked Haight and
> Ashbury as a place to set up so we drove there and sure enough, there was
> that van of his.
>
> He was happy to see us as he was all alone with a crowd of folks so he had
> our daughter (six at the time) hand out fliers while my husband and I manned
> scopes. On the corner of Haight and Ashbury you get all kinds. Families,
> folks in high fashion, business suits, Goths, transients (one of which I met
> who was a highly educated man and a great conversationalist!), etc. My
> daughter struck up a lovely conversation with a biker who looked like he ate
> Hell's Angels riders for breakfast. I was a little nervous about that but
> you should have seen this guy melt into a little kid when he looked at
> Saturn, I had tears in my eyes. (I still have not decided if that was
> because I was touched at the profound transformative effect of the tableau
> or if it was just so darned funny seeing this tough guy go "Ooooohhhh!" like
> a third grade boy.)
>
> John will be at Scope City this Sunday, so if you plan to go you might see
> if John is going to set up tonight and join him. This is truly seeing the
> man in his element. My personal opinion is, I think it is what sustains his
> life.
>
> --
> Dawn Baird-Chleborad
> www.astronerds.com
>
> "Uncle Bob" <realonespam@bogusnet.net> wrote in message
> news:41c418d1_2@news1.uncensored-news.com...
> > I was fortunate this evening to be able to set up with JD, at the corner
> > of 9th and Irving in San Francisco. High pressure sodium lamps aside, we
> > had a fantastic time.
> > We started out on the moon, and seeing was as good as light pollution
> > was bad, and it was bad, which is to say, "good". JD gave away all 200
> > of his "Watchers of the Skies" fliers, and was using an 8" sidewalk
> > scope he's had for the last 35 years. It gave very good views of the
> > moon, perhaps as good as one would expect from a fine 8" RF Royce,
> > though I can't be sure of that, lacking a Royce example.
> > Doing sidewalk astronomy is a transformational experience. You're not
> > dealing with other amateurs, as we do at star parties. Most of the
> > people who stopped to look had zero eyepiece time. The questions came
> > fast and furiously, as did the exclamations--you know, the "Oh My God!!"
> > and "Wow!" that we hear when the public is getting a good show. These
> > are just regular, normal city dwellers who were whisked off to the moon
> > for a few moments on the way to dinner, or hauling the laundry, or
> > shopping for groceries, or dropping off a video at the video store.
> > You get the "Oops, I moved it!" when the 65 year old woman steps up to
> > the eyepiece and uses a truss tube to steady herself. You respond with
> > "That's OK, let me help you.." and find the object again. You do this a
> > lot.
> > My dear friend Ken Swagerty arrived with his grand-daughter and their 13
> > inch dob. They managed to locate M42, and shortly thereafter I acquired
> > Saturn. When word of Saturn got out, it was like we were giving away
> > money or something. Dozens of people stopped and fell in lines--long
> > lines. JD came back across the street and advised me to crank up the
> > power to 212X, and set up next to me at about 100X. The joint was
> > jumping, as they say. For the next two hours, we "processed" viewers.
> > Hundreds of them. They were appreciative, saying "Thanks for coming
> > out!" and holding their children up to see something they'd never
> > imagined they'd see on the way to the movies.
> > Saturn, Titan, Rhea, Dione, Tethys (Mimas, at mag 14 or something like
> > that, wasn't visible) were nicely arranged, and when folks realized they
> > were looking at the MOONS of Saturn, they nearly fell over.
> > So JD is showing Saturn wide-field, then sending them over to me for
> > a tighter view, and Ken is siphoning them off for M42.
> > JD went non-stop for five hours (and this was his second night in a
> > row doing it), and since MY feet were beginning to hurt around 10pm, I
> > can imagine how JD, at 89(!) years old was feeling. He does all his
> > sidewalk astronomy standing up or kneeling at the eyepiece. Amazing.
> > We ran the line down to the last viewers, plucked the eyepieces and
> > started shutting down, just as another group of 8-10 folks arrived--they
> > had gone home after viewing the moon, and returned for Saturn. So we
> > let them have their EP time, and finally shut down about 10:30. I could
> > see JD was getting cold and uncomfortable. I bet we each had between
> > 200-300 people look through our scopes.
> > So if you ever get the idea that people aren't interested in
> > astronomy, or telescope making, or cosmology, take your scope out and
> > set it up on a busy street some night when the seeing is good, and you
> > will arrive at a different conclusion.
> > I know the sodium lights and the mercury lights are abhorrent, but
> > if they ain't seen nothin' through a telescope, just the moon or a
> > bright planet will transform them. It will totally blow their minds.
> > And mixed in with them will be other amatuers, or opticians, or PhD
> > physicists, and a couple of drunks, and they'll ALL be grateful to you
> > for sharing your scope with them. You will not regret it. I promise.
> >
> > Clear Skies! and "How many power is that scope, anyway?" ;-)
> > Uncle Bob
> >
> >
> ____________________________________________________________________________
> ___
> > Posted Via Uncensored-News.Com - Accounts Starting At $6.95 -
> http://www.uncensored-news.com
> > <><><><><><><> The Worlds Uncensored News Source
> <><><><><><><><>
> >

Relevant Pages

  • SF Sidewalk Observing (kinda long).
    ... High pressure sodium lamps aside, ... We started out on the moon, and seeing was as good as light pollution ... scope he's had for the last 35 years. ... When word of Saturn got out, it was like we were giving away ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: SF Sidewalk Observing (kinda long).
    ... > scope he's had for the last 35 years. ... > moon, perhaps as good as one would expect from a fine 8" RF Royce, ... > the eyepiece and uses a truss tube to steady herself. ... When word of Saturn got out, it was like we were giving away ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • ASTRO: Modest return to the Sky
    ... I also picked up an AstroTech 66 ED refractor in trade for an eyepiece and I've been using it occasionally to look at the moon and as a spotting scope on a Unistar Light Deluxe. ... It was early twilight and Antares was just visible with it's bright seasonal companion Jupiter, the moon to the south of both looming low on the horizon. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: orion xt8 dob
    ... While there are other 10" scopes out there that will peform better optically and mechanically, for a lot more money, the XT10 is a great scope for general purpose poking around as well as more serious planetary and deep sky observing. ... Like dragging out a small table and chair, charts and eyepiece case. ... On Tuesday 03/09/06 I received my Orion xt8 intelliscope. ... Moon was great. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: [OT] Telescope
    ... scope but my seeming irresistability to all forms of biting insect. ... but its still a cool 'scope and the moon ... eyepiece with the Barlow lens than with the 4mm eyepiece. ... I don't have any solar filters and probably won't do any solar astronomy - ...
    (soc.religion.quaker)