Click here for a calendar.

Here are some guidelines and tips for getting the most out of our star-gazing event:

In a nutshell, it is a very dark, nighttime gathering of stargazers to view the cosmos through telescopes and binoculars. This is a fundamental activity for astronomy clubs. For some people this is one of their high points each month.

Once a month, CCAS members and friends gather on a very dark hilltop to gaze deep into the cosmos, Ooooing and Aahhhing at each of their deep space discoveries, sometimes grumbling to themselves over not being able to find that particular distant star or get their computerized telescope to work properly.

It is a very friendly atmosphere. The astronomers who participate with their telescopes are always anxious to share their love of astronomy with each other and with anyone who decides to join them for the evening. The public is welcome to attend, learning a little something about telescopes and the skies and hopefully developing an excitement about astronomy. There is no admission charge to attend the star party. One of the driving principals of the CCAS is to promote astronomy in our community, especially the younger generations. As our motto states “Sharing the Skies”.

What if it rains?

We highly suggest joining our email list, where you’ll get the latest information on whether a star party is a GO or NO-GO depending on weather conditions. Click here to fill out the simple form. We’ll also send you an astronomy guide to help you get started in your astronomy adventure!

I want to come to a star party… how do I do that?

Ready to join our star gazing events? Then click here to read about important information about joining us for our star-gazing events.

My name is Ryan, or perhaps more commonly known as “that guy over there with the Coronado PST,” and I currently live in Templeton. Beyond amateur astronomy I’m an avid student of philosophy (have nearly completed my BA in philosophy from Cal Poly) and the martial art of Aikido (just in case a wild animal attacks while I’m hunched over the eyepiece).

Like many I’ve had a lifelong feeling of wonder and awe at the profound beauty of the night sky, but it only occurred to me about four years ago to buy my first telescope. I started my journey then with what at the time seemed to me a massive 10” Dobsonian, which much to my parent’s horror lived where else but in the living room.

On my first night out I was enthralled by the incredible beauty of the stars I could see through it, and marveled at what I thought to be only a regular cloud in the sky blocking my view of four little stars in Orion. Oddly enough all these years later that “cloud” is still there, but fortunately so is my great love for the majesty of the universe. In that time my telescope collection has expanded, the most recent addition being my home made 16” truss Dobsonian telescope built around a Meade primary mirror, which had its first public appearance at September’s star party. The planning and building process ended up taking me about a year’s worth of sporadic work to complete. It was one of those projects that seem easy on paper, but not quite so easy in practice as I labored during hot summer days trying to make square cuts and racing to align parts as glue dried.

During its construction I had often wondered if it was really all worth it, but that wondering came to an abrupt end last winter with the telescope’s first light. Appropriately enough the first deep sky object I pointed the telescope to was the first I had ever observed, that same little persistent cloud more commonly known as the Great Orion Nebula. It was one of those observing experiences you will never forget, made all the better knowing that I was seeing it through a telescope built by my own hands.

Despite having bought and sold many telescopes over the few years I’ve been in this hobby (a bit of an equipment addict), I know the 16” will be one that I will keep for a lifetime. My passion for astronomy has only continued to grow and I’ve recently begun to explore solar H-alpha viewing with my PST, as well as getting into astrophotography. Anyway, so there is a little about myself and my telescopes, I look forward to meeting and sharing the night sky (oh, and even day sky with the solar scope!) with the rest of you in the future.

Clear Skies,
Ryan Koch

Guests began arriving well before dark and David got the show off and running with the Sun. He had brought his 4.5 “ off-axis solar filter and lo and behold-there was actually solar activity to be seen. Three large , well defined and separated sunspot groups were visible.

Even before the Sun set Kent spotted Venus. Still appearing as a half moon – Venus is just past Eastern Elongation and is beginning to move between the Earth and Sun on its inferior orbit. There was enough atmospheric turbulence that the planets could not take much magnification but it was nice to see Venus in a bright sky minus the usual glare.

Saturn followed as soon as it started to get dark and there were a lot of requests to see Mars despite the lack of detail on the Red planet. We got some “Wow”s when people realized that the little speck to the side of Saturn was Titan with it’s methane lakes.

There was a large public turnout. At one point during the evening there were at least 12 cars parked at the base of Star Hill and the overflow parking area. Quite a few visitors were staying at the campground including Julio from the SJAA. At any given time there was a group of 6 or so people at each of the telescopes with all the astronomers showing their showpiece objects as well as the usual constellation tours and explanations.

There were a lot of requests for individual stars such as Mizar/Alcor, Polaris, and Albireo. And one for Herschel’s Garnet Star. This is of course Mu Cep which is a supergiant star that would reach out to the orbit of Jupiter. It did not appear quite so red last night.

Once again M51 was a highlight of the evening. Even through Dave’s 12” there were a number of “OH!”s. And Reed pulled out the 17mm Ethos eyepiece for “The Scope”. The Whirlpool filled the eyepiece field of view with individual knots visible.

Kent and Reed were also able to do some reviews of some of the coming fall attractions such as M 31 and the Owl Cluster.

The evening finished off with Jupiter rising in the east. Although in the mud it was apparent that the South Equatorial Belt is still missing. Io was in transit across the face of Jupiter although it was too low in the sky to see it or the shadow transit. As the party was finishing up Reed detected Io just popping into view after exiting the giant planet’s disk.

The guests appeared happy and pleased as they left. Thanks to the astronomers for a successful party.

The next KOA Star Hill Party is scheduled for Sat Sep 4 2010. Sunset at 7:25 PM PDT

Dark skies and good hunting,

Dave Majors

********************

From Reed Estrada:

Saturdays star party (Aug 7, 2010) was well attended thanks to Wednesday Tribune  article on the CCAS Santa Margarita Lake star parties.  We had three CCAS member telescopes in attendance and one new comer.  David Majors added a “Solar Filter” to his new 12 inch Orion dob.  We had some fine views of solar sun spots appearing on the surface of the sun, following a long sun spot hiatus.  Kent Wallace and Reed Estrada’s large 20 inch and 22 inch dobsonian telescopes dominated the hill again offering the large public gathering excellent views of Venus, mars and Saturn in the early evening.  Later as the sky’s darkened, the crowds lined up to see a host of galaxies and nebulas and double stars while listening to brief descriptions of the significance of the night sky observations.  We noticed the absence of monthly regular CCAS members due to the Pine Mountain Oregon research event and the Oregon Star Party scheduled for this week and the next. This was a relaxed  enjoyable week end event with good weather and friendly folks.

Click here for a calendar.

Here are some guidelines and tips for getting the most out of our star-gazing event:

In a nutshell, it is a very dark, nighttime gathering of stargazers to view the cosmos through telescopes and binoculars. This is a fundamental activity for astronomy clubs. For some people this is one of their high points each month.

Once a month, CCAS members and friends gather on a very dark hilltop to gaze deep into the cosmos, Ooooing and Aahhhing at each of their deep space discoveries, sometimes grumbling to themselves over not being able to find that particular distant star or get their computerized telescope to work properly.

It is a very friendly atmosphere. The astronomers who participate with their telescopes are always anxious to share their love of astronomy with each other and with anyone who decides to join them for the evening. The public is welcome to attend, learning a little something about telescopes and the skies and hopefully developing an excitement about astronomy. There is no admission charge to attend the star party. One of the driving principals of the CCAS is to promote astronomy in our community, especially the younger generations. As our motto states “Sharing the Skies”.

What if it rains?

We highly suggest joining our email list, where you’ll get the latest information on whether a star party is a GO or NO-GO depending on weather conditions. Click here to fill out the simple form. We’ll also send you an astronomy guide to help you get started in your astronomy adventure!

I want to come to a star party… how do I do that?

Ready to join our star gazing events? Then click here to read about important information about joining us for our star-gazing events.

My first serious introduction to astronomy came in 1970. A neighbor had one of the Orange C-8s and I first saw Saturn and its rings. The sky was a deep azure that I have never seen since. Saturn looked like a little jewel that you would swear you could put your hand out and pluck out of the sky.

In 1972 I got my first telescope (a Sears $30 special) for Christmas. It wasn’t up to anything really serious but I got my introduction to the Moon and Jupiter. My mom got a good laugh when I got my first good look at the moon and exclaimed that “Wow-It really is round”. I made up my own names for the area around the Apollo 11 LZ. I call the straight between the Sea of Nectar and The Sea of Tranquility the “Straights of Apollo” and the area between Moltke and the highlands the “Armstrong Passage”.

After taking astronomy under Dr. John Bowen at Cuesta College in the late 1970s I decided to try my hand at making my own 6” Newt from a set of plans for an inverted fork equatorial from Astronomy Magazine. I wasn’t up to making my own mirror but everything else except for the secondary and spider I made from hardware store parts- such as an eyepiece holder made from a pipe flange and a sink drain. I couldn’t figure out how to properly secure the tube assembly and ended up using ropes to secure the tube to the platform. This was my first serious scope and I learned the Messier Catalog and began to follow some variable stars that Dr. Bowen had introduced me to in his class such as R CrB and R Leo (both of which I still follow). I also got to see my first Saturn Ring Plane Crossing in 1980. This one was actually a triple-crossing although I only remember seeing two of them. I also got interested in Eps Aur during its 1982 eclipse but my observations have unfortunately not survived.

I obtained a C-8 in 1985 and this turned out to be my workhorse for the next twenty-three years. I tried my hand at photography and got some decent images. I started to follow my variables in a more regular and systematic fashion when I found some good deep sky sites out behind Ft. Hunter Ligett. I tried experimenting with some digital setting circles but either I put them on wrong or the technology was still immature -or both. Anyway the performance was inconsistent. I went everywhere with this scope and it got pretty beat up being knocked around on forest service roads and the legs became rusty crusty from damp ground. Once at a school sidewalk astronomy in Paso Robles CCAS member Gus Nelson commented that with my little dings in the casing my C-8 looked the way all scopes should-very heavily used. In 2004 I started on the Herschel 400 list. I got all but 40 which I could not positively identify in my C-8. By 2008 the corrector on the front end had become pitted and the coating worn by years of exposure to Morro Bay air. It was time to upgrade

In the fall of 2008 I got my latest pride and joy-my 12” Orion Intelliscope. With this one I was able to easily find those 40 Herschel 400 objects that had eluded me with my C-8. I am now able to follow many of my dimmer variables through their entire cycle. My personal best observations have been R CrB at mag 14.7 and NGC 7320 in Stephen’s Quintet (the latter at the Dancing Deer Ranch site on Jun 5 2010)

After attending a couple of the CCAS monthly events I joined in the fall of 2009 so as of this writing I am completing my “Rookie” year. I have found our monthly star parties at Star Hill the highlight of the month and have begun to schedule my camping trips to avoid missing these.

Dark Skies and Good Hunting!

David W. Majors
12” Intelliscope

The last Star Party on July 10, 2010 at the Santa Margarita KOA had mixed results… Only 4 scopes turned up… Reed Estrada and I, Tom Frey, Pete Roebbers and David Majors… There was a modest public turn out… The afternoon started out iffy but then just after sun set it cleared out for a bit and we where able to do allot of viewing, including show the crowd the ISS as it passed overhead and a really nice Iridium Flare… However around 10:30 or so it began to close in and flashes of lighting where actually seen off to the south east… so we began to clear off our selves… Dad (Reed) and I where the last to leave and not a moment to soon there was one last big flash and where heard thunder… then it began to rain on the hill, HARD… needless to say we beat a hasty retreat… LOL it all worked out in the end though…

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There was a group working on mirrors in the basement of Griffith Observatory which I attended once or twice when I was at Berendo Jr. High. I don’t think I followed through with that group, as Mother moved a lot. However, I purchased Allyn Thompson’s Making Your Own Telescope. For the next several years I dreamed about and worked on that project, grinding and polishing my own 8 inch mirror. I decided to build a fiberglass tube for it. What a mess! I was in Whittier, next to a refinery. You couldn’t see a star in the sky. I tried to find a star with my home made telescope. Instead, I pushed my eyepiece through the telescope, and heard it hit the glass. Kerplunk! My heart sunk. I had it professionally refigured and aluminized again. But I don’t think I ever had it in a telescope that I could see a star with it.

My mirror making career was a failure, but I was determined to make my own telescope. Finally, I bought a 13″ Odyssey Dobsonion which had glorious views. Prisoners at Soledad later helped me machine a unique telescope mount for my ill-fated fiberglassed/homemade mirror telescope. This unique one armed fork mount was the first of its type, and won a prize at the Riverside Telescope Makers conference. But I never really tried the optics in it.

Not having learned to avoid fiberglass, I made a black one, for a Jaegers 6″ objective. This ridiculous telescope ended up being published in Peter Manly’s book Unusual Telescopes (1991, Cambridge University Press).

About the same year as that picture was published, I received a patent on the telescope that I am most proud of, my Newtonian Binocular telescope, which is a revision of Sir John Herschell’s (son of William Herschell) invention. It is two Newtonian telescopes put together in such a way as to allow the viewer to comfortably view the sky as he/she would with a regular Newtonian. The modification was in the configuration which allowed comfortable access to Zenith regions of the sky, which was not possible with Sir John Herschell’s telescope. [See Patentedbinoscope.jpg] This won an RTMC award as well. It was covered in Astronomy Magazine, as one of the finest views of the sky for that year (1991). It was very portable for a large (10″) binocular.

During the same period, I built a telescope out of foam board. It was one of the easiest to use and most portable. I think it was the first telescope I ever saw made out of this material. Tom Frey recalls the time we took it to RTMC, and I accidentally broke off the secondary spider while travelling in his van during a stop. While travelling the back roads–at night–I was in the back of the bouncing van taping it back together. When we got to RTMC, I pulled it out of the van, and pointed it at the stars. They were pinpoints of light! Tom was floored. He has never forgotten that experience.

My last homemade telescope was a giant 17.5″ binocular, which I managed to get to a viewing at the Monthly star party. The view of Lagoon Nebula through it was fabulous.

My Wife, Pat, suggested that I clean up the garage of my telescope making stuff, and buy a nice high tech scope. I only heard “buy a nice high tech telescope.” I found an RCX 400 and later built a pier. Lee and my neighbor, Jim, helped me place it on the pier. I now remotely control it from the house, and have enjoyed the honor of doing some actual exoplanet research with it, with Tom Smith, Russ Genet, Jolyon Johnson. I cover the scope with a telescope cover and with the umbrella shown in the background. I prefer this arrangement to a shed, to lessen the daytime heat. Also, the view is not obstructed by a building.

My story is one of many failures, with a few successes. But I think my boyhood experience with the $2 lenses and cardboard tube is what hooked me.

One Meter Photometric Telescope at RTMC (Riverside Telescope Maker’s Conference) on May 15, Big Bear Lake, California

Report from: Russ Genet, Reed Estrada, and VP Chris Estrada

The one meter wooden prototype photometric telescope made it to RTMC this year.  First “sawdust” was this past October, so construction has been underway for about seven months.  The mirror for the telescope, a 1 meter f/4.0 spherical meniscus ¾ inch thick, weights about 70 lbs.  It was kindly donated to the project by DOTI Optical.  The telescope is a prime focus system (no eyepiece) just intended for photometry.  We consider it a science “light bucket” telescope.  An aluminum prototype is nearing completion at Inca Corp. by George Roberts and his associates.

The telescope is still a work in progress with much remaining to be done.  The basic construction has been completed, and the drive components have been installed.  We did not operate the drive system at RTMC due to a short in the altitude cable connection we didn’t have the facilities to repair on the spot.  The instrument rotator/focuser is being built by Andy Saulietis and should be installed next week.  The control system is the new Sidereal Technology brushed servomotor control system that should be ready in a couple of weeks (we are temporarily using the older SiTech control system for checkout).  With the OTA trusses and top altitude trunion sections disassembled, the entire telescope fits in the back of a Jeep Cherokee SUV, although it was brought to RTMC in the back of Reed’s pickup truck (he was doing some last minute work on the telescope while Russ was giving a talk at SAS).  What follows are some photographs of the telescope at RTMC.

Reed checks the 18 point mirror support system while Russ fastens one of the two removable upper trunion sections.  Tom Smith provides moral support.

Chris Estrada fastens down the brace between the two removable upper sections of the altitude trunions.

Chris and Reed Estrada finish fastening the aluminum tubing brace between the upper trunion sections.  Richard Berry, far right, helps hold the brace in place, while Gary Cole (blue jacket and tan hat) looks on.  Dave Rowe (between Chris and Reed) sees something down on the ground.  What could it be?

Russ and Reed move the 1 meter mirror from a transport box to the telescope.  Normally the mirror will ride installed in the telescope, but the transport safety/cushioning arrangements have not yet been completed.

Reed and Russ lower the mirror into the mirror box.  The two yellow items on the side of the rocker box hold wheels that keep the altitude trunions  centered on their drive/idler wheels.  The aluminum “disk” near Russ’ foot is the toothed altitude drive pulley.  An AT-5 steel reinforced belt can be seen going down to a smaller pulley on the end of the altitude motor.  One of the two main wheels can be seen on the left.

With the mirror in place, Russ looks at the reflection of the clouds.

Reed, Russ, and Chris move the assembled truss structure into place.  The two-bay truss is being redesigned to make its assembly easier.  Cross bracing cables tightened by turnbuckles are being added to stiffen the structure.

Reed and Russ hold the truss in place while Chris fastens down one of the corners.  Note that the mirror cover is in place during assembly.

With the telescope assembled, Reed, Russ, and Chris pose for the camera.

Although not operational yet, Dave Rowe was impressed that after only seven months of work, the telescope had been physically assembled at RTMC, and he gave the telescope a quick kiss.

Chris, Reed, and Russ tilt the 1 meter photometric telescope (aka Packman or Big Blue) down beside the Jeep that it fits inside. Celebration at the Third Annual Large Alt-Az Telescope Dinner.  There were toasts to PlaneWave Instruments CDK 700 telescope, the portable 42-inch CDK wooden telescope (13 years in the making), and the 1 meter photometric telescope.  Seen round the table is Russ Genet, Tom Smith, Rick Hedrick, Floyd Fietchner, Dave Rose, and Deborah Ceravolo.  Peter Ceravolo, Joe Haberman, and a few others were there but did not appear in this photograph.

The 1 meter photometric telescope was just part of the special program at RTMC.  The announcement for the program is below:

Large Alt-Az Telescope Developments

Special Presentation Session and Workshop

Riverside Telescope Maker’s Conference

May 15, Big Bear Lake, California

The Riverside Telescope Maker’s Conference has scheduled a special Saturday morning session that will feature six short talks on large (for amateurs) alt-az telescope developments.  A complimentary two hour workshop follows in the afternoon.

9:15-10:30   Large Alt-Az Telescope Developments

A Brief History of Alt-Az Telescopes (Richard Berry)

The Alt-Az Initiative (Russ Genet)

CDK Direct Drive Telescopes (Rick Hedrick, Joe Haberman, Dan Gray, Dave Rowe, & Allan Keller)

Lightweight Aluminum Telescopes (Tom Osypowski & Howard Banich)

A Portable 1-Meter Photometric Telescope, (George Roberts, Reed & Chris Estrada, & Russ Genet)

A Portable 42″ Broken-focus Corrected Dall-Kirkham Telescope (Dave Rowe & Rick Hedrick)

2:00-4:00   Large Alt-Az Telescope Workshop

Chair: Dave Rowe. Participants: Howard Banich, David Davis, Russ Genet, Dan Gray, & Rick Hedrick.

Topics: primary mirror substrates, spherical and parabolic correctors, the corrected Dall Kirkham optical design, direct drive motors, encoders, bearings, fundamentals of servo control, field de-rotators, material properties and material selection, truss structures, and transportation of large alt-az telescopes.

“The meeting of the Cambria Rotary went very well.  I had a presentation ready, but as soon as the introduction ended the group started to ask questions, and all of the time (only 25 minutes!) was spent answering them.  The high level of interaction made for an interesting meeting.  After the meeting, several people approached me to ask more questions, and I spent an additional 30 minutes talking with them.” (Report from Joseph Carro)