Tak Attack Version III ..... Late 2017

[Kunama]

Dear fellow Takkers et al,

Spring 2017 (October 20/21 or November 17/18) Tak Attack Number 3....

Allan has now dobbed himself in to host Takahashi's finest at his beautiful Astronomy Lodge under the dark skies of Coolah, New South Wales...

Dates to be confirmed pending roster requests etc...

Any one intending to attend should keep an eye on this thread...... a little friendly banter is always allowed but please keep the thread on topic .....

Thanks Allan :thanx:

Looking forward to it already :D

[Kunama]

I will be attending and will bring a couple of little Takkers with me.....

1x TOA
1x FOA

[Allan]

Will have my TOA 130 there for the party as well. All these TOA's get a bit boring, so I'm looking forward to lots of other Tak eye candy.

My new dark site property is a great place for observing and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all the party goers. I won't post too much about it here, but if you have any questions just drop me a PM.

[Atmos]

I should be able to bring up a DL and who knows, maybe a Mewlon ;)

[issdaol]

I can bring up TOA150.....hope that's not another boring TOA !!

[JohnG]

Unfortunately November is out for me, the Snake Valley Astro Camp is on then..

Cheers

[Kunama]

John, We'll confirm the dates when Allan gets a chance to work out his roster, it may end up in Oct, Nov or Dec. Would be unfair to exclude the host :shrug:

[Allan]

Just a quick update for all the Tak Attack fans.

My 32" dob is going to be delivered during the October new moon, so unfortunately that puts a line through October for the Tak Party.

I am very hopeful we will be able to hold the Star Party on the 17 and 18 of November. I will know at the end of September if we can lock in those days.

I'm looking forward to hosting the party and sharing my astro property with everyone, and even the 32" which will still have new telescope smell. The property is very remote, very dark and you can even see the Siding Spring domes off in the distance. There's plenty of space for everyone with their telescopes and tents and vans, and there's even a spare room if you're quick.

[Kunama]

November sounds great Allan, just remember to cut a path for my retirement home to fit down the driveway.... :thumbsup:

[Atmos]

Colin will be happy if he has somewhere to roll out a swag and setup some imaging equipment :thumbsup:

[Lognic04]

Dang, unfortunately NSW is too far for me and my MT-160 :(

[LewisM]

Lewis thinks Colin needs to talk in the 1° person...

:)

[Allan]

Just had three long, fantastic nights of observing at my Coolah property. Conditions were un-seasonably dry, and not too cold, maybe down to about 1 or 2 degrees each night. The sky was dark enough for me to realise the Dark Doodad in Musca is a naked eye object.

November will be dry and warm, perfect for a star party.

[Kunama]

That's what we like to hear......... :thumbsup:

[Atmos]

And hopefully you didn't have a horrendous jetstream that has been plagueing SE Australia.

[Allan]

I was checking the jetsteam every day, and it was just south of Sydney. So the seeing wasn't too bad. Had Saturn at 345x and it was razor sharp about 80% of the time, was very nice.

[Allan]

Well guys, unfortunately Tak Attack III will not be going ahead in November. Once every two or three years I have to do a standby roster at work, and my fear has come to fruition, as I will be on one during October and November. Therefore, I won't know whether I'm coming or going for that entire period. Not very conducive to organising star parties.

My guess is the months following won't appeal to many people due to the heat, so perhaps we could reschedule for early next year.

I'm disappointed it's turned out this way, as I was looking forward to hosting everyone. But I know we will get a great event going and have something definite to look forward to next time.

[Kunama]

No worries Allan, we'll do it in the new year..... the Baby Grange will still be fine in 2018 :P

[LewisM]

October 20 is new moon...and a friday...and I wonder if a certain Spaghetti Monster may consider....

:whistle:

[Atmos]

But I bought another ticket and everything :lol:

[Allan]

That's alright Colin, it's valid for next year's event.

[issdaol]

I'm open to Hosting Tak Attack III once again on October New Moon for 2 nights if there is enough interest........

......which would be Friday October 20th and Saturday October 21st.....

Everyone had better let me know quickly though if you are keen !!!

[Atmos]

As long as my ticket is still valid :P

[issdaol]

You have 3 Tak Tickets dont you :D

[Atmos]

For now... Depends on how many are required for entry.

[Allan]

I can't make it Phil, but thanks for the invite.

[Kunama]

I'll be available TA#3 on the 20/21 Oct or if necessary the November new moon .... :thumbsup:
I will be bringing 1 Tak and the big Dob...

Probably camping on site on Friday night.... I would bring the motorhome if the access wasn't by way of a goat-track....

[issdaol]

Should be fine for Old Goats like you :P

Unless you have a wide A$$...........:lol:

[Kunama]

At least I haven't got my Landcruiser bogged in my own front yard :question:

[LewisM]

Yup, and the ruts are still there for all to see :) :P They will remain like dinosaur tracks, 1 million years from now...

The Bongo Van would have floated over it like a boat :lol:

[Kunama]

On a lighter note:

If anyone is interested in this informal gathering at Phil's DarkSky site please let us know. With only 3 weeks to go it might be best to have everyone make their own arrangements for accommodation etc.

All that is required is to bring yourselves, your scopes, a good attitude, a camping chair and maybe a bottle of red..... we will have tea and coffee facilities as before.

The kangaroos have taken care of the metre high grass and the new access track that was pioneered by the Mercedes Sprinter is in good condition. I even spent an hour removing most of the boulders off the track.

Bathroom facilities will likely consist of a couple of gumtrees and a PortaPotti in a tent.... unless 50 people decide to come along then we can all kick in for the hire of the PortaTrailerLoo ($240 for the weekend)...

Daytime activities include sleeping, eating, lazing about or for those keen enough, a visit to Mount Stromlo or Tidbinbilla Tracking Station....

[LewisM]

I am glad we talked Phil out of the Portaloo - I mean - gumtree works just fine. If you need other facilities, drive to the Yass service station lol.

[Kunama]

With just 10 sleeps to go it is looking like a very quiet gathering at Bango for the New Moon weekend.....

Anyone planning to head up, please let us know at least a couple of days ahead of the weekend....

I will likely bring a TAK, a TEC and a DOB.....

[Atmos]

I’m planning on bringing a M250 :)

[LewisM]

Anyone disobeying the red light rule will be hung, drawn and quartered from the dead gum tree behind the observatory (the one Matt and I water, in a vain attempt to revive it...)

Oh hang on, that means our host will be dangling from the tree like Mussolini... (how ironic, in many ways :P)

[Atmos]

There is a red light district out there? :P

[LewisM]

I am sure that is provided in Yass Colin, but at your discretion :lol:

[JohnG]

Not sure if I can make it this time, I don't get back from Sydney until the 20th, I MAY be able to get there on the 21st, depending on weather but won't have any gear with me.

Cheers

[issdaol]

C'MON !! You have to pop down for one night !! :astron:

.......and bring a Spearmint Milkshake (with Malt) from that Cootamundra cafe that makes the great shakes :D (Helens Coffee Lounge)

[LewisM]

Everywhere Phil goes - spearmint milkshake...

[JohnG]

Lol, I would drink it before I got to your place... Will try for the 21st, depends how I feel after a week with the grand kids.... :lol:

[issdaol]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2SZPb7UUtc

:P :lol:

[Atmos]

Just finished a phantom pack of most of the stuff, very tight squeeze.

[LewisM]

We shall call you Colin, the ghost who stargazes...

[Atmos]

I’ll be there in spirit!

[Kunama]

Spirits we got, people we need....

[Atmos]

Bit far for me to travel for one night. Will spend more time in the car than in Yass!

[JohnG]

Perfectly clear clear here at Cootamundra but a bit ordinary looking towards Yass...

See you all tomorrow evening. :thumbsup:

Cheers

[multiweb]

Actually tomorrow night in Yass looks pretty clear with good seeing.

[Kunama]

Fair point Colin, we can always do another weekend when the sky allows it...

[LewisM]

Well, we did it - all 6 of us - and the clouds MOSTLY co-operated, but the seeing was, on a 0 to 10 scale, pretty ****e :lol:

I even managed to sneak in an in-situ camp chair nap while Phil and Fred (aka Matt) faffed around trying to see the Horsehead Nebula (Barnyard...errr...Barnard 33)

Still, 4 Tak scopes on the hill makes it officially Tak Attack 2017 done and dewed :)

[multiweb]

Transparency was probably a little better than sydney. Lots of moisture in the air. But seeing should have been pretty good like here last night and a big chunk of the east coast.

[Atmos]

I had largely the same experience in Heathcote on Friday night. Clouds mostly not around until 2am but the 30km/h wind destroyed the seeing a bit. No dew though!

[Kunama]

A rather casual and sociable observing session....
the seeing was a bit all-over-the-place but reasonable at times...
I took along the monster sized FOA60 as well as the TEC Mak.

The other scopes were the TSA102S, TOA150 and the Mewlon 300.

Quite a few meteors streaking about though most were not of Orionid origin.
One smoking one went from zenith toward the Magellanics and bisected LMC nicely. Another went through my field of view as I watched N2070.

After quite a wait, M42 cleared enough to see the E & F stars in the TEC.

Time to start planning TA #4 in the dark skies of Coolah, NSW;)

[Allan]

I'm glad to hear you guys had some nice observing.

It's time to get serious though and ramp this thing back up again to the status that a Takahashi Star Party deserves.

Bring on 2018. Coolah will be open for observing.

[Kunama]

Yes indeed Allan, who knows what scopes one might have to play with by then ;)

I hear it may be possible to connect two Taks together to make a pair of binoculars :question:

Just name the date, I have the motorhome packed already :thumbsup:

[LewisM]

Here's at least one shot from TA'17

(my TSA-102S on my SXP in the field, photographed by the Mafia Spy Ring)

Sorry to say Coona is just a little too far for me to go, especially when Yass is just 45 mins up the road.

[FlashDrive]

Oooooh ... Astro Porn ... more pictures :P

[LewisM]

See what I get when you send the Black Limo Col...backfires back at ya :) :P