Snake Valley Part II.2 (Special Events)

davidpretorius · #1 07-11-2005, 11:06 PM

Saturday (cont)

I really enjoyed saturday night when a bunch of us started playing with registax and Bird offered up a heap of his raw data of jupiter. We all sat there enthralled as he showed us very patiently how to use registax properly on great data.

No viewing, but with quality time learning about registax, it was great.

Naughty boy corner took over later that night as we all remembered those great times when you get pinged by the moderators or even the big boss. There were tears running down our faces from laughing. Geoff (moderator) eventually told us to stop spamming and get to bed!!

Sunday:

A lovely day tinkering with scopes taking images of trees and comparing scopes with cameras.

Highlight was the spit roast and all the families getting together. Kids loved it! Dave Girling stepped up to the plate and had the laughter happening again with the tape of the "scientific" meteor expedition. I will not attempt to try and tell this one, I can't tell jokes. Grab Dave at a get together and ask!!!

We all rushed out to get some viewing done, but just as the scopes were cooling, hello clouds!!! - bugga.

Monday:
Off to Sovereign hill, which was a blast with the family.

We tackled the coronado and got some great images. We all sat around and processed with registax on a projector screen. Mr Tuc47's video did not work, so transit of venus was a no show, but the weather was looking the goods.

As no doubt you have heard, it was a great night. Two highlights for me (there others will be put into the observing report) was watching anthony hopping around with glee with mars and Mr Tuc47 and his laser. The man is an absolute sync of knowledge. Where's andomeda Dave? here, he points immediately with a laser. i can see it from here (naked eye mind you!!) 10,000 scopes all turn to follow the laser!!! Later in the night, he then showed me the massive constellation of a snake. Absolutely brilliant!

Lots of fun early morning as saturn was rising to a cheer, out came the barlows and silly season started. Who could get the highest mag???

Eventually bed beckoned at 5.30am, Bird was just having a crack at saturn. I thought i would say good bye when i awoke, but like a dream, the tent, computers, scope & bird was gone back to canberra.

As has been said before, great events, great characters & mateship. Monday was a bonus. It could have rained for 4 nights and it would have still been a success!

Stay tuned for part III

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #2 07-11-2005, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Geoff (moderator) eventually told us to stop spamming and get to bed!!

But some of us (Geoff, Darren, Bird and I) stayed up till almost dawn and kept laughing about old posts! You missed some funny stories Davo! and just before dawn I got a Mars pic!!

and dropped my 12" dob whilst trying to get it out of the rain that just started again whilst I was taking the pic

Quote:

a bunch of us started playing with registax and Bird offered up a heap of his raw data of jupiter. We all sat there enthralled as he showed us very patiently how to use registax properly on great data.

I must have been paying attention for a change coz I remember every bit of it and have tested it on my pooter at home. And it works!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davo super-magnify

Lots of fun early morning as saturn was rising to a cheer, out came the barlows and silly season started. Who could get the highest mag???

What was it you got it up to Davo? 3mm in a 3x barlow?

davidpretorius · #3 07-11-2005, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

What was it you got it up to Davo? 3mm in a 3x barlow?

4mm dork smith eyepiece with a 2.4 x barlow i think!!

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #4 07-11-2005, 11:37 PM

Another thing I had to laugh at was when it was about 4 or 5 in the morning and your Laptop screen was dewing up. You dutifully turned on Birds Hair dryer and dried off the dew. I thought "That's is a good way to look after your laptop, I must remember that", then I walked over to see what Bird was up to just in time to see him wipe all the dew off his lappy screen with his hand and I shrieked as I watched all the water run off the screen down onto the keyboard!!!

davidpretorius · #5 07-11-2005, 11:39 PM

yes that was a cracker!!!

bird (Anthony Wesley) · #6 07-11-2005, 11:43 PM

lol ken, you must think a lot more of my laptop than I do :-)

Next winter I'll have to snap a piccie of my latop covered in frost and send to you :-) :-)

Bird

janoskiss (Steve H) · #7 08-11-2005, 01:00 AM

Thanks for the report, Dave! I almost felt like I was back at Star Camp while reading it.

Dave47tuc (David) · #8 08-11-2005, 07:01 PM

Another great read DaveP.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #9 08-11-2005, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidpretorius

4mm dork smith eyepiece with a 2.4 x barlow i think!!

Actually Davo, I remember us laughing when you got down to 4mm in a 2.4x barlow in a 2x barlow!

janoskiss (Steve H) · #10 08-11-2005, 07:16 PM

That was the optical equivalent of SPAM, Ken.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #11 08-11-2005, 07:21 PM

Well, the image looked like Spam LOL!