Star party in Oman

DaveM · #1 01-03-2009, 04:12 AM

Hi all,
I recently moved from Oz to Oman in the Middle East and got my first chance to attend a star party over here. We headed off to an area called the Empty Quarter on the border wth Saudi Arabia, which consists of dunes and flat sabhkas. We had plenty of room for the observing field and camping as you can see... It got up to 38 degrees in the late afternoon, which was not too bad, but it still winter here which makes you wonder what the place is like in summer. The sky was nice and dark with a little dust haze lower down towards the horizon.

It was my first chance to see some northern hemisphere sights that are not visible from Australia, and I won't forget my first view of the Whirlpool Galaxy, using a 20" Obsession with a 13 mm Ethos eyepiece. A laser pointer sky tour was a nice start to the night, which we finished chasing deep sky targets around Leo. As in Oz, a star party is a great way to meet new people and head off to some places you might not otherwise visit.

David

Analog6 (Odille) · #2 01-03-2009, 05:34 AM

How lovely for you. My sister and brother in law spent a year in Oman and Mum got to visit them, and since then it is a place I long to visit. Nice dark skies I bet!

iceman (Mike) · #3 01-03-2009, 05:52 AM

Wow, amazing location Dave. Thanks for the report.

Dennis · #4 01-03-2009, 07:35 AM

Hi Dave

Thanks for the report and the fantastic photos. You must be quite fit to have climbed those dunes for the panoramic, high level views! Looks like a top location for astronomy, although I’d be nervous of all that sand if more than a breeze was blowing!

Cheers

Dennis

acropolite (Phil) · #5 01-03-2009, 08:37 AM

Quote:

I’d be nervous of all that sand if more than a breeze was blowing

My thoughts as well, if your look at image 2 you can see sand blowing from the traffic at the top right of the image. I'd imagine dew wouldn't be a problem...

Kevnool (Kev) · #6 01-03-2009, 10:14 AM

love that 1st shot and how you all pick a dune to get between.
Same thoughts as the blowing sand.
I hope it wasnt windy on the night.
Cheers Kev.

JethroB76 (Jeff) · #7 01-03-2009, 11:04 AM

What are the night time temperatures?

DaveM · #8 01-03-2009, 07:34 PM

If you get tense about fine sand in the Middle East, then you might as well leave your scope in the box, because the stuff is everywhere. As long as you don't view in particularly windy weather, however, the sand is actually not too much of a drama, and I just give things a dust down with a blower at the end of a session. Better to be out and observing rather than worrying too much about your gear. Most nights are pretty still, I've found, and we had a nice still night for viewing, maybe getting down to 18 or 19 degrees, and dew was no problem.

peter_4059 (Peter) · #9 01-03-2009, 07:53 PM

Great photos Dave. You'd need a good battery in the laptop (or a really long extension lead).

Peter

Matty P (Matt) · #10 01-03-2009, 08:29 PM

What a great place for a star party. Nice report Dave.

gary · #11 03-03-2009, 07:21 PM

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the post and the absolutely stunning shots of that incredible landscape.

Great to hear you got a good look at M51 through some aperture.
A few of us who went to Texas in 2007 got a view of it through Larry Mitchell's
36" scope and it is the most stunning object I have ever seen in a telescope.
We hope to return to Texas to have a look at it through Jimi Lowrie's new 48"
Dob.

If you have never read it, highly recommend Wilfred Thesiger's account of
crossing the Empty Quater (Rub' Al-Khali) on camels in 1945 in his book
Arabian Sands. Originally published in 1959, the book is a classic
and still widely available.
See http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Sands-.../dp/0140095144

One of the best books I have read.

Once again, fabulous shots and we look forward to more reports.

Best regards

Gary

astroron (Ron) · #12 03-03-2009, 07:49 PM

Reminds me of my time as a British Soldier:loved the Desert

Night Sky's fantastic :even though I wasn't into Astronomy then

Did my Desert survival course not far from where you are

Thanks for the memories

Great pic's

DaveM · #13 05-03-2009, 02:36 PM

Thanks for the comments. One of the best things about a star party is being able to look through scopes that you would otherwise never use (but also the worst thing if you catch aperture fever I guess). A 46" scope must need a big ladder...

Thanks for the link to the book Gary. I'll definitely have to check that out. It's amazing how people managed to live out in the desert like that.

Here's a couple of extra photos, just because.