IceInSpace members John Bambury, Andrew Murrell and Gary Kopff
are currently enroute to the TSP at Fort Davis, Texas.
Andrew is tracking with colleagues via Oklahoma City.
John and I are currently in sunny El Paso where we arrived a couple
of days ago.
Total flying time from SYD to ELP was approx. 16 hours. John spent
most of the night over the Pacific watching the myriad of selections on
the QANTAS IVOD (so many movies, so little time) while yours truly tried to
catch up on some sleep.
So efficient was the Southwest airlines light to El Paso that they
arranged to have me arrive a day before my backage.
Yesterday John and I and crossed into neignbouring Juarez, Mexico
to take in the sights and sounds. The Rio Grande here just an ankle
deep trickle. Particularly obvious was the large number of dentisto in Juarez.
Americans walk across the border for cheap root canal.
The afternoon was spent in the War Hawks museum just outside of
El Paso where John and I drooled over their impressive collection of
vintage war birds, including an impressively restored MiG 21.
Currently I am in the breakfast room of the Holiday Inn waiting for John
to wake up before we head off to the McDonald Observatory to meet
a friend for lunch. Then on to TSP which opens at noon today.
Will use this thread to post updates of the trip along with photos.
Wow - our very first roving IIS international reporter! What a great bulletin, it sounds like you guys are having a great time. So sorry to hear about your luggage Gary, hopefully it will turn up soon.
It’s great to hear the breaking overseas news like this - please keep up the reports. Best wishes to you all and hope you have a great time at the TSP.
Hi Gary, I gave you a call the other day and Mia said you were on your way to the TSP. Enjoy yourself with the gang and we look forward to some good stories on your return. cheers Ron
We arrived here on Sunday to clear skies. Soon after sunset,
we were looking through Larry Mitchell's 36". M51 in a 36"
is one of the most stunning things I have ever seen in a telescope.
Andrew, John and I were also there when Al Nagler plugged his
new 100 degree FOV 13mm Ethos eyepiece into a telescope and
observed deep sky objects. We were then in the first handful of people
to look through the eyepiece under the skies. And it is one brilliant eyepiece.
Foul weather has set in and we are hoping for it to clear but it looks
unlikely. However, the social interaction is what we are really enjoying.
I gave a talk a couple of days ago on the Argo Navis TPAS system
and Andrew gave a talk tonight on the LMC that was really well
received.
It is last night and the sky has cleared for the last two nights to do some observing. John Gary and I have spent several hours with Al Nagler reviewing his new photographic scopes with the new Ethos 100 Deg FOW eyeipece. We were able to view the whole Veil Nebula which is almost 4 degrees across in one eyepiece field. The views through the 36" is something and I may have to get one. We have ALL spent to much on new goodies. The Talks every night have been great and I am so galde I came first as the other talks were hard acts to follow especially Alan Dyer. I did tell them a little about all the things that they miss out on. Alans talk went even further, pretty much saying that the northern skies are ok but the ONLY place to observe is the south.
I will leave some of the other things for Gary and John to report as it is better to come from them.
All in all it has been a great week. But I need my Milky Way fix and I just can't get it here.
Clear Skies
Andrew
