February 08 Page Page 163

Winter in the Florida Keys Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude By Alex McConahay

There is a place in southern Florida attendees, and you hear story us had brought a telescope, where frozen flock after story of how they observe in preferring to do "parasitic every winter. 4 degree weather, after shoveling ,' where we would spend their way to their backyard the evening wandering and asking Ralph Megna and I went exploring observatory. Or worse yet, how "What you looking at?" Of course, there this year. they have not observed in three one essential that I did not know months because of the clouds, about, but Ralph had brought, was a It is situated on the south side of rain, and snow. The breeze fishing pole to use on the nearby West Summerland Key, about ten or blowing through the palms, the bridges. so acres of sand, grass, and a few shirtsleeves, the screen-enclosed trees wedged between the Overseas sleeping huts, the swim trunks and The lines at the gate before entry Highway and the 71 degree water of sandals all tell you this is a were pretty much like those at RTMC the Atlantic Ocean. This puts it 43 different place for a winter AE, except for the police cruiser on miles east of Key West, and nearly observer. duty at the head of the line, and, of as far south as one can get in the course, mugginess replaced the dry continental United States. Ralph had gone early to visit some dust. We had a three hour wait for family and friends (he grew up in the gate to open, so Ralph went off And that about says it all. Florida), and met me at the airport to catch his lunch (or at least relive after the red-eye from LAX. We some memories). People come here for lots of had both come with the bare reasons, but the weather has to be essentials. Some t-shirts, shorts, On opening, we were assigned to foremost for most. Just talk to the sandals, and cameras. Neither of Chickee #5—Dreyer. A chickee, you see, is a hut. It is made up of a raised wooden platform, a few poles, window screening, some tarps, and lots of palm fronds. Inside are six bunks, and in our case the other four inhabitants were some very likable gentlemen from the great frozen north. The weather was mild enough that a simple sheet on the bunk sufficed and a sleeping bag was too much.

We spent our first afternoon touring the facility. "Vendor Alley" was relatively small, with about ten vendors, including Astronomy to Go, Televue, Astro Gizmos, Moonlite Chickee Hut Dreyer was home for Alex, Ralph, and four friendly ama- Focusers, and a few other mount teur astronomers from the frozen north in early February's Winter Star Party. and accessory manufacturers. I February 08 Page Page 173 recognized most of them from RTMC hundred yards, was covered with a camp was a two-story combination AE, and met a few whose products I little bit of grass and simply full of bunkhouse- lecture hall, and some had only seen in the magazines. very expensive telescopes. No showers, along with lots more junk. Just really good stuff. camping spaces and ad-hoc- The camp was a long strip of land, telescope fields. maybe a hundred yards wide. At one I had been told by Jim Burnell that end were the chickees and some of inch for inch this place had the On Monday afternoon, Tippy the camping, in the middle was a most expensive set of astronomical D'Auria, who helped establish the large two story building that had equipment of any gathering of Winter Star Party twenty-four years been ruined a few years back in a amateurs—and I can attest to it. ago (and whom I had wanted to hurricane, and was fenced off, Astro-Physics, and Takahashis, and meet since the days of the awaiting the wrecker's ball (or refractors, and fancy motorized Compuserve AstroForum) opened another hurricane!). A small trailer/ Dobs, and ccd's and equatorial the party by greeting the 650 catering station and eating shelter tables, and Paramounts…it just campers, volunteers, and vendors offered hot snacks and drinks. went on and on. allowed to enter the campground. Thenthe centerpiece: a sand berm He stood there with a stogie in his topping maybe three or four feet There was campfire/assembly hand, told us of the history of the above high tide. It ran about a area, and at the far end of the activity, and encouraged us to get

RAS Planetary Imager, Ralph Megna (cup in hand), holds court, as two budding astro-imagers (Sean Walker (of S&T) and Damien Peach) listen intently for words of wisdom and encouragement. February 08 Page Page 183 into the mood. looked at a series of objects in a observing had to go to the sucker borrowed 18 inch Dob, and agreed holes. But even under clear and still So we did. After the greeting, Ralph that we had never seen such good conditions, most of the scopes were and I went into town to the Winn- views of those objects, one right unused. The only explanation that Dixie to get some provisions, and hit after another. made any sense to me is that one Rick's Island Grill, where we had a could observe only so long, and Corona or two, dinner, and of But there were some peculiarities. given that people were there for course, some Key Lime Pie. On We saw scopes set up next to the seven days/six nights, they return to Camp Wesumkee (the beach and right under trees. It did somehow could still get their fill. It official name of the Girl Scout camp not make any sense until one may also have been because many which holds the WSP), there was a realized that these astronomers people had come to South Florida stiff breeze blowing, and clouds were mostly from the far frozen for the vacation and not just the rolling through, but we chased north, and they had seen observing. sucker holes till midnight. everything overhead and north. They wanted to see the south. So, One final peculiarity was due to the The observing was different. It was the fact that their telescopes were perspective of latitude. We were ten February but shirtsleeves, maybe a going to spend the week looking degrees further south than we were light sweatshirt, sufficed. There was south, and never up or north, accustomed to. Scorpius rose claws skyglow from both the east and the meant they could set up under the first straight up from the horizon, west due to bright lights on adjacent trees. As long as they could point instead of arching along the Keys. Across the highway from the south, they were happy. southern sky. Canopus rose high and camp is a three hundred fifty foot bright, (and could be seen reflected radio tower with a red flashing Also peculiar were the number of in the sea) instead of our skirting- strobe. And a couple of times the scopes that were not being used. the-horizon views from GMARS. In Florida Highway Patrol stopped a At any given moment, fewer than the early morning we saw Omega speeder, and the whole sky would one in four scopes were uncovered Centauri and the Southern Cross in flash a faint bluish white for 45 and catching photons. At first I full. minutes or so while justice was thought it was because the done. evening was breezy or because the By day there were workshops,

And there was always moisture in the air. Sometimes it organized itself into clouds, sometimes not. Rarely did it cloud all the way over, so there was usually something to look at. And it was extremely stable air. Naked eye stars were softer than we are used to. There are not as many stars because of the moisture. Deep sky objects suffered from the light pollution. But, the telescopic images were rock-steady. No twinkles. Saturn at 500 power with details in the clouds in the upper atmosphere. SWAP MEETS are an essential part of any big star party, and the At one point Monday night we WSP has one on Tuesday and another on Friday! February 08 Page Page 193 attended by maybe 60 people at a Friday had an awards and Ralph had his fishing, and I spent a time. Topics included astro-imaging, recognition session. The scale of couple of days snorkeling. We even observing, and one rather the door prizes was not that of hit the Coral Castle in all its mystery interesting presentation by Tom RTMC, but still took an hour to and glory. We went down to Duval Clark about the great star parties he dispense. Street in Key West one day to have had visited Various references he a cheeseburger in paradise in Jimmy made:: RTMC was the largest star As at any big star party, there Buffett's Margaritaville. (Ralph kept party in the world, Astrofest in were people to meet. I watched saying Megnaritaville!) Oh, and more Canada was the largest in North as Sue French added to her Key Lime Pie. America, and Oregon's was the observing log (very meticulous) largest in the US. We could not quite and then conducted an outreach All in all, it was a great week figure out how that could work out, for a couple of newbies (very under the and the stars. but enjoyed the different gracious). I thanked Atilla Danko perspectives. Other events included for the Clear Sky Clock. (I found two swap meets and one very out that he only predicts the congenial Friday afternoon ice-cream weather, but has no actual control social, in which a few hundred over it!) Don Parker and Damien attendees sat around in the lazy sun Peach, two very accomplished loading on sugar and cholesterol. planetary imagers, gathered photons on the beach. Marcus The two dozen or so kids had a Ludes, the German exporter of fine Young 's Camp—where equipment, Al Nagler of Televue, they worked on assembling an and the newest Meade Crew were observing log, making models of the there. I met a few Astromarters, planets, listening and participating in and it was fun to put a face to special lessons, and engaging in their names. other activities geared just to them. RANDOM SHOTS: One of the Young Astronomers' Camp kids looks over the "Pluto is a Planet" display, bin- oculars made from a pair of six inch refractors, the telescope berm wait- ing for the evening, and a Schmidt- Cass set up at sunset.