Two out of Three Ain't Bad

Two Saturdays ago, with instructions in one hand and a map of New Jersey in the other, I headed south on rt. 55 towards Cape May. After a 70 minute drive, I found myself in a deserted parking lot. With the sky overcast and a cold front passing through, I figured that everyone had gone home. Luckily, there were two young boys riding bicycles and I asked them if they knew anything about a stargazing scheduled for tonight. They provided me the final and most important part of the directions. After a short walk, I found myself among a small crowd of hopefuls, waiting for the sky to clear. Patience won out and about 11, the sky cleared enough to provide us a rewarding view of the night sky's splendor.

Last Saturday, I did not fair as well. I ended up where the Soprano's dump their victims, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens but failed to locate the starry-eyed group. So, when I received another set of sketchy instructions for this past Saturday's watch, I was reluctant to head out for a drive into the night that more than likely would end up just being a frustrating two plus hour drive.

The sky looked overcast to me but the E-Mail said it was a go. And so I got in the car and headed out to Batsto in central Jersey. The instructions were accurate until I got to a sign that said Historic Batsto with an arrow pointing straight ahead. I followed the direction of the arrow for about 5 miles when I ran into another sign saying Historic Batsto, with an arrow pointing in the opposite direction. (Hell, I didn't even see the Indians!) I turned around and head back the way I had just come. I stopped at every road and investigated but nowhere did I see a sign that said "Visitors Center". Again I come to the sign that pointed me in the direction from which I had just come. One more time, but if I do not find it this time, my next stop would be in front of my TV at home. I turned around and tried once more. This time I came across a sign not visible from the other direction indicating the Visitors Center was just ahead. I was close; I could smell the target. I drove about 100 feet and there was a road that led off into the woods. I progressed down this road until I came to another intersection and another visitors center sign. I turned and on the other side of a group of trees, was a dozen cars and I can see the silhouette of telescopes. I could even hear people laughing and talking. I parked the car and within two minutes I locate Dennis, my prey.

There were a dozen people attending this sky fest. There were at least ten telescopes ranging from a six inch diameter to two that were twelve inches in diameter and powered by computers. We started off with an easy target - Jupiter. When it was my turn, I put my eye against the viewer, adjusted the focus and the star wanna-be came into view. I could easily see the two black bands on the planet's surface looking every bit like an equal sign. Three moons were slowly orbiting and I could easily see the shadow of one on the surface.

Next we turned our attention to Saturn. After the necessary adjustments, we were looking at the second largest planet in our solar system. The rings gave this target an oblong appearance, making it easy to identify. The rings were at about a 45 degree angle and provided an easy distinction between them and the planet. When I looked carefully, I could even see a dark ring as well as the ring's shadow on the planet's surface. Five of Saturn's moons were also in easy view.

The night progressed from one heavenly body to another. Three satellites were spotted. These were easy to identify since they moved across the sky, slower than a plane (with no blinking lights) while everything else did not move at all. One person happened to be looking in the right direction and saw a meteor.

We viewed many galaxies which for the most part looked like the fuzzy end of a Q-tip. But I was able to make out one that was edge-towards us and I could see the bulge in the center.

M31, M52, the trio in Leo, the Great Nebula in Orion, and who knows what other names were being mentioned as if they were Tom, Dick and Harry. All in all, I must have looked at two dozen galaxies, planets and nebulas, all distinctive for one reason or another. Not bad for about three hours.

About midnight I helped Dennis pack things up which was no easy feat. In the dark and the only illumination being red-lens flashlights, it would be easy to over look something in the grass and leave without something important. After a final search to insure nothing was being left behind, we headed for home.

As I was wheeling down the highway that I felt I had come to know intimately, I looked over at the horizon and saw the moon bubbling over the tree tops. Too bad that was not available a few hours ago. That I could recognize on my own.