Not having anything to offer in the "scout skills" department I offered to assist with the Astronomy merit badge. I brought: the laptop, a star charting program, the virtual moon program and a SOHO CD. Telescopes? A Meade 90mm ETX, a Discovery Telescopes 10" f5.6 dob, an Obsession 20" f5 dob and a 70mm Coranado NearStar.
We had two nights of observing. The viewing site down by the lake had no local light, but the light pollution in the Williamsburg, VA area is intense. On the first night between the moon, the haze and the light pollution it was hard to see beyond the third magnitude. In spite of this we observed the moon, Vega, the "double double", Albereo, and the double star in the handle of the dipper as well as M57 with the 10" and or 20". Setting up at 8PM and not finishing with "pack up" until midnight – not bringing any water – I nearly died of heat prostration. I was sweating like a pig and woke up the next morning felling "hung over". That night I started on the moon with the scouts from the "rifle range". Then I was visited by a random troop ( I thought it was my class until I realized that I did not recognize any of them!). When the merit badge class showed up, I'd done the "dog and pony show" three times and was getting tired. Oh did I mention that all of these scopes were in a trailer and that every thing in the trailer (including several boxes of stuff that I did not use) had to be removed from the trailer prior to set up or take down?
Two days later I set up at from 2:30-4PM, drinking 60 oz of water/gatoraide and did much better. The sky was less hazy. We observed with 50mm binos ( Orion Vista), the ETX, the 10" and the 20". I thought that it would be good for them to compare views between a small, medium, and large aperture scope. I tried to impress upon them what a special opportunity this was that was being given to them and that they should take adavantage of it. We observed the moon, Albereo, M13, M92, M11, the 'double double", and Antares. I had a few visitors besides the class, but the late start time (9:00 PM) and the distant location (far edge of camp) reduced the number of visitors. I insisted that each scout try to locate an object (e.g the moon or a star) with each scope. Each was equipped with a reflex site (Telrad or Rigel Quick finder). I also insisted that each scout be a courteous dob user and recenter the object before leaving the scope or descending the ladder. This was to encourage some actual use of the scope by all scouts and adults in attendance – basic dob shills 101. Much time was spent on the moon as this is required for the merit badge, but the DSO's drew some Ohhs and Ahhs. And on this night the merit badge counselor and a fellow dad stayed to help me pack up. Thanks Angela and Greg!
There were four days that I set up for solar viewing. The first day we observed in H-alpha with the near star. As the scopes were in front of the chow hall and class was just before lunch this drew many random viewers, especially just before pre lunch assembly and after lunch during siesta or as I called it "sweat fest 2002". By the next day I'd fixed the mirror on the 10" (one mirror mount screw came out during transport (approximately 400 mile in a U-Haul trailer)) so we observed with the 10" in "white light" and the NearStar for H-alpha. Again the location drew a crowd. There was one major sun spot grouping and there were a few proms. The third day I'd set up the Orion 80mm Short Tube, the ETX and the 10" as part of the class where we had to discuss the different types of scopes. (This involved about an hour of set up.) Then after class, I converted the 10" to a white light solar scope, the NearStar replaced the Short Tube on the tripod and the ETX donned its "Thousand Oaks" white light filter and the Meade Electronic EP. So we viewed direct sun with the 10" and the NearStar, and with the ETX I put the main sun spot grouping (a big one) onto a 9" TV! Though I prefered the view in the 10", the TV view from the ETX drew a crowd. Folks would get other folks. "You've got to see this" was heard more then once. The viewing was finally ended when the Scout in charge ended the viewing when he was done – lunch was delayed by 15 min that day! On the final day of camp I set up the NearStar first down by the COPE course and bagged 1 of 10 scouts. Then I moved to the Chow Hall. Scouts came alone. Then as it came closer to assemble, a line formed. Scouts viewed, the kitchen staff viewed, the camp staff viewed. Finally the start of assembly (late again) closed the secession.
In class we covered the merit badge requirements. We discussed lunar phases and eclipses with three two colored Nerf balls. We studied constellations with star charts and my constellation posters. We used the Virtual moon program to study phases and to name craters. "Mare" were studied with laminated charts from Sky and Telescope.
I did a computer day. We used the ESA SOHO disc to discuss the sun. It has several "power point like" presentations with in it as well as still and video images. We used Sky Tools to study constellations and the location of the milky way. We studied what a 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 magnitude sky looks like. We studied the locations of DSOs of magnitude 6 or less, 9 or less, 12 or less and discussed what types of objects were located in and out of the plane of the Milky Way. On the second computer day we finished up the above and also looked at a few video DSO images. And we used Sky Tools to locate different planets during the different months of the year. We also did this with star charts, books and a S&T observing guide – i.e. how do you know where the planets are and what months to look for them.
I think that the hours spent setting up and breaking down scopes (up to 4 hours a day) were made "worth it" by the scouts and adults who said "Wow", "Amazing", "I've never seen anything like that before", "Those are sun spots?", "I see it", and of course "Thank You". And I got a Camp Shirt as a gift too! I also am confident that when the merit badge counselor told me that the kids who attended camp this week learned more then any of the kids who had attended for the past four weeks that she was telling the truth. I know that they saw more. I know that they had more hands on 'scope time.
So what did you do on your summer vacation?