Seneca Shadows

Equipment:

Astrobuddies:

  • Boy Scout Troop 12

The Site:
Nestled beneath the Seneca Rocks lies the Seneca Shadows campground in the national recreation area. The group and tent sites are in a field. The 4 group sites are staircased on a gentle slope with views of the rocks. Trees shielded much light but there was a nearby shower with 24 hr light. Located 21 road miles(less by crow) from Spruce Knob, this is some dark sky by WV standards. Not ideal because of local light, but the scouts are only slowly coming around to the need for absolute darkness. However, the troop master did extinguish the camp lights when we started to view. The Milky Way arcs across the sky from mountain top horizon to mountain top horizon. The humidity did decrease the transparency though.

After work I left at about 5:15PM, stopped for gas and traveled at warp speed to make the trip in a little over 4 hours with one short stop for gas. The in car dining service included Diet Dr. pepper and Cheese filled Combos. I guess I shouldn’t have eaten the whole bag.

Arriving, I greeted my son and said happy birthday. He and I then directed a train of scouts who helped carry my gear from the car to the site I selected for the scope. This was the first time out for my new Tom Ospowski equatorial platform . I aligned it north and leveled it. I had never put the scope on it. We had to align 3 balls with 3 holes, lowering the holes in the scope’s feet onto the balls. It took 4 Scouts and me to accomplish this with difficulty after much trial and error. We assembled the scope.

Then I had an experience that I have now come to expect. I aimed the scope at M13.

I told the scouts to first look in the finder (Orion 80mm Short tube mounted on the UTA) and then the 20. They would look in the finder and say "I see it, it looks fuzzy". Then they'd look in the eyepiece of the 20" and say "WOW!", with great emphasis. Time after time - scout after scout. the same response was elicited from several leaders as well: "Wooow".

It was nice to have the platform. In the past an observing secession with the scouts has been like this: find object and center in EP. Descend ladder. One or two scouts view and then one says "I don’t see it". And I have to go up and recenter. Friday, I set the scope on M13 and it stayed there. Scout after scout after scout. If they didn’t keep saying "WOW!", I would not have believed that M13 was still in the EP. I am very happy with the performance of the platform. Now I just need to figure out how to mount the scope on it without 2-4 assistants.

Later that night, after the fire had died, when the scouts and their leaders were tucked in their tents, I put a black cloth over my head to block that annoying glow of the milky way I pointed at the NGC 6992-5 component of the veil; Slipped the OIII filter into the Nagler 31 EP; then slowly and quietly I said "WwwwooooooowwwW". Nothing compares to the experience of having your own 20" scope at a nice dark sky site. I really like this scope.

But I am ahead of myself.

With the Scouts we viewed M13, M27 (dumbbell), M57 and M22. By then, exhausted by a 3 hour hike up to the top of Seneca rocks and back and a trip through the Smoke hole Caverns (Far inferior to Seneca Caverns by the way) the scouts slipped off one by one to bed (?sleeping bag).

Scoutless, I hop down to the Swan nebula M17, which I had been unable to find for my friend’s wife before they went to bed (cot?). With the OIII filter I could see much faint extension beyond the Swan itself. Very satisfying view.

Inspired by Mike Spooner from AZ who encouraged me to push the power on objects. I observe the Ring with the 22, 12, and 7mm Naglers with and without the OIII filter.

I return to the dumbbell with the 22 and 12 and observe it with the OIII filter. I hide beneath my black head cloth. I felt that I could see 2 lobes around a central point with a surrounding ring centered over that point but slightly tilted in space. Wow.

M92, M17, M18, and M16 are visited in sucession.

I was frustrated by the difficulty that I had finding the helix nebula NGC 7293. My hunt failed until Fomalhaut rose and I used it to triangulate the position of the nebulae. (Prior to F-s appearance I was disoriented and "lost in space") The OIII filter was needed and this is a faint object. But I think I know where it lives now.

Then the veil. I looked at all 3 components with the OIII and the hood. Stunning. Why are my companions asleep? Oh well I didn’t have to share the view. I looked at this for a long time. Going back and forth.

Having seen M27 I had to remove the OIII and visit M71. This was brighter then I’d remembered.

I visited the Pelican and North American (NGC 7000) Nebulae, but I prefer the view with the 2" 40mm Konig or Nagler 31mm with an OIII in my 10" because of the bigger FOV.

NGC 6871 is a bright OC in Cygnus which was where I’d ended up. I sought and found for the first time NGC 6888 the Crescent Nebula. A nice object with the OIII. I viewed with the 31mm. Next time I’ll try the 22. A high light for me As I’d never found it before. I ended with the blinking planetary but I still feel that I see this effect better with my 10”. Maybe I need to push the power.

Exhausted, I disassembled the scope, sracked its components, covered them with a tarp and joined my son in his 2 man tent for a night of deep sleep under star filled skys. And glowing strands of Nebulosity danced in his head.