Twenty members joined us Saturday evening for an outstanding impromptu star party.  I counted sixteen telescopes around Alpha Ridge with one member actually pointing three scopes skyward.

Although seeing was lackluster, transparency remained above average throughout the night.  In working through my imagery, I was able to tease out a magnitude 18.9 galaxy with a five-inch lens.

Working out kinks in equipment and trying new things seemed to be the theme of the evening with our members learning the isochronies of their equipment, using new equipment and even pointing toward unfamiliar objects. I love it when deep-sky observers discover the planets.

Meanwhile, several others worked on April’s Object of The Month, Messier 81.

Although a few members left earlier, most started packing up around 11:30pm with Phil Whitebloom and I locking the gate at 12:30am.

Thank you everyone for a wonderful night.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ken Everhart