Public Star Party (Alpha Ridge) 5/27/2023
150-200 folks were treated to an evening of astro fun around HALO last night. Phil Whitebloom led a group of scouts, their families, and others on a solar system walk just after sunset. He looked like the Pied Piper with around 30-40 followers. Hannah Broder held court in HALO featuring the moon, Venus, and several clusters and galaxies. The conversation was animated and the questions insightful. Garry Ingle took time between dismantling the 16” Meade to show guests the moon and other targets. Steve Bilanow had two celestial sphere globes on display and answered questions. At least one HAL member captured the new supernova on camera, and Ken Everhart and David Stein were busy all night sharing eyepiece views. And, of course, Outer Space Bob Savoy and WhizKid Arjun had their solar system display set up and entertained visitors for a continuous 3 hours. I heard one father comment that he was bringing his family back next month just to listen to Arjun. The highlight of my night was peering through Phil’s night vision gizmo and seeing a long meteor flash through my 40 degree field of view.
We have a super membership which loves sharing their passion for astronomy with others. Thank you to all HAL members who showed up with equipment or to just hang out with other like-minded folks.
Joel Goodman
SP Co-Host
