Anybody going to Stellafane? My sons and I will be there, and are looking
forward to another great weekend of amateur astronomy. It has been
rain,rain,rain here in Vermont, but we are hopeful that we will have gotten
the rain out of our system and that 8/1-8/3 will be wonderfully clear.

Last year we didn't bring any optics, and spent our observing time looking
through other's (mostly big) scopes. This was a useful reminder that big is
often not better! This year, I am tempted to again roam the fields but spend
more time observing with smaller and homemade scopes. The view through a
great 6" is just fine by me.

I wonder if John Dobson will be there? Some years ago, my older son pointed
out Dobson sitting on a rock with a bunch of folks sitting around him,
preaching his cosmology. My son said that it looked like a scene out of the
New Testament. We still laugh about that, and it has been added to our
Sellafane lore.

For those of you who haven't gone, and who could go, I want you encourage
you to make the effort. It is a memorable experience.

Dennis