Driveway Astronomy Moment Part II

Hi all

It has been awhile since i setup a public viewing session.
On saturday 10/4/2003 I have just a wonderfull Public viewing session albeit an
unplanned one.

I was hurrying home after a long saturday at work (both me and my wife work in
a Nail Salon on weekend and going to scool on weekday) Got home around 8:30.Sky
was clear and Mars and the moon could be seen prominently in the sky. Around
the corner of the road i could see that our neighbor was having abig get
together. Cars were park everywhere. I hurriedly went into the kitchen and
setup two pot to boil and steam our dinner for tonight which consist of Crabs
and Cherrystone Clams. I went to garage and bring out my Frankenscope /Chop a
Dob. (It is a 8inch f 6 dob Chop into two and connected with wood moulding to
acomodate 8inch f 8 mirror) .
My intention is to bring out the dob and let the mirror cool down. I plug
in the Meade 13.8 SWA . Moon looks glorious. Plug in the Cheshire eyepiece and
do some collimation touch up. " Honey !!! Water is boilling " Come my wife
sweet voice from inside the house. .. Gumble Grumble I ran into the house
to start the dinner. ... I plop in the Crabs ,Clamps into the pot and quickly
give my wife a kiss and say "Honey i'll be out there for a sec Ok !! Be right
in for the dinner". While i was peering tru the Radian 5mm to check the seeing
.. a male voice could be heard "What is that ! A telescope. I have never seen
one that big " I look up and see my neighbor with a beer on one hand and a
cigarette on the other. He introduces himself and vice versa. Probably out of
guilt and courtesy he insisted that i come to his party. I try very hard and
politely to reject the offer. He managed to get me into the house and
introduces me to some of his friends and families. Oh well.. As a parting
farewell courtesy i said "i'm setting up a telescope in my driveway. if any of
you want to take a peek tru it You are wellcome. "
Well no adult takers,But when i got to my driveway there is already a
bunch of little kids gathering around my telescope. To oblige to show them the
moon. Since most of this kids are pint size, out come my Rubbermaid Heavyduty
tool case to be use as step ladder. One by one the kids peer tru the telescope.
"Woow" "Geezz" "It is a lifetime supplies of cheese " " Good golly "........
"I can't see anything. Ohhhhh i see it... " " Look like pan cake !!!!! "
.......

" HONEY dinner is ready "'.. "Oh just a minute honey .. i'll be right there "
come my answer while holding a four year old girl to the eyepiece. By now there
are at least 12 kids around the telescope.
"Can we look at mars " "Okay " here is Mars" .. "Honey why don't eat the
dinner first " I say to my wife knowing my Crabs and Clams are cooling like the
universe after the Big Bang. and quietly hoping my wife would not deliver a Big
Bang of her own. :^)

The kids go to see Albiero, (Cuz they want to see stars ) . And this is very
chalenging. since Albiero is high close to zenith and the telescope is a 8inch
f/8 Kids are short and i'm the human step ladder.
Mars was not very interesting to the kids. (well scope has not cool down and
the kids has the attention span of gnat :^) ). moon by far was their
favorite.
I put the TV 5mm Radian and let the kids experience the moon flyby. I asked the
kids to pretend that they are the astronaut flying over the moon surface and
looking out the window. Most of them get really excited about it. Another
raound of " wahhhh " " Geeeezzz" and more kids show up .... After the number 12
kids i lost count.
Then one of the littlest girl who i have to hold up to the eyepiece ask "
How come you don't wear shoes " Oops I didn't realize i haven't been wearing
shoes for all this time and my toes are starting to get numbs. "Oh it is okay
for me" i reply.

After what seems to me a short time one by one the kids start to leave. I
quickly run into the house to my dinner . But alas it is already 10:30 and my
crabs and clams don't taste as good as they should but the memories of the kids
excitement over the view of the moon make the cold dinner taste a whole lot
better.
After a quick dinner i bring my wife out to show the dark marking and the
polar ice cap on mars and the ultimate one was the straight wall that could be
seen on one of the crater and couple other straight walls around the
terminator.
By this time one by one the car loaded with the party goer start leaving the
neighbor's house. Some of the cars stop to say thank you.
That night i sleep pretty good remembering the sparks in those kids eyes.

I still wonder why no adult takers ???

Sofjan Mustopoh
P.S
Today i read the mail to this month Sky & Telescope .it is titled A wish from
astronomer wife . The wife wrote about how santa should sent her Astronomical
almanac so she could plan her life around her husband addiction to astronomy.
etc etc. also a veiled hint about her husband attraction to the heavenly bodies
vs Hers.. 8^) ... I truly understand.......