It was a beautiful weekend up at Pine Mountain Observatory. A crescent Moon set early allowing for a wide range of viewing. The tail of the Perseids zipped through putting on an awesome light display.
The skies were clear. The temperatures were warm for 6200 feet. The crowd was crazy large both nights. Although Friday was busier than Saturday. Jupiter is rising earlier, which folks just love. Andromeda and its two companion galaxies is another crowd favorite. They enjoy the double open cluster under Cassiopeia. It fills the eyepiece with sparkly wonder. The owl cluster is nearby. Then I did tours of nebulae and star clusters.
Both nights were late ones. For as many people that came to visit, it was a wonderful crowd of people.
Six weekends left until the end of the season. Odd mix of looking forward to a break and sad that it's such a long break. Summers up at PMO refuel my creativity. Sometimes I'm tired and grumpy when I get up there, but then I start talking with folks and I'm instantly re-energized. We talk about the wonders of the Universe and other things. I bring my business cards as I often get new fans in the process. It's not my motivation for being a star guide, but it's nice to know there are other folks out there cheering for me. For the most part, people are good. We often forget, letting the media distort our view of each other. Then we talk and meet face-to-face and are reminded as to how connected we are. We have way more in common than and can find a way to talk to each other with civility and sincerity. It reaffirms my faith in people and the scenery and conversations lead to new story ideas.
So, thanks to all the great people who have come to visit us so far this year.
