For once there was no question about the weather. Over the course of the evening, we had an estimated 30 guest observers with several groups of enthusiastic youngsters participating. This number was a little low and may have been due to a new policy for park entry enacted that day.
We started out solar observing with perfectly clear skies. Using a hydrogen-alpha scope the Sun had a very impressive prominence with an additional couple of filaments and an obvious plage area. Our white light filtered scopes showed a quite small sunspot group. Over the course of the solar observing the prominence faded but was still visible when the Sun set behind some thin clouds gathering over the western horizon.
Switching to nighttime scopes, Jupiter and Venus were our first targets. The usual Destin haze kept us from viewing any really deep sky objects. However, M 44 and the always popular pair of Alcor and Mizar were bright enough to see along with the constant orbital traffic of satellites.
The club members who were able to support the event were:
- Renee & George Gollehon
- Tom Haugh
- Jason LeBlanc
- Ken Yates
Once again, we need to thank the rangers and volunteers of Henderson Beach State Park for hosting our star gazes and their constant support prior to and during the event. Thank you all.