Observing Notesfrom the Tuckahoe IrregularsJoe Morris did a great job organizing this trip. The mountain top site has a spectacular southern horizon for viewing as well as a great vista during the day. I opted for tent camping so I can't comment on the dorm or meal options. The unique round yurts looked nice and clean when I peeked inside. The weather gods only gave us one good night (Thursday) but it was a beauty. There were about 8 of us on the field that night. I consider myself a VERY casual observer, usually going after a few of the Messier showpieces that are up. I had been thinking about starting an observing logbook and figured this would be a good time to start. So armed with an observing list printed from Sky Tools and a set of Telrad sky maps I started logging objects. I was enjoying hunting down objects and only spent a minute or two observing each one. My favorite new find was M16 the Eagle nebula-I can't believe I never found it before. I finally climbed in the tent at about 2:30 but some said they stayed up till dawn. The next morning I counted over 50 logbook entries, more than half were new finds. Six of us took a road trip in the rain Saturday to the Greenbank Radio Observatory. They put on a short presentation and give you a bus ride that passes the radio dishes. It was very interesting. The Mountain Institute at Spruce Knob is a great find. Thanks Joe. Keith |