Key Takeaways:
- A stargazing event was held on September 20, 1995, utilizing a refurbished 16-inch telescope mirror originally owned by Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto. The event took place near the planned location of Lunar Base Alpha in Animas, New Mexico.
- Approximately 40 attendees observed various celestial objects, including globular clusters (M22, M13, M4, M15), the Ring Nebula (M57), the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), and Saturn, using the 16-inch telescope and a separate 18-inch telescope.
- Solar observation of prominences was also facilitated using a Hydrogen-alpha solar telescope during the daytime hours preceding the nighttime astronomical observations.
- A future event is announced, scheduled for October 11, featuring the first light use of a new 30-inch reflector telescope, referred to as the "Lockwood Monster," for further celestial observation.
I was fortunate to have known American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto. In fact, when I lived in El Paso, Texas, in the 1990s, I frequently visited him at his home, which was not far away in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Sometimes, I’d stay after sunset and observe with him using his homemade 16-inch telescope, which he set up in his backyard. Seeing the venerable astronomer, then in his 80s, scramble around the framework of that scope made me wonder if I was going to witness his final act! But the scope and its mount were well built, so no accidents happened.
Credit: David J. Eicher
Fast forward to Saturday, September 20, 1995. Because of the foresight of the group Terra Mars Productions, led by acclaimed designer Pam Price, I once again was able to view celestial wonders through Clyde’s telescope. Or at least his mirror. The mount and drive had long since passed the point where they were usable. So, Price’s group acquired his 16-inch mirror and had it installed in a brand-new housing on a new mount.
Visitors arrived throughout the day, with the final number totaling around 40. They ranged from people who lived at the site to former NASA employees and an individual who ran an astronomy bed-and-breakfast facility. Our hosts provided lunch, dinner, and a pancake breakfast the next morning.
The site
The telescope and a recently acquired 18-inch StarMaster reflector were set up near where Price and her team will create Lunar Base Alpha, an ambitious four-acre project near Animas, New Mexico. Lunar Base Alpha will replicate the lunar landscape and feature rovers conducting science experiments. And if you want to extend your visit, you can stay in one of the habitats under construction.
From the site, the faint glow from Animas’s lights were barely visible along the eastern horizon. And while there are mountains in several directions, they’re far enough away so that the visible sky comes pretty close to the true horizon. And even though it was uncharacteristically humid (it had rained a lot the previous day), the Milky Way was striking from Perseus on the northeastern horizon to Sagittarius on the southwest horizon.
A night of wonders
Once we had collimated the scope (aligned the optical components), I, along with about 30 other people, anxiously waited for twilight to fade. Finally, it was dark enough. I selected a target that wasn’t too high so people could view it without the need for a ladder. As I swung the scope around, my mind’s eye reminded me of the many times Clyde had done the same thing for me.
And then, there it was: the magnificent globular cluster M22 in Sagittarius. Any concern about the quality of the mirror or the telescope it was in vanished during that first moment. The cluster displayed a concentrated core and a gentle thinning of its stellar density as you viewed farther from its center. Hundreds of individual stars — the tiniest points of light — surrounded the central glow. The eyepiece we used framed M22 wonderfully. It had a wide true field of view, so the cluster didn’t drift out of it quickly, a technique every amateur astronomer who ever led a public observing session has learned. And there was zero distortion visible within the entire field of view. Well done!
We also observed several other globular clusters, including the Hercules Cluster (M13), M4 in Scorpius, and M15 in Pegasus; the Ring Nebula (M57), which kept looking better as we increased the magnification; the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51); and Saturn, whose rings were nearly edge-on to us. Several of the Ringed Planet’s moons were also visible. And as a bonus, everyone observed an incredibly long atmosphere-skipping meteor. Our marvelous observing session lasted nearly four hours, and many people stayed until the end.
Join us October 11
OK, viewing celestial lights reflected off Clyde Tombaugh’s mirror was great. But what if you want to see objects fainter than a 16-inch telescope can show? Then, my friends, join us Saturday, October 11, for first light through Terra Mars Productions’ 30-inch reflector. (I’m salivating as I write this!) The mirror, figured by Mike Lockwood of Lockwood Custom Optics, has a focal ratio of f/3.3. Yes, you read that right. Viewing objects even at the zenith won’t require more than a short step-stool. Informally, the owners are referring to this mirror as the Lockwood Monster.
That marvelous optic will be housed within a telescope built by Randy Cunningham of AstroSystems, located in LaSalle, Colorado. And both Randy and Mike will be at the first-light celebration October 11, along with Astronomy magazine’s Editor Emeritus, Dave Eicher. As soon as more details become available, I’ll share them here.
