STAR GAZING--
at the Warren Rupp Observatory

Folks stood in line for a stunning peek at the waxing moon Saturday night through the observatory's amateur operated, 31" reflecting telescope--one of the world's largest.  "Waxing" means growing toward full intensity.

The open truss tube is 18 feet long, the scope and mount weigh 7,500 pounds and operate under an electrically controlled, 30 foot dome.

Add all of that to being located high on the ridge of Hidden Hollow Camp under the dark skies of Possum Run Road and you have a terrific, star-gazing facility.

To achieve their view, visitors in groups of three were hoisted ten to 12 feet above the floor on an electric operated lifting platform. 

As the lift approached the viewer's eye level the height was adjusted to accommodate each viewer; many of whom were treated to the astronomy sight of a lifetime.

The scope and eyepiece combination were so powerful only a small portion of the moon's surface filled the eyepiece.

Guests gasped as mountain ranges slid gently into view or they took a visual journey around one of the moon's countless craters.  The moon that night was in its gibbous (bulging on both sides) stage, about 75% full.

There was mild, visual shimmer due to the heat of the day escaping through the Earth's atmosphere but that was mostly offset by the sun's angular painting of the moon's surface, rendering textures in sharp contrast.

It was hard to imagine you were examining a celestial surface some 250,000 miles away.

While the big telescope was dazzling visitors a large array of smaller, portable scopes was in operation on the paved viewing platform beside the domed observatory.  With many of these instruments, visitors were treated to a startling view of the planet Saturn--always a very pleasant, mind jarring celestial experience when the viewer ponders the fact, that most visually spectacular of the planets is some 800 million miles away, give or take a few, of course.

Some scopes were electronically tracking their targets so the view remained centered in the eyepiece regardless of orbital efforts to the contrary.  Others were connected to monitors where many folks at a time could enjoy the scope's view.

The observatory is operated by the Richland Astronomical Society and holds free, public viewing nights the first Saturday of each month from March to November.

Do your self a favor and visit next month.  By 10 p.m., our galactic neighbor Andromeda will be climbing into the Eastern sky.  The big telescope is powerful enough to resolve details in that galaxy--which is about 2.5 million light years away.

Be prepared for a mind bending experience.  The light from Andromeda that reaches your eye that evening left there 2.5 million years ago.

Stated another way, that's how far you will be looking back in time.
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That is my adopted grand daughter Mackenna Curtis-Collins in the above photo adjusting the eyepiece focus while standing on the lift high above the 31" telescope's domed floor.  The gibbous moon appears just above (but a quarter of a million miles away) from the the scope's eyepiece.

Click here for the observatory's web page.