May 21, 2012
May 21, 2012
The forecast today is for 105. Yes, it is a dry heat but it is still hot, especially in the sun. Cooler temperatures are in our backyard… sort of. Or at least I can see them atop the mountain we look at every day. Aimee and I jump in the car and make the ninety-minute journey to the summit of Mt. Lemmon. A drive up the steep Sky Island Scenic Byway with the A/C on full blast is apparently tough on the engine. Partway up I notice the car getting close to overheating, so I turn the air off before the radiator turns into a geyser. We don’t have to suffer long. The air temp steadily drops thirty degrees over the ascent to altitude 9157 feet. Near the top we stop to enjoy the pine smell and the great views of the valley far below, all while basking in the cool temperatures. Nestled in a narrow valley below the summit is the tiny hamlet of Summerhaven. It has a very apt name. It might be nice to have a summer cabin here, but there is precious little to do in this sky island but hike.
The summit of Mt. Lemmon is also home to the Steward Observatory. We meet a guide at the gate and follow him to the actual summit. There we see a half dozen telescope domes scattered around. None are gigantic. We later learn that one is controlled remotely by astronomers in South Korea. Because they are on the other side of the world, they can observe the night sky conveniently during their day.
We are here to attend the University of Arizona’s SkyNights program and it turns out to be simply outstanding. The five-hour program was well choreographed with non-stop action and learning. After a brief tour of the facilities, we were introduced to the star of the program, a 32-inch reflecting telescope. Aimee and I have looked through large amateur telescopes before and I have to say I have never been terribly impressed. The images are nothing like the photos, which are taken with hours and hours of camera exposure. This telescope though is professional size and completely computer controlled. It reminded me of Robocop. The guide selected an object on the computer and the telescope moved into proper position. I want one! Our first view was the planet Venus and with this telescope it looks as large and crescent-shaped as the moon.
We next step out of the observatory to watch the setting sun. Because of a stray cloud it just happened to look like Saturn. We then had a great dinner waiting for the sky to darken. With our tummy’s full we return to the telescope and observe a star cluster, a double galaxy, a nebula, and the planet Mars.
We then take a break and walk outdoors for an orientation to the night sky and the constellations. Aimee learned how to use a star chart. We also watched a satellite pass thru the sky.
The climax of the night was a return to the observatory to see Saturn. That is always a treat no matter the telescope. With this one it was huge enough to see the separation in the rings. Aimee and I got in line to see it twice.
The only drawback of this wonderful evening of astronomy is getting home. It is a long drive back in the dark. Fortunately it is all downhill and we are the only ones on the winding road.
The forecast today is for 105. Yes, it is a dry heat but it is still hot, especially in the sun. Cooler temperatures are in our backyard… sort of. Or at least I can see them atop the mountain we look at every day. Aimee and I jump in the car and make the ninety-minute journey to the summit of Mt. Lemmon. A drive up the steep Sky Island Scenic Byway with the A/C on full blast is apparently tough on the engine. Partway up I notice the car getting close to overheating, so I turn the air off before the radiator turns into a geyser. We don’t have to suffer long. The air temp steadily drops thirty degrees over the ascent to altitude 9157 feet. Near the top we stop to enjoy the pine smell and the great views of the valley far below, all while basking in the cool temperatures. Nestled in a narrow valley below the summit is the tiny hamlet of Summerhaven. It has a very apt name. It might be nice to have a summer cabin here, but there is precious little to do in this sky island but hike.
We are here to attend the University of Arizona’s SkyNights program and it turns out to be simply outstanding. The five-hour program was well choreographed with non-stop action and learning. After a brief tour of the facilities, we were introduced to the star of the program, a 32-inch reflecting telescope. Aimee and I have looked through large amateur telescopes before and I have to say I have never been terribly impressed. The images are nothing like the photos, which are taken with hours and hours of camera exposure. This telescope though is professional size and completely computer controlled. It reminded me of Robocop. The guide selected an object on the computer and the telescope moved into proper position. I want one! Our first view was the planet Venus and with this telescope it looks as large and crescent-shaped as the moon.
We then take a break and walk outdoors for an orientation to the night sky and the constellations. Aimee learned how to use a star chart. We also watched a satellite pass thru the sky.
The only drawback of this wonderful evening of astronomy is getting home. It is a long drive back in the dark. Fortunately it is all downhill and we are the only ones on the winding road.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 11:55 AM
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