Jeffry’s telescope zeros in on planets
Many thanks to Randy for bringing us together last evening to do some stargazing on the beautiful Hart’s Mill land. Several of us (Randy, Anika, Jeffry, Margret, Hope & Paul) gathered early, did some work in the garden, checked out Anthony’s MicroWalden shanty, and then set up for the main event. There was some summer haze in the sky, but not a cloud in sight. Perfect.
Jeffry had bush-hogged a large area in the eastern pasture the day before, so we had a comfortable and unobstructed view of the open sky. Jeffry also set up his wonderful 6-inch reflecting telescope. The 
half-moon was in perfect phase for crater exploration. Just west of the moon sat Mars (orange aglow) and Saturn in nice aspect for ring viewing. Trailing the setting sun was Jupiter, proudly showing off three of its moons. Thanks, Jeffry, for this treat and for discussions about the mysteries and mechanics of the solar system!
Patience rewarded only two decent meteor flashes. (The same night in Livermore, CA, Hope’s brother, Mack, took this photo of a shooting star.) In the end, no one stayed behind to spend the night (just too hot and muggy), and by 11:30 the gate was closed as the last car headed home. What a fun way to spend a Carolina summer evening with great friends.
