CRO IS OPEN!!
Perfectly clear skies and very very windy.
Come on out just to tour, if you’d like. Hopefully the wind will slack off after sunset.
Thanks to all the members who mowed, trimmed and made other maintenance repairs. The facility is in excellent condition.
CRO IS CLOSED.
No one came out, but i busied myself with some minor cleaning and viewing with my astronomical binoculars, firmly mounted on my low, stable tripod.
Best catch was Omega Centauri, only up 6 degrees this time of year.
See you next time, i hope!
Thanks for opening CRO Marv! Omega Centauri is amazing, eh?
It certainly is! I’ve waited several years to be able to view it though a telescope from a pad out there. I always missed it mostly due to weather. Binoculars were great, though.
The sky was perfect in every direction. Too bad the wind was howling!! Couldn’t even use the C14 safely.
I’ve completed my cataract survey post ops, and am good to go for the June Member Nights.
Good deal 
The next OKCAC All Member night at CRO is Saturday, Jun 6th.
Sunset is at 8:48pm and the Moon rises at 1:22am. I have another event on this night which might get cancelled. Not sure if I will be able to make this one.
If you’re planning to come out, please post on here that you are going.
I will not be able to make this one. Family medical stuff.
Clear skies!
Just like First Friday, the forecast for CRO this Saturday is clouds and rain off an on all day and night.
I suspect I’ll be canceling this, but stand by. The forecast can change quickly.
All Members Night at CRO is canceled for 6 June.
The forecasts are calling for thunderstorms tomorrow in that area with clouds after them. Hopefully we’ll have better weather next weekend!
The next OKCAC All Member night at CRO is Saturday, Jun 13th.
Sunset is at 8:51pm and the Moon rises at 5:23am. Not sure if I will be able to make this one.
If you’re planning to come out, please post on here that you are going.
Sadly the forecast has taken a turn for the worse. Looks like it’s going to be completely cloudy, with high winds and possible thunderstorms during our evening viewing hours.
I won’t cancel it yet, but if the forecast doesn’t change, and no CRO member posts that they are going to open it regardless of the weather, I’ll probably cancel by early afternoon.
If you’re considering going out tonight, stay tuned!
CANCELLED - ALL MEMBERS NIGHT FOR JUNE 13
My weather apps are all still showing clouds moving in at or slightly before sunset, with thunderstorms probable.
It’s not a good idea for folks to be observing with lightning nearby. No CRO member has posted they want to open it (I can’t make it - family in town from Arkansas), so I’m going to go ahead and cancel this.
The All Members Nights in July are on the 11th and 18th. Hopefully our spring weather will have settled down by then and we’ll have some great viewing then!
If anyone is wondering about the event nights at CRO there are a couple of places to check for events … the OKC Astronomy Club Event Calendar and this page
** Setting aside the First Friday Public Viewing events, most events fall on the weekends **
The next All Members Night at CRO is scheduled for Saturday, 11 July. Sunset is at 2052 (8:52pm in old time) and the moon does not rise until 0405 (4:05am), so it should be a very dark night during normal observing hours!!
A reminder that All Members Nights are exactly that. ALL members are invited to come out to CRO to observe the night sky in a darker environ than the big cities or towns. These evenings are for all members, any prospective members, or any guests. This is not for CRO members only. (Though they’re invited too!)
Sadly, the forecasts are not good right now for this Saturday night. Partly cloudy skies, possible drizzle and/or thunderstorms are on the forecast until around midnight, which is usually when we start packing up to go home. The wind should be mild and the temps should be warm, 70s, maybe 80s. So if the clouds cooperate, it should be a good night.
But forecasts can change quickly in Oklahoma, so stay tuned to this thread to see whether the observatory will be open or not. Joel and I are planning on mowing early in the day, but we’re not planning to stay out there all afternoon and evening before dark.
I’ll probably announce at the meeting Friday night if we cancel or not.
If any CRO member is planning on opening the observatory, please post on here you will do so, and what time you plan to open it.
NON-CRO MEMBERS! If you plan on going out, PLEASE post on here you plan to do so! In marginal weather, often the decision for a CRO member to drive out there to open it will depend on if any other observers will be there or not! I’ve spent several wonderful nights out there by myself when no one else has shown up, but the weather then was good! I don’t particularly want to open it up to just sit inside by myself and read a book because the skies are mostly cloudy and no one else shows up. I can do that at home without a 3 hour round trip drive.
Please do not drive out there if no CRO members posts here they will have it open. We do not want you driving all that way just to find the gate and building locked.
I’m planning to come out Saturday. I’ll arrive about an hour before sunset. I’ll open, if no one else has by then.
Partly cloudy is ok for some limited viewing. And there’s always a tour for new members.
Regular members and their invited guests are always appreciated!
I will watch for rain chances during the driving/observing time, and post by 6pm if I decide not to drive out.
Thanks to Mitche and Joel for a fresh mowing job beforehand!
Thanks, Marv, for volunteering to open!
For those seeing the party cloudy forecasts and getting discouraged, while some clouds may make imaging difficult, you can usually get some great visual observing in! The wind and temperatures will be perfect for bringing a camp chair, or better, a zero-G chair, out to lay back and look at the sky!
And forecasts can be wrong! They are guesstimates, usually issued for a large region, and summarized for a whole night. I’ve been at CRO when the forecast was mostly cloudy, but the sky was clear for the hours I was there.
What Mitche said.
And there are already 2 Zero-G chairs at CRO. Last I saw them, they were in the library.
Jan and I donated them last year. Very comfortable!
Enjoy!!
I’ll be showing up Saturday, clouds or no clouds. Starting a photo project
Since no members are coming out, except Bill Farrer, I’ve decided not to drive out. All club members are invited, but weather is a concern.
Bill can post if and when he’s going to leave.