Welcome Derek! Even though it looks like it won’t be cold, bring a jacket, maybe a stocking cap and gloves. As Dave often says, dress for 20 deg colder than it is. We’re not moving around much so it feels cold.
Please park so your headlights point towards the gate. And only use red flashlights or headlamps after dark. You can get red film to put over the lens of a white flashlight if you don’t have a red light. I’ll bring some tail light repair tape, which works great.
Also, there’s stickers, sand burrs I guess, out there, so I don’t recommend sandals or open toed shoes. I usually wear boots. And take off your shoes when you get home, before you walk on carpet. They’ll stick to your shoes, until the carpet snags them. I guarantee you’ll find them again the next time you walk around barefoot. And don’t let them get onto your lawn, or you’ll have them all over next spring.
If you don’t eat beforehand, you can bring some food heat it up. There’s a full kitchen. Bring anything you like to drink, though we have a few things there for all to drink. Lots of instant tea, hot chocolate, etc. I’ll bring a few snacks that anyone is welcome to. There’s water in the cooler or bottles in the fridge. DON’T drink the water from the faucet. It’s not potable.
If you don’t have a scope, don’t worry. You can look through others, or we have several that you can use. If you have binoculars, bring them. You should be able to see Comet 2023 A3 with them tomorrow.
Please make sure someone with a key is going to have it open when you get there, otherwise you’ll be sitting at the gate until one of us gets there. I still haven’t found out if it needs mowing, so not sure when I’ll be there.
Dave checked on the camera, and it doesn’t look like the grass has grown much, if any, since the last mowing, so I won’t be heading out early to mow.
I like to stop at Swadley’s in El Reno for dinner before heading out, so my plan now is to get to Swadley’s around 4:15-4:30, leave around 5 and get to CRO about 6. Sunset is at 6:44.
If anyone wants a guide, meeting me at Swadley’s is easiest. Or post on here what time you can get to Cherokee Trading post or Geary City Hall, and make arrangements with someone else going to meet at either place. Cherokee is the traditional meeting spot, but I’ve found meeting at the Geary City Hall is easier to find each other. Lots of cars at Cherokee and it’s easy to miss each other. There are no cars at the Geary City Hall lot on Saturday evening, so if a car is there, it’s probably waiting for a guide.
You can also get directions in either Google or Apple Maps. Just search for Cheddar Ranch Observatory, Watonga, OK, and it should pop up.
I’ll probably be there until 11-midnight, but another CRO member might stay later.
It’s going to be chilly, so dress warmly! I’ll probably put on some long johns and wear my winter boots. Fall is definitely here!
We had a great All Members Night at CRO last night! Some wispy clouds early, but those cleared off. Almost no wind. Great viewing.
The comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was naked eye visible (barely. It’s fading fast!). The Milky Way was bright overhead.
Thanks to Chris Johns for opening, and Marv Halsey, for opening and operating the 14”! I’m always glad when that’s open and in use!
We had at least 14 folks there last night! That’s how many I counted before it got dark. It’s possible one or two more came after dark and slipped by me. There were quite a few non-CRO members, which is the whole point of All Members Night at CRO. And four of the folks there were prospective members! We might have some new folks join soon. Great viewing nights like last night are the best recruiting tools for the club!
It got a bit chilly, dropping into the low 50s. I needed my long johns, winter boots, stocking cap and a warm shirt and coat. Plus some light gloves at times. The building was a great place to warm up though! And with no wind, it wasn’t bad at all. Stickers were bad.
The long range forecast for next week, Nov 2, is not looking good. I see in the forecast a 70% chance of thunderstorms in that area next Saturday, day and night. But this is Oklahoma. Stand by. I’ll probably make the call on Saturday. And also check back here for any last minute changes.
It was my first time out last night, and all I can say is WOW! Thanks to all who make this possible; this is a fantastic facility! I’m looking forward to the next members night.
Great photos, Bob! Thanks for your feedback. We work hard to make All Member Night a great experience for all. Of course, we cannot control the weather; but it was one of the best viewing nights I’ve seen all year. Transparency was very good and seeing was excellent.
Thanks to Chris for opening and helping manage the facility last night. He changed batteries in the always annoying smoke detector, removed a small snake from the water heater closet and helped me cover the C14 at closing. Did much more to help members feel welcome all evening.
Thanks to Mitche for hosting and providing delicious snacks! They were devoured as the night got cooler.
It was a pleasure meeting new and prospective members and showing off our C14. We viewed the comet, planets, several nebulae and various NGC objects, and Jupiter rising at the end of the night. There were lots of “WOW” experiences for us all; myself included as I had not seen the comet as yet.
