NorthWest Florida Astronomy Association

Our 2021 state park star gaze schedule, such as it was, ended at Henderson Beach.

Normally, Henderson Beach star gazes are our most heavily attended events. But 2021 was not a normal year, for so many reasons, and the star gaze at Henderson Beach was no exception. We only had about 25 guest observers during the event that started in the early afternoon with solar viewing. There was a little activity seen but you had to look very close to see a prominence. That will change as we get deeper into solar cycle 25. We had enough scopes set up that we were able to dedicate one to a daytime visible Venus. The half-lit planet was very easy to find in the daytime sky if you knew where to look.

Amongst the guest observers were two that brought and set up their own telescopes. Both were looking for assistance and we were glad to help each of them, one more successfully than the other. We always suggest bringing out personal telescopes; we are glad when people take advantage of the opportunity to join in the fun.

Dennis & Tom discuss the upcoming solar cycle.	Dennis shows a guest a daytime visible Venus.
Guests took advantage of our invitation to bring their own scopes and join in the fun.	The pinkish “Belt of Venus” highlights the evening sky.

As the skies darkened Jupiter and Saturn came into view with Saturn, of course, the more popular target. Several deep sky objects were viewed as well as Neptune when it rose high enough in the sky to clear the mucky atmosphere near the horizon.

• George & Renee Gollehon
• Dave Halupowski & Kennedy Odom
• Tom Haugh
• Dennis & Marietta Hausch

We would like to thank the management and park rangers of Henderson Beach state park for allowing us to share our passion for the night sky. We look forward to a more ‘normal’ star gaze schedule and to normal Henderson Beach crowds in 2022.

There was an above average attendance of 85-90 guest observers at our last Topsail Hill star gaze for 2021. Observing started in the early afternoon with the Sun. Even though NASA & NOAA scientists have announced that solar cycle 25 has begun, there was little activity visible on the solar surface. As the Sun dropped behind the tree line, the solar telescopes were put away and nighttime equipment was set up. Venus was easily visible in the dimming daytime sky and as the sky darkened, Jupiter and Saturn followed. Several deep sky objects were also viewed along with a quick look at Neptune before a light haze and a dwindling number of guest observers ended the event.

Club members who were able to support Topsail Hill were:

• Dave Halupowski
• Tom Haugh
• Dennis & Marietta Hausch

We would like to thank the management and park rangers of Topsail Hill Preserve state park for allowing us to share our passion for the night sky. We look forward to a more ‘normal’ star gaze schedule and to Topsail Hill skies in 2022.

The NWFAA is finally getting back into the swing of things with our first community event in over a year. The group headed way up north to Defuniak Springs and held a daytime star gaze for students and faculty of the Defuniak Springs Childcare Network. Overall we had 47 students and four educators participate.

The weather cooperated with clear skies. Even though the Sun is starting to come out of its long period of inactivity, there were no sunspots or prominences visible. That did not hamper the enthusiasm of the assembled classes. We were able to provide three different views of the Sun for our guest observers: white light, H-Alpha light and spectroscopic.

Club members Tom Haugh, Dennis Hausch and Ken Leone were able to brush the cobwebs off their equipment and support the event.

Our annual trek north to the Spanish Trail Scout Reservation to support their Cub Scout Tiger Growl was a success. We always have great support from the camp and the dark skies generate good support from the club. The members that were able to support the event this year where:

• James Dubben
• Walter Dunn
• Chris Foley
• Dave Halupowski
• Tom Haugh
• John Walker

So, whether or not we have a good event, boils down to the weather, and the weather this year started out very good with cool clear skies. Clear enough that we kicked off observations with Venus and a 4 day old crescent Moon in broad daylight and Orion’s Trapezium before the Sun was fully set.

As we continued observing, and unnoticed by most, some clouds started to move in. They built up but then quickly dissipated. The only thing they really did was obscure a Hubble Space Telescope pass. We picked right back up with some of the evenings other targets:

• Uranus
• M 42
• M 41
• Sirius
• Alcor & Mizar

In addition to the telescopic sights there were extensive sessions on constellation recognition and lore.

The event saw 70+ scouts and associated family members. The Tigers eventually all headed back to their camp sites and we packed up after a fun evening. Once again, we thank the scout leaders for the invitation for us to share our love of Astronomy and to use their dark skies.

Once again, the skies did not cooperate with Kenwood Elementary School’s science night. We had plenty of volunteers with scopes at the ready, but they were told to stand down early in the afternoon since the skies were totally overcast.

But, all was not lost. Tom Haugh set up a telescope inside the cafeteria along with all the other science exhibits. He had it focused on a picture of Saturn hung on the opposite wall. This was a hands-on exhibit with the students and parents getting a view of the inverted image provided by most telescopes of today. He reported a total of 74 students and additional parents and siblings getting a look through the scope.

He also set up a NASA Solar System Ambassador display featuring SOFIA, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. There was a video describing the aircraft, its modifications and descriptions of its recent missions. He also had a model of the modified 747.

He said there were a lot of great questions and discussions about the scope and the aircraft as well as current activity aboard the International Space Station.

We look forward to next year and our next attempt to show Kenwood Elementary School students the night sky.