Mercury transit c/o Val K.
Hi all, Val Korsniak texted these to me yesterday. If you can expand the image you can make out Mercury. Says it took about 8 tries, but he held his smartphone up to the eyepiece. Nice going, Val!  
|
Want to share my experience this morning. I had setup my iOptron Cube driving my upgraded Short Tube 80 mm f/5 achromat with a Thousand Oaks solar filter. It worked great visually using a TeleVue 8-24mm zoom EP.? We were able to view the transit perfectly.?
Since I had done it at the local elementary school I did not want to risk by having kids view the sun through the scope for safety reasons.? So after a while, I fitted my old Meade DSI imager in place of the EP and tried to focus it. There I ran into real difficulty. It was the glare from sunlight that made it hard to view the laptop screen and also the poor refresh rate of Meade DSI. I did achieve some level of focus finally and kids were all happy. Here below is a screen grab. Hope you can make out the tiny dot of Mercury on the solar disc. I could have  tried to get sharper focus but I was scared that I may lose the tiny spot that was just visible, though barely.?
CS Prasad
|
Hi All.? I just got a commitment from Andy that the Busy Bee can be there for the September dates.
While I've got your attention, I would like you to know I am hoping to get an earlier weekend approved for a no-frills party before summer.? I've been trying to contact the park supervisor, and I'll let you know when That happens and when I get an answer. Phil
|
Re: responses to the responses of the voting results...
?It won't be October, its unlikely, but not impossible its August....which leaves September......
On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 at 10:33, Paul Leuba < paul@...> wrote: Hey Steve!
The new moon dates for 2020 are as follows:
August:? August 18th September:? September 17th October:? October 16th
Cherry Springs State Park is committed to the Galeton Rotary Club's Woodsman's Show that occurs every year on the first weekend in August.? See here:??.??This is non-negotiable and all star party events have to work around this.? For 2020 its scheduled for?July 31, August 1 & 2, 2020.
The observing field is quite a mess after this event.? I would tend to think August 18th is probably not enough time to remove all of the wood chips, logs, pile-driven timbers etc. from the field.? This is why I believe September will be the date.
The schedule for the next BFSP is not yet known. The September date WAS very popular, we got decent seeing on a couple of nights, but? members of the CPO board are a little concerned we don't chase the moon out to the end of September. We are currently working with the State on dates for next year, and we have a board meeting (with Bill G) where dates and future plans will be discussed. There is no enthusiasm for early August, that's for sure. I think the weekend nearest new moon in August is closer to it than the September one, but I might have my dates crossed up.
Steve, President CPO
On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 at 10:03, Paul Leuba < paul@...> wrote: Hi Phil,
Thanks for the response to my points, but I need to add some clarity.??
1.? Constant communication with Steve - as in the Bat Phone???? Seriously, regarding the Black Forest Star Party - Bill Gartner is the gentleman you need to speak with. Steve Taylor (steveastrouk) is a terrific guy whom I met, and corresponded with on CloudyNights.? Didn't Steve vote for October???? ? Anyway, for up to date info, Bill is your guy.? The last time I spoke with Bill, he indicated that a September date was preferable.? Incidentally, he received overwhelming positive feedback from this year's event on the late September dates that were used.? Its the latest star party ever at Cherry Springs and it was fantastic.? My group was there for 8 nights - we observed every night.? For those that have never been here is some additional information.
?
2.? I don't think I used the word "compete" or "competition".? Nevertheless, what I meant to say is this:? ?I like star parties.? I like astronomical observing.? I would rather not make a choice as to which one to attend, but rather attend BOTH.? The only way that happens is if the two events occur on different dates.? If you force us to choose, We'll choose the Black Forest party.? By "us" I mean my observing group of about 9 folks from Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County.? Maybe, your event is not really about observing/astronomy and more about getting together - which is fine.? Then no need to have it on a "dark of moon" weekend.? ??
3.? Logistics issues for Busy Bee notwithstanding; if you are in the catering business, these are fairly easy to overcome, especially if the reward will be great.?
4.? You mentioned the last 10 years of star parties.? Are you mixing this event, with the Mason Dixon Star Party?? The last Mason Dixon I attended was in 2014.? I think Cindy may have been running that one and Mark Starner ran a couple of them prior to that.? In 2002 I was responsible for having Phil Harrington as the speaker.? I put you in touch with him.??This was the last year at Spring Valley.??And, in 2008, Bob Forbes and I recruited Tom Trusock to be the keynote speaker.?
5.? Regarding Brad Heist and Event Coordination.? ?Phil, your memory fails you.? Perhaps, this was during the time period where you were mired in the accounting irregularity that was uncovered with the YCAS and were not able to focus on astronomy activities.? Brad is one of my best friends and to be clear (and my log books bear this out) Brad and I coordinated 23 public observing sessions.? Brad and I we'll be together over the Thanksgiving weekend.? Also, he believes he WAS a member of YCAS 10 years ago.? You may want to fact-check this since you brought it up.??
Look, at the end of the day, its your gathering so do as you wish.? The feedback from folks was interesting.? But honestly, this seems less about astronomy and more about just getting together socially.? If thats the case, no worries but don't call it a Star Party.??
I brought a telescope to work to view the Mercury transit.? Hope others did the same.
Hello all, Thank you all who have shared your thoughts about the vote.? ? In response to your concerns, I will try to address them briefly, IN UPPER CASE.? Please do not consider this SHOUTING.? It is simply to distinguish the response.? I don¡¯t expect everyone to read this message, but I felt compelled to reply to the issues raised. Here we go: ? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October. ? ANSWER: YES??? I have copies of all votes from the poll-- I get direct notification of all votes to my inbox.? Likewise, all the emails and response I got are saved in a separate file.? Also got the responses that were tagged to the bottom of the poll. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ? WELL, MAYBE.? ACTUALLY, I¡¯VE BEEN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH STEVE TAYLOR, A MEMBER ON THE BFSP?COMMITTEE.? My first question was when the BFSP will be.? His best GUESS that he gave me LAST WEEK would be August.? No promises.? The CPO is currently in re-negotiations with the State Parks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ?? ? THIS STAR PARTY IS NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH BFSP, AHSP, STELLAFANE, OR ANY OTHER PARTY.? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO THOSE PARTIES.? Having been involved with this party since 1995, my opinion is that it is a niche party, fairly dark enough for the observers in the big cities or south of here, within 2-3 hours¡¯ drive of this area.? Many attendees would have to double their drives to attend the bigger parties. ---------------------------------------------- If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party.? By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance ? I HAVEN¡¯T SEEN ANY SIZABLE ATTENDANCE BY ANY OF THE LOCAL CLUBS (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Westminster) ?IN 10 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAITHFULLY ASSISTED ME KEEP THIS PARTY GOING.? ------------------------------ and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize.? I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ? I¡¯VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS WITH BUSY BEE.? I think there are some logistics issues that might be of concern going north.?? ---------------------------------- Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group.? This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party. ? (SEE ABOVE REMARK ABOUT COMPETING) ¡°THIS (YAHOO/.io) GROUP HAS ABOUT 200 MEMBERS.? THEY NEVER ATTEND ALL AT ONCE.? Some haven¡¯t attended for years, retired, or lost interest.? I also questioned people that attended that aren¡¯t on the groups (yet?).? A sizable amount attended this year simply because they found out about it on the web.? I am trying to fill a void, because there appears to be a need. I ran the party for over a decade when it was consistently over 325 attendees.? That was great to increase funds for ¡°the club¡±.? Apparently I was no longer needed for that purpose.? With the amount of people that joined the new group from the Yahoo group, and the interest of other people AND CLUBS ?that have contacted me after the Cloudy Nights review by Glen Ward, I am not worried about becoming as big as the other parties¡ actually, attendees have expressed concern if it DID get that big.? This location might not be able to support that many people, anyway.? Nor might the park supervisor want that many overusing this pristine park.? I¡¯m fine with that.? I DON¡¯T NEED THAT MUCH WORK.? OR THAT MUCH PROFIT. ??AND¡I WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.? ---------------------------------------- I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ? ? I DON¡¯T THINK YOU EVER attended club events when Brad was ¡°event coordinator¡±.? For a while he joked he was ready to sell all his equipment because of the weather.? He quit the club well over 10 years ago.? He also stopped coming to this party years ago.? I consider him a friend, and would love to see him join us sometime.? I like knowing most people¡¯s names, though I¡¯m getting old enough to start being concerned about my memory. There is no way to make everyone happy.? For those of you who decide to go elsewhere, I wish you safe travel, and great observing opportunities.? This party may still be here if you can attend in the future.? All are welcome.? I¡¯ve been to Cherry Springs a few times, and was lucky to observe every time.? I¡¯ve heard others haven¡¯t been that lucky.? As my friend in Canada says, Clear Skies! Phil ? ? ? ?
--
|
Re: responses to the responses of the voting results...
Hey Steve!
The new moon dates for 2020 are as follows:
August:? August 18th September:? September 17th October:? October 16th
Cherry Springs State Park is committed to the Galeton Rotary Club's Woodsman's Show that occurs every year on the first weekend in August.? See here:??.??This is non-negotiable and all star party events have to work around this.? For 2020 its scheduled for?July 31, August 1 & 2, 2020.
The observing field is quite a mess after this event.? I would tend to think August 18th is probably not enough time to remove all of the wood chips, logs, pile-driven timbers etc. from the field.? This is why I believe September will be the date.
The schedule for the next BFSP is not yet known. The September date WAS very popular, we got decent seeing on a couple of nights, but? members of the CPO board are a little concerned we don't chase the moon out to the end of September. We are currently working with the State on dates for next year, and we have a board meeting (with Bill G) where dates and future plans will be discussed. There is no enthusiasm for early August, that's for sure. I think the weekend nearest new moon in August is closer to it than the September one, but I might have my dates crossed up.
Steve, President CPO
On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 at 10:03, Paul Leuba < paul@...> wrote: Hi Phil,
Thanks for the response to my points, but I need to add some clarity.??
1.? Constant communication with Steve - as in the Bat Phone???? Seriously, regarding the Black Forest Star Party - Bill Gartner is the gentleman you need to speak with. Steve Taylor (steveastrouk) is a terrific guy whom I met, and corresponded with on CloudyNights.? Didn't Steve vote for October???? ? Anyway, for up to date info, Bill is your guy.? The last time I spoke with Bill, he indicated that a September date was preferable.? Incidentally, he received overwhelming positive feedback from this year's event on the late September dates that were used.? Its the latest star party ever at Cherry Springs and it was fantastic.? My group was there for 8 nights - we observed every night.? For those that have never been here is some additional information.
?
2.? I don't think I used the word "compete" or "competition".? Nevertheless, what I meant to say is this:? ?I like star parties.? I like astronomical observing.? I would rather not make a choice as to which one to attend, but rather attend BOTH.? The only way that happens is if the two events occur on different dates.? If you force us to choose, We'll choose the Black Forest party.? By "us" I mean my observing group of about 9 folks from Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County.? Maybe, your event is not really about observing/astronomy and more about getting together - which is fine.? Then no need to have it on a "dark of moon" weekend.? ??
3.? Logistics issues for Busy Bee notwithstanding; if you are in the catering business, these are fairly easy to overcome, especially if the reward will be great.?
4.? You mentioned the last 10 years of star parties.? Are you mixing this event, with the Mason Dixon Star Party?? The last Mason Dixon I attended was in 2014.? I think Cindy may have been running that one and Mark Starner ran a couple of them prior to that.? In 2002 I was responsible for having Phil Harrington as the speaker.? I put you in touch with him.??This was the last year at Spring Valley.??And, in 2008, Bob Forbes and I recruited Tom Trusock to be the keynote speaker.?
5.? Regarding Brad Heist and Event Coordination.? ?Phil, your memory fails you.? Perhaps, this was during the time period where you were mired in the accounting irregularity that was uncovered with the YCAS and were not able to focus on astronomy activities.? Brad is one of my best friends and to be clear (and my log books bear this out) Brad and I coordinated 23 public observing sessions.? Brad and I we'll be together over the Thanksgiving weekend.? Also, he believes he WAS a member of YCAS 10 years ago.? You may want to fact-check this since you brought it up.??
Look, at the end of the day, its your gathering so do as you wish.? The feedback from folks was interesting.? But honestly, this seems less about astronomy and more about just getting together socially.? If thats the case, no worries but don't call it a Star Party.??
I brought a telescope to work to view the Mercury transit.? Hope others did the same.
Hello all, Thank you all who have shared your thoughts about the vote.? ? In response to your concerns, I will try to address them briefly, IN UPPER CASE.? Please do not consider this SHOUTING.? It is simply to distinguish the response.? I don¡¯t expect everyone to read this message, but I felt compelled to reply to the issues raised. Here we go: ? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October. ? ANSWER: YES??? I have copies of all votes from the poll-- I get direct notification of all votes to my inbox.? Likewise, all the emails and response I got are saved in a separate file.? Also got the responses that were tagged to the bottom of the poll. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ? WELL, MAYBE.? ACTUALLY, I¡¯VE BEEN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH STEVE TAYLOR, A MEMBER ON THE BFSP?COMMITTEE.? My first question was when the BFSP will be.? His best GUESS that he gave me LAST WEEK would be August.? No promises.? The CPO is currently in re-negotiations with the State Parks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ?? ? THIS STAR PARTY IS NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH BFSP, AHSP, STELLAFANE, OR ANY OTHER PARTY.? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO THOSE PARTIES.? Having been involved with this party since 1995, my opinion is that it is a niche party, fairly dark enough for the observers in the big cities or south of here, within 2-3 hours¡¯ drive of this area.? Many attendees would have to double their drives to attend the bigger parties. ---------------------------------------------- If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party.? By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance ? I HAVEN¡¯T SEEN ANY SIZABLE ATTENDANCE BY ANY OF THE LOCAL CLUBS (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Westminster) ?IN 10 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAITHFULLY ASSISTED ME KEEP THIS PARTY GOING.? ------------------------------ and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize.? I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ? I¡¯VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS WITH BUSY BEE.? I think there are some logistics issues that might be of concern going north.?? ---------------------------------- Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group.? This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party. ? (SEE ABOVE REMARK ABOUT COMPETING) ¡°THIS (YAHOO/.io) GROUP HAS ABOUT 200 MEMBERS.? THEY NEVER ATTEND ALL AT ONCE.? Some haven¡¯t attended for years, retired, or lost interest.? I also questioned people that attended that aren¡¯t on the groups (yet?).? A sizable amount attended this year simply because they found out about it on the web.? I am trying to fill a void, because there appears to be a need. I ran the party for over a decade when it was consistently over 325 attendees.? That was great to increase funds for ¡°the club¡±.? Apparently I was no longer needed for that purpose.? With the amount of people that joined the new group from the Yahoo group, and the interest of other people AND CLUBS ?that have contacted me after the Cloudy Nights review by Glen Ward, I am not worried about becoming as big as the other parties¡ actually, attendees have expressed concern if it DID get that big.? This location might not be able to support that many people, anyway.? Nor might the park supervisor want that many overusing this pristine park.? I¡¯m fine with that.? I DON¡¯T NEED THAT MUCH WORK.? OR THAT MUCH PROFIT. ??AND¡I WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.? ---------------------------------------- I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ? ? I DON¡¯T THINK YOU EVER attended club events when Brad was ¡°event coordinator¡±.? For a while he joked he was ready to sell all his equipment because of the weather.? He quit the club well over 10 years ago.? He also stopped coming to this party years ago.? I consider him a friend, and would love to see him join us sometime.? I like knowing most people¡¯s names, though I¡¯m getting old enough to start being concerned about my memory. There is no way to make everyone happy.? For those of you who decide to go elsewhere, I wish you safe travel, and great observing opportunities.? This party may still be here if you can attend in the future.? All are welcome.? I¡¯ve been to Cherry Springs a few times, and was lucky to observe every time.? I¡¯ve heard others haven¡¯t been that lucky.? As my friend in Canada says, Clear Skies! Phil ? ? ? ?
|
Re: responses to the responses of the voting results...
The schedule for the next BFSP is not yet known. The September date WAS very popular, we got decent seeing on a couple of nights, but? members of the CPO board are a little concerned we don't chase the moon out to the end of September. We are currently working with the State on dates for next year, and we have a board meeting (with Bill G) where dates and future plans will be discussed. There is no enthusiasm for early August, that's for sure. I think the weekend nearest new moon in August is closer to it than the September one, but I might have my dates crossed up.
Steve, President CPO
On Mon, 11 Nov 2019 at 10:03, Paul Leuba < paul@...> wrote: Hi Phil,
Thanks for the response to my points, but I need to add some clarity.??
1.? Constant communication with Steve - as in the Bat Phone???? Seriously, regarding the Black Forest Star Party - Bill Gartner is the gentleman you need to speak with. Steve Taylor (steveastrouk) is a terrific guy whom I met, and corresponded with on CloudyNights.? Didn't Steve vote for October???? ? Anyway, for up to date info, Bill is your guy.? The last time I spoke with Bill, he indicated that a September date was preferable.? Incidentally, he received overwhelming positive feedback from this year's event on the late September dates that were used.? Its the latest star party ever at Cherry Springs and it was fantastic.? My group was there for 8 nights - we observed every night.? For those that have never been here is some additional information.
?
2.? I don't think I used the word "compete" or "competition".? Nevertheless, what I meant to say is this:? ?I like star parties.? I like astronomical observing.? I would rather not make a choice as to which one to attend, but rather attend BOTH.? The only way that happens is if the two events occur on different dates.? If you force us to choose, We'll choose the Black Forest party.? By "us" I mean my observing group of about 9 folks from Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County.? Maybe, your event is not really about observing/astronomy and more about getting together - which is fine.? Then no need to have it on a "dark of moon" weekend.? ??
3.? Logistics issues for Busy Bee notwithstanding; if you are in the catering business, these are fairly easy to overcome, especially if the reward will be great.?
4.? You mentioned the last 10 years of star parties.? Are you mixing this event, with the Mason Dixon Star Party?? The last Mason Dixon I attended was in 2014.? I think Cindy may have been running that one and Mark Starner ran a couple of them prior to that.? In 2002 I was responsible for having Phil Harrington as the speaker.? I put you in touch with him.??This was the last year at Spring Valley.??And, in 2008, Bob Forbes and I recruited Tom Trusock to be the keynote speaker.?
5.? Regarding Brad Heist and Event Coordination.? ?Phil, your memory fails you.? Perhaps, this was during the time period where you were mired in the accounting irregularity that was uncovered with the YCAS and were not able to focus on astronomy activities.? Brad is one of my best friends and to be clear (and my log books bear this out) Brad and I coordinated 23 public observing sessions.? Brad and I we'll be together over the Thanksgiving weekend.? Also, he believes he WAS a member of YCAS 10 years ago.? You may want to fact-check this since you brought it up.??
Look, at the end of the day, its your gathering so do as you wish.? The feedback from folks was interesting.? But honestly, this seems less about astronomy and more about just getting together socially.? If thats the case, no worries but don't call it a Star Party.??
I brought a telescope to work to view the Mercury transit.? Hope others did the same.
Hello all, Thank you all who have shared your thoughts about the vote.? ? In response to your concerns, I will try to address them briefly, IN UPPER CASE.? Please do not consider this SHOUTING.? It is simply to distinguish the response.? I don¡¯t expect everyone to read this message, but I felt compelled to reply to the issues raised. Here we go: ? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October. ? ANSWER: YES??? I have copies of all votes from the poll-- I get direct notification of all votes to my inbox.? Likewise, all the emails and response I got are saved in a separate file.? Also got the responses that were tagged to the bottom of the poll. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ? WELL, MAYBE.? ACTUALLY, I¡¯VE BEEN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH STEVE TAYLOR, A MEMBER ON THE BFSP?COMMITTEE.? My first question was when the BFSP will be.? His best GUESS that he gave me LAST WEEK would be August.? No promises.? The CPO is currently in re-negotiations with the State Parks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ?? ? THIS STAR PARTY IS NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH BFSP, AHSP, STELLAFANE, OR ANY OTHER PARTY.? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO THOSE PARTIES.? Having been involved with this party since 1995, my opinion is that it is a niche party, fairly dark enough for the observers in the big cities or south of here, within 2-3 hours¡¯ drive of this area.? Many attendees would have to double their drives to attend the bigger parties. ---------------------------------------------- If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party.? By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance ? I HAVEN¡¯T SEEN ANY SIZABLE ATTENDANCE BY ANY OF THE LOCAL CLUBS (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Westminster) ?IN 10 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAITHFULLY ASSISTED ME KEEP THIS PARTY GOING.? ------------------------------ and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize.? I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ? I¡¯VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS WITH BUSY BEE.? I think there are some logistics issues that might be of concern going north.?? ---------------------------------- Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group.? This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party. ? (SEE ABOVE REMARK ABOUT COMPETING) ¡°THIS (YAHOO/.io) GROUP HAS ABOUT 200 MEMBERS.? THEY NEVER ATTEND ALL AT ONCE.? Some haven¡¯t attended for years, retired, or lost interest.? I also questioned people that attended that aren¡¯t on the groups (yet?).? A sizable amount attended this year simply because they found out about it on the web.? I am trying to fill a void, because there appears to be a need. I ran the party for over a decade when it was consistently over 325 attendees.? That was great to increase funds for ¡°the club¡±.? Apparently I was no longer needed for that purpose.? With the amount of people that joined the new group from the Yahoo group, and the interest of other people AND CLUBS ?that have contacted me after the Cloudy Nights review by Glen Ward, I am not worried about becoming as big as the other parties¡ actually, attendees have expressed concern if it DID get that big.? This location might not be able to support that many people, anyway.? Nor might the park supervisor want that many overusing this pristine park.? I¡¯m fine with that.? I DON¡¯T NEED THAT MUCH WORK.? OR THAT MUCH PROFIT. ??AND¡I WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.? ---------------------------------------- I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ? ? I DON¡¯T THINK YOU EVER attended club events when Brad was ¡°event coordinator¡±.? For a while he joked he was ready to sell all his equipment because of the weather.? He quit the club well over 10 years ago.? He also stopped coming to this party years ago.? I consider him a friend, and would love to see him join us sometime.? I like knowing most people¡¯s names, though I¡¯m getting old enough to start being concerned about my memory. There is no way to make everyone happy.? For those of you who decide to go elsewhere, I wish you safe travel, and great observing opportunities.? This party may still be here if you can attend in the future.? All are welcome.? I¡¯ve been to Cherry Springs a few times, and was lucky to observe every time.? I¡¯ve heard others haven¡¯t been that lucky.? As my friend in Canada says, Clear Skies! Phil ? ? ? ?
|
Re: responses to the responses of the voting results...
I am not questioning the accuracy of the vote.??
I just gave you facts based on what I know to be true as a seasoned observer who wants to attend both events.
Take that for what its worth.
?
Ok, all points noted, especially my memory.? Thank you for sharing new info to me.? But you may ask Brad about his feelings and comments about selling his gear. ? Please be assured, this IS THE RESULT OF THE VOTE.? I waited extra weeks to close it, after repeatedly reminding people to share their preference.? Many of the October votes would not have existed if I hadn¡¯t waited as long as I did.? The one walk in was a vote for October, too.? Even without my vote, September won.? This is not to say I had perfect info.? It also isn¡¯t impossible that it might change.? But I know there are people out there who may still need to put in for vacation, and can¡¯t wait forever. ? ?
From: YCSP@... < YCSP@...> Sent: Monday, November 11, 2019 10:03 AM To: [email protected]; YCSP@yahoogroups. com < YCSP@...> Subject: Re: [YCSP] responses to the responses of the voting results... ? ? Thanks for the response to my points, but I need to add some clarity.?? 1.? Constant communication with Steve - as in the Bat Phone???? Seriously, regarding the Black Forest Star Party - Bill Gartner is the gentleman you need to speak with. Steve Taylor (steveastrouk) is a terrific guy whom I met, and corresponded with on CloudyNights.? Didn't Steve vote for October???? ? Anyway, for up to date info, Bill is your guy.? The last time I spoke with Bill, he indicated that a September date was preferable.? Incidentally, he received overwhelming positive feedback from this year's event on the late September dates that were used.? Its the latest star party ever at Cherry Springs and it was fantastic..? My group was there for 8 nights - we observed every night.? For those that have never been here is some additional information. 2.? I don't think I used the word "compete" or "competition".? Nevertheless, what I meant to say is this:? ?I like star parties.? I like astronomical observing.? I would rather not make a choice as to which one to attend, but rather attend BOTH.? The only way that happens is if the two events occur on different dates.? If you force us to choose, We'll choose the Black Forest party.? By "us" I mean my observing group of about 9 folks from Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County.? Maybe, your event is not really about observing/astronomy and more about getting together - which is fine.? Then no need to have it on a "dark of moon" weekend.? ?? 3.? Logistics issues for Busy Bee notwithstanding; if you are in the catering business, these are fairly easy to overcome, especially if the reward will be great.? 4.? You mentioned the last 10 years of star parties.? Are you mixing this event, with the Mason Dixon Star Party?? The last Mason Dixon I attended was in 2014.? I think Cindy may have been running that one and Mark Starner ran a couple of them prior to that.? In 2002 I was responsible for having Phil Harrington as the speaker.? I put you in touch with him.??This was the last year at Spring Valley.??And, in 2008, Bob Forbes and I recruited Tom Trusock to be the keynote speaker.? 5.? Regarding Brad Heist and Event Coordination.? ?Phil, your memory fails you.? Perhaps, this was during the time period where you were mired in the accounting irregularity that was uncovered with the YCAS and were not able to focus on astronomy activities.? Brad is one of my best friends and to be clear (and my log books bear this out) Brad and I coordinated 23 public observing sessions.? Brad and I we'll be together over the Thanksgiving weekend.? Also, he believes he WAS a member of YCAS 10 years ago.? You may want to fact-check this since you brought it up.?? Look, at the end of the day, its your gathering so do as you wish.? The feedback from folks was interesting.? But honestly, this seems less about astronomy and more about just getting together socially.? If thats the case, no worries but don't call it a Star Party.?? I brought a telescope to work to view the Mercury transit.? Hope others did the same. __._,_.___
see
Phil De Rosa??? philderosa1@...
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!??
Thanks for your support!
.
__,_._,___
|
Re: responses to the responses of the voting results...
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the response to my points, but I need to add some clarity.??
1.? Constant communication with Steve - as in the Bat Phone???? Seriously, regarding the Black Forest Star Party - Bill Gartner is the gentleman you need to speak with. Steve Taylor (steveastrouk) is a terrific guy whom I met, and corresponded with on CloudyNights.? Didn't Steve vote for October???? ? Anyway, for up to date info, Bill is your guy.? The last time I spoke with Bill, he indicated that a September date was preferable.? Incidentally, he received overwhelming positive feedback from this year's event on the late September dates that were used.? Its the latest star party ever at Cherry Springs and it was fantastic.? My group was there for 8 nights - we observed every night.? For those that have never been here is some additional information.
?
2.? I don't think I used the word "compete" or "competition".? Nevertheless, what I meant to say is this:? ?I like star parties.? I like astronomical observing.? I would rather not make a choice as to which one to attend, but rather attend BOTH.? The only way that happens is if the two events occur on different dates.? If you force us to choose, We'll choose the Black Forest party.? By "us" I mean my observing group of about 9 folks from Southern York County and Northern Baltimore County.? Maybe, your event is not really about observing/astronomy and more about getting together - which is fine.? Then no need to have it on a "dark of moon" weekend.? ??
3.? Logistics issues for Busy Bee notwithstanding; if you are in the catering business, these are fairly easy to overcome, especially if the reward will be great.?
4.? You mentioned the last 10 years of star parties.? Are you mixing this event, with the Mason Dixon Star Party?? The last Mason Dixon I attended was in 2014.? I think Cindy may have been running that one and Mark Starner ran a couple of them prior to that.? In 2002 I was responsible for having Phil Harrington as the speaker.? I put you in touch with him.??This was the last year at Spring Valley.??And, in 2008, Bob Forbes and I recruited Tom Trusock to be the keynote speaker.?
5.? Regarding Brad Heist and Event Coordination.? ?Phil, your memory fails you.? Perhaps, this was during the time period where you were mired in the accounting irregularity that was uncovered with the YCAS and were not able to focus on astronomy activities.? Brad is one of my best friends and to be clear (and my log books bear this out) Brad and I coordinated 23 public observing sessions.? Brad and I we'll be together over the Thanksgiving weekend.? Also, he believes he WAS a member of YCAS 10 years ago.? You may want to fact-check this since you brought it up.??
Look, at the end of the day, its your gathering so do as you wish.? The feedback from folks was interesting.? But honestly, this seems less about astronomy and more about just getting together socially.? If thats the case, no worries but don't call it a Star Party.??
I brought a telescope to work to view the Mercury transit.? Hope others did the same.
Hello all, Thank you all who have shared your thoughts about the vote.? ? In response to your concerns, I will try to address them briefly, IN UPPER CASE.? Please do not consider this SHOUTING.? It is simply to distinguish the response.? I don¡¯t expect everyone to read this message, but I felt compelled to reply to the issues raised. Here we go: ? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October. ? ANSWER: YES??? I have copies of all votes from the poll-- I get direct notification of all votes to my inbox.? Likewise, all the emails and response I got are saved in a separate file.? Also got the responses that were tagged to the bottom of the poll. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ? WELL, MAYBE.? ACTUALLY, I¡¯VE BEEN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH STEVE TAYLOR, A MEMBER ON THE BFSP?COMMITTEE.? My first question was when the BFSP will be.? His best GUESS that he gave me LAST WEEK would be August.? No promises.? The CPO is currently in re-negotiations with the State Parks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ?? ? THIS STAR PARTY IS NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH BFSP, AHSP, STELLAFANE, OR ANY OTHER PARTY.? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO THOSE PARTIES.? Having been involved with this party since 1995, my opinion is that it is a niche party, fairly dark enough for the observers in the big cities or south of here, within 2-3 hours¡¯ drive of this area.? Many attendees would have to double their drives to attend the bigger parties. ---------------------------------------------- If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party. ?By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance ? I HAVEN¡¯T SEEN ANY SIZABLE ATTENDANCE BY ANY OF THE LOCAL CLUBS (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Westminster) ?IN 10 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAITHFULLY ASSISTED ME KEEP THIS PARTY GOING.? ------------------------------ and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize. ?I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ? I¡¯VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS WITH BUSY BEE.? I think there are some logistics issues that might be of concern going north.?? ---------------------------------- Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group. ?This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party. ? (SEE ABOVE REMARK ABOUT COMPETING) ¡°THIS (YAHOO/.io) GROUP HAS ABOUT 200 MEMBERS.? THEY NEVER ATTEND ALL AT ONCE.? Some haven¡¯t attended for years, retired, or lost interest.? I also questioned people that attended that aren¡¯t on the groups (yet?).? A sizable amount attended this year simply because they found out about it on the web. ?I am trying to fill a void, because there appears to be a need. I ran the party for over a decade when it was consistently over 325 attendees.? That was great to increase funds for ¡°the club¡±. ?Apparently I was no longer needed for that purpose.? With the amount of people that joined the new group from the Yahoo group, and the interest of other people AND CLUBS ?that have contacted me after the Cloudy Nights review by Glen Ward, I am not worried about becoming as big as the other parties¡ actually, attendees have expressed concern if it DID get that big.? This location might not be able to support that many people, anyway.? Nor might the park supervisor want that many overusing this pristine park.? I¡¯m fine with that.? I DON¡¯T NEED THAT MUCH WORK.? OR THAT MUCH PROFIT. ??AND¡I WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.? ---------------------------------------- I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ? ? I DON¡¯T THINK YOU EVER attended club events when Brad was ¡°event coordinator¡±.? For a while he joked he was ready to sell all his equipment because of the weather.? He quit the club well over 10 years ago.? He also stopped coming to this party years ago.? I consider him a friend, and would love to see him join us sometime.? I like knowing most people¡¯s names, though I¡¯m getting old enough to start being concerned about my memory. There is no way to make everyone happy.? For those of you who decide to go elsewhere, I wish you safe travel, and great observing opportunities.? This party may still be here if you can attend in the future.? All are welcome.? I¡¯ve been to Cherry Springs a few times, and was lucky to observe every time.? I¡¯ve heard others haven¡¯t been that lucky.? As my friend in Canada says, Clear Skies! Phil ? ? ? ?
|
FURTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT SUSQUEHANNOCK PARK
This may be interesting to some of you. ? FIRST..the STATE PARK PEOPLE I was surprised that the local parks offices have no knowledge of the parties held at Cherry Springs or even Codorus Park.? The supervisors are entrusted as stewards of public lands, take their work very seriously, and are very protective.? I am thrilled that they took a chance on our event, and I can understand their caution.? When I was stuck for a location 3 years ago and managed to get the scout camp with 3 weeks warning, when I learned of the airport owner¡¯s death.? I was told how the scout council was burned with the aftermath of allowing some events to use Wizard Ranch, and last year I heard about how disabled vehicles were left abandoned on a park property.? These are terrific people trying to do a wonderful job, truly as public servants.? We are lucky to have them, and their caution is justified. ? SECOND..the STATE PARK property.. I am proceeding slowly and cautiously, to gain trust and build a good relationship, and see what potential there is for events at this park.? Too much too fast is not a good thing here, in spite of my excitement and enthusiasm.? These people have let us do things they haven¡¯t allowed anyone else to do, and for that, we can both benefit.? I am looking to help them with their efforts to promote use as well as preserve this gorgeous park.? It is a small, forgotten piece of Lancaster County, which is one reason it is so dark.? Surrounded by farmland on both sides of the river, Muddy Run Park to the north, and the Susquehanna River to the south, it is not likely to have the skies ruined by light pollution.? Ever.? I could only hope.? We are also amazed at how hard and dry this field is.? We are the first to be allowed to drive on it.? For any of you who remember pulling onto the field at Codorus State Park in the early 2000¡¯s, seeing a third of it taped off due to being soggy, I can appreciate their caution. ? THREE¡the future of our EVENTS One of the things that some of you know is that I am an old boy scout.? I was a kid in Brooklyn when I joined at age 10, and was taught to leave places better than I found them.? Since 1995, I am usually the last person to leave the party, and I police the entire property for the tiniest bits of trash to remove any trace of our visit.? I want people to realize we respect the privilege they extend to us when we have a place to hold our events.? Most of you do the same.? The last couple of years have been iffy, to say the least, but I never want anyone to be able to say anything negative about their experience with us. As we move forward, there may be opportunities for evening star watches or additional camping events.? I will discuss these ideas when possible, and always, there are people that need to give permission to the supervisors, so please be patient.? As I said, I¡¯ve been looking for a place like this for a long time.? And here it was, in my own backyard, so to speak.? I plan to be welcome back here for a long time. Thanks everyone for supporting me and this party.? I don¡¯t take that for granted, either. Phil ? ? ? ? ?
|
responses to the responses of the voting results...
Hello all, Thank you all who have shared your thoughts about the vote.? ? In response to your concerns, I will try to address them briefly, IN UPPER CASE.? Please do not consider this SHOUTING.? It is simply to distinguish the response.? I don¡¯t expect everyone to read this message, but I felt compelled to reply to the issues raised. Here we go: ? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October. ? ANSWER: YES??? I have copies of all votes from the poll-- I get direct notification of all votes to my inbox.? Likewise, all the emails and response I got are saved in a separate file.? Also got the responses that were tagged to the bottom of the poll. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ? WELL, MAYBE.? ACTUALLY, I¡¯VE BEEN IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH STEVE TAYLOR, A MEMBER ON THE BFSP?COMMITTEE.? My first question was when the BFSP will be.? His best GUESS that he gave me LAST WEEK would be August.? No promises.? The CPO is currently in re-negotiations with the State Parks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ?? ? THIS STAR PARTY IS NOT TRYING TO COMPETE WITH BFSP, AHSP, STELLAFANE, OR ANY OTHER PARTY.? THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO MAKE THE TRIP TO THOSE PARTIES.? Having been involved with this party since 1995, my opinion is that it is a niche party, fairly dark enough for the observers in the big cities or south of here, within 2-3 hours¡¯ drive of this area.? Many attendees would have to double their drives to attend the bigger parties. ---------------------------------------------- If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party. ?By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance ? I HAVEN¡¯T SEEN ANY SIZABLE ATTENDANCE BY ANY OF THE LOCAL CLUBS (Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, Reading, Westminster) ?IN 10 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE FAITHFULLY ASSISTED ME KEEP THIS PARTY GOING.? ------------------------------ and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize. ?I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ? I¡¯VE ALREADY DISCUSSED THIS WITH BUSY BEE.? I think there are some logistics issues that might be of concern going north.?? ---------------------------------- Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group. ?This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party. ? (SEE ABOVE REMARK ABOUT COMPETING) ¡°THIS (YAHOO/.io) GROUP HAS ABOUT 200 MEMBERS.? THEY NEVER ATTEND ALL AT ONCE.? Some haven¡¯t attended for years, retired, or lost interest.? I also questioned people that attended that aren¡¯t on the groups (yet?).? A sizable amount attended this year simply because they found out about it on the web. ?I am trying to fill a void, because there appears to be a need. I ran the party for over a decade when it was consistently over 325 attendees.? That was great to increase funds for ¡°the club¡±. ?Apparently I was no longer needed for that purpose.? With the amount of people that joined the new group from the Yahoo group, and the interest of other people AND CLUBS ?that have contacted me after the Cloudy Nights review by Glen Ward, I am not worried about becoming as big as the other parties¡ actually, attendees have expressed concern if it DID get that big.? This location might not be able to support that many people, anyway.? Nor might the park supervisor want that many overusing this pristine park.? I¡¯m fine with that.? I DON¡¯T NEED THAT MUCH WORK.? OR THAT MUCH PROFIT. ??AND¡I WANT TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.? ---------------------------------------- I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ? ? I DON¡¯T THINK YOU EVER attended club events when Brad was ¡°event coordinator¡±.? For a while he joked he was ready to sell all his equipment because of the weather.? He quit the club well over 10 years ago.? He also stopped coming to this party years ago.? I consider him a friend, and would love to see him join us sometime.? I like knowing most people¡¯s names, though I¡¯m getting old enough to start being concerned about my memory. There is no way to make everyone happy.? For those of you who decide to go elsewhere, I wish you safe travel, and great observing opportunities.? This party may still be here if you can attend in the future.? All are welcome.? I¡¯ve been to Cherry Springs a few times, and was lucky to observe every time.? I¡¯ve heard others haven¡¯t been that lucky.? As my friend in Canada says, Clear Skies! Phil ? ? ? ?
|
Re: 2020 DATE VOTE RESULTS, and standard deviations
Hi Phil,
? Did you count the votes like mine that were sent as emails and not votes? The Yahoo site wouldn't let me vote, so I simply sent the email. The other email type votes I saw were all votes for October.
Tom
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/10/19 9:43 PM, Paul Leuba wrote: ?
This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party.
Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP.
If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party. ?By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize. ?I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party.
Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group. ?This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party.
I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party.
Best of luck.
¡ª
Paul Leuba
On Nov 10, 2019, at 8:30 PM, philderosa1@... [YCSP] <YCSP@...> wrote:
?
OK, I am not keeping anyone in suspense.? We have a clear winner.? I will preface that by explaining 2 votes¡
We had a walk-in attendee that voted, and because that person made the effort to appear, I included that vote.
The second vote was withheld until everyone else voted, and it really wouldn¡¯t have changed the result.? But I felt that person had at least as much right to express my opinion as anyone else, if not more. That was my own vote.
*Assuming Busy Bee is available*, the dates will be *September 16-20, 2020*
This was the result:
´¡³Ü²µ³Ü²õ³Ù¡¡¡.02%
³§±ð±è³Ù±ð³¾²ú±ð°ù¡53%
October¡¡..39% ??(possible dates were October 14-18)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you who look at averages (which includes me), I will share something I¡¯ve learned about them.? Standard deviations (sd) make a bigger difference.? For instance, the average of the stock market (I advise people about investments) is about 11% for about 75 years.? The problem is that it hit the average about 2 times in that period.? It¡¯s the highs and lows that drive investors nuts if they don¡¯t understand it.
I looked up standard deviations for temperatures in this area, and to explain it simply, 1 standard deviation (sd) for the month of October is about 7 degrees either side of the average.
68% of the time, temps fall within 1 sd, or +/- 7 degrees of the average low of 48 degrees.? That can range from 41 to 55 degrees.
However, about 27% of the time, temps fall between 1 and 2 sd¡¯s, or +/- 14 degrees of the average of 48.? That range now changes to 34-62 degrees.? No way to forecast this a year in advance.
And for those extreme temps that fall OUTSIDE of 2 sd¡¯s 5% of the time?? Well, if I had decided to hold a star party this week, October 13-17, the forecast lows every night Tuesday-Sunday are expected to range 20-24 degrees¡? Not very often, but that would have proved devastating to a new party location that hasn¡¯t built a strong following yet.
If you ever meet Bradley Heist, ask him about the averages for it to be cloudy or raining at the York observatory.? During his stint as event coordinator for a local club, he will tell you it is 100%.? That is, if he had planned a date for a club event¡
Phil
__._,_.___
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by: <philderosa1@...>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply via web post <;_ylc=X3oDMTJwdnNuYzkzBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzMwMDM2MjkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NjMyNjYxBG1zZ0lkAzExODEEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDcnBseQRzdGltZQMxNTczNDM1Nzk4?act=reply&messageNum=1181> ? Reply to sender <mailto:philderosa1@...?subject=Re%3A%20%5BYCSP%5D%202020%20DATE%20VOTE%20RESULTS%2C%20and%20standard%20deviations> ? Reply to group <mailto:YCSP@...?subject=Re%3A%20%5BYCSP%5D%202020%20DATE%20VOTE%20RESULTS%2C%20and%20standard%20deviations> ? Start a New Topic <;_ylc=X3oDMTJlanZncTBvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzMwMDM2MjkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NjMyNjYxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTU3MzQzNTc5OA--> ? Messages in this topic <;_ylc=X3oDMTM0bTh1NmFvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzMwMDM2MjkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NjMyNjYxBG1zZ0lkAzExODEEc2VjA2Z0cgRzbGsDdnRwYwRzdGltZQMxNTczNDM1Nzk4BHRwY0lkAzExODE-> (1)
see
Phil De Rosa??? philderosa1@...
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!
Thanks for your support!
Visit Your Group <;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNmh0dnM2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzMwMDM2MjkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NjMyNjYxBHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTU3MzQzNTc5OA-->
Yahoo! Groups <;_ylc=X3oDMTJkYTUyMWthBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzMwMDM2MjkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NjMyNjYxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxNTczNDM1Nzk4>
? Privacy <> ? Unsubscribe <mailto:YCSP-unsubscribe@...?subject=Unsubscribe> ? Terms of Use <>
.
__,_._,___
|
Re: 2020 DATE VOTE RESULTS, and standard deviations
? This will - almost certainly - be the dates of the Black Forest Star Party. ??
Rather then the temperature, what will prove devastating - from an attendance standpoint - for your event is that anyone wishing for a superior observing experience will choose Cherry Springs and the Black Forest Star Party instead of the YCSP. ??
If YCSP is to be considered a ¡°can¡¯t miss¡± regional star party rather then the a small gathering of 20-30 people you need not have it on the same dates as the Black Forest Star Party. ?By doing so, you¡¯ll limit your attendance and the sales/profits that Buzzy Bee will realize. ?I do know that the folks running the Black Forest Star Party are looking at contacting Busy Bee as a possible food vendor for 2020 Black Forest Star Party. ??
Finally, your poll only took into account people who attended this year, and/or are members of this group. ?This is a much smaller audience then potential attendees if you were not competing with the Black Forest Star Party.
I am not sure why you mentioned Brad Heist as it made no sense, but he¡¯ll be attending the Black Forest Star Party. ?
Best of luck. On Nov 10, 2019, at 8:30 PM, philderosa1@... [YCSP] <YCSP@...> wrote:
?
?
OK, I am not keeping anyone in suspense.? We have a clear winner.? I will preface that by explaining 2 votes¡ We had a walk-in attendee that voted, and because that person made the effort to appear, I included that vote. The second vote was withheld until everyone else voted, and it really wouldn¡¯t have changed the result.? But I felt that person had at least as much right to express my opinion as anyone else, if not more.? That was my own vote. Assuming Busy Bee is available, the dates will be September 16-20, 2020 This was the result: ´¡³Ü²µ³Ü²õ³Ù¡¡¡.02% ³§±ð±è³Ù±ð³¾²ú±ð°ù¡53% October¡¡..39% ??(possible dates were October 14-18) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those of you who look at averages (which includes me), I will share something I¡¯ve learned about them.? Standard deviations (sd) make a bigger difference.? For instance, the average of the stock market (I advise people about investments) is about 11% for about 75 years.? The problem is that it hit the average about 2 times in that period.? It¡¯s the highs and lows that drive investors nuts if they don¡¯t understand it. ? I looked up standard deviations for temperatures in this area, and to explain it simply, 1 standard deviation (sd) for the month of October is about 7 degrees either side of the average. 68% of the time, temps fall within 1 sd, or +/- 7 degrees of the average low of 48 degrees.? That can range from 41 to 55 degrees. However, about 27% of the time, temps fall between 1 and 2 sd¡¯s, or +/- 14 degrees of the average of 48.? That range now changes to 34-62 degrees.? No way to forecast this a year in advance. And for those extreme temps that fall OUTSIDE of 2 sd¡¯s 5% of the time?? Well, if I had decided to hold a star party this week, October 13-17, the forecast lows every night Tuesday-Sunday are expected to range 20-24 degrees¡? Not very often, but that would have proved devastating to a new party location that hasn¡¯t built a strong following yet. ? If you ever meet Bradley Heist, ask him about the averages for it to be cloudy or raining at the York observatory.? During his stint as event coordinator for a local club, he will tell you it is 100%.? That is, if he had planned a date for a club event¡ Phil ?
__._,_.___
Posted by: <philderosa1@...>
see
Phil De Rosa??? philderosa1@...
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!??
Thanks for your support!
.
__,_._,___
|
2020 DATE VOTE RESULTS, and standard deviations
OK, I am not keeping anyone in suspense.? We have a clear winner.? I will preface that by explaining 2 votes¡ We had a walk-in attendee that voted, and because that person made the effort to appear, I included that vote. The second vote was withheld until everyone else voted, and it really wouldn¡¯t have changed the result.? But I felt that person had at least as much right to express my opinion as anyone else, if not more.? That was my own vote. Assuming Busy Bee is available, the dates will be September 16-20, 2020 This was the result: ´¡³Ü²µ³Ü²õ³Ù¡¡¡.02% ³§±ð±è³Ù±ð³¾²ú±ð°ù¡53% October¡¡..39% ??(possible dates were October 14-18) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those of you who look at averages (which includes me), I will share something I¡¯ve learned about them.? Standard deviations (sd) make a bigger difference.? For instance, the average of the stock market (I advise people about investments) is about 11% for about 75 years.? The problem is that it hit the average about 2 times in that period.? It¡¯s the highs and lows that drive investors nuts if they don¡¯t understand it. ? I looked up standard deviations for temperatures in this area, and to explain it simply, 1 standard deviation (sd) for the month of October is about 7 degrees either side of the average. 68% of the time, temps fall within 1 sd, or +/- 7 degrees of the average low of 48 degrees.? That can range from 41 to 55 degrees. However, about 27% of the time, temps fall between 1 and 2 sd¡¯s, or +/- 14 degrees of the average of 48.? That range now changes to 34-62 degrees.? No way to forecast this a year in advance. And for those extreme temps that fall OUTSIDE of 2 sd¡¯s 5% of the time?? Well, if I had decided to hold a star party this week, October 13-17, the forecast lows every night Tuesday-Sunday are expected to range 20-24 degrees¡? Not very often, but that would have proved devastating to a new party location that hasn¡¯t built a strong following yet. ? If you ever meet Bradley Heist, ask him about the averages for it to be cloudy or raining at the York observatory.? During his stint as event coordinator for a local club, he will tell you it is 100%.? That is, if he had planned a date for a club event¡ Phil ?
|
Phil, ? I vote for October ? Tom Sprecher ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of philderosa1@...
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2019 8:45 PM
To: 'YCSP group'; YCSP@groups. io
Subject: [YCSP] 2020 YCSP DATES? I am closing the poll tomorrow midnight for preferences for which month to hold the party next year.? If you haven¡¯t voted yet, please do so immediately.? All votes can be submitted directly to me at philderosa1@... Two caveats to the voting: ?I expect to have a definitive answer soon from the Busy Bee as to their availability for these dates.? I am also trying to get an answer from the State Parks on how early they shut off the water at the park. Results to be shared Monday, or as soon as I get an answer from both of the above entities. ? ?? Likewise, if you haven¡¯t made the jump to the new group from Yahoo, you will lose contact and update info about future parties at our new location at Susquehannock State Park, which is a shame, because it is a beautiful dark site for this event.? If you give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.? Please check out Glen Ward¡¯s review of his visit at the 2019 York County Star Party on Cloudy Nights. ? August is running a distant third, and everyone that voted for it included a second preference, but I am not counting the 2 votes for August preference for any other month so as not to sway the current voting. the remaining options are: New moon September 17 means YCSP September 16-20 New moon October 16 means YCSP October 14-18 ? Thanks everyone !? I hope to see you at the party no matter what month ends up chosen. Phil ? ?
|
I am closing the poll tomorrow midnight for preferences for which month to hold the party next year.? If you haven¡¯t voted yet, please do so immediately.? All votes can be submitted directly to me at philderosa1@... Two caveats to the voting: ?I expect to have a definitive answer soon from the Busy Bee as to their availability for these dates.? I am also trying to get an answer from the State Parks on how early they shut off the water at the park. Results to be shared Monday, or as soon as I get an answer from both of the above entities. ? ?? Likewise, if you haven¡¯t made the jump to the new group from Yahoo, you will lose contact and update info about future parties at our new location at Susquehannock State Park, which is a shame, because it is a beautiful dark site for this event.? If you give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.? Please check out Glen Ward¡¯s review of his visit at the 2019 York County Star Party on Cloudy Nights. ? August is running a distant third, and everyone that voted for it included a second preference, but I am not counting the 2 votes for August preference for any other month so as not to sway the current voting. the remaining options are: New moon September 17 means YCSP September 16-20 New moon October 16 means YCSP October 14-18 ? Thanks everyone !? I hope to see you at the party no matter what month ends up chosen. Phil ? ?
|
I would also vote for October?
thanks!!
|
October is good, I go with that.? :)
|
I'm with October too. It WILL be cooler, dryer and darker.
It will be INTERESTING to try a cooler climate star party - maybe you'll start a trend !
Steve
|
I am voting for October. I am not sure if my vote came over from Yahoo.
October has a lot of upside:
(1) The weather (dryer and more temperate)
(2) Its darker earlier - longer hours of darkness
(3) no bugs
(4) does not inrfere with other star parties
(5) Diverse and target rich observing all night. Summer objects in the south as soon as it get dark. The Winter objects are up after midnight. Not to mention the Autumn objects in Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopea are visible most of the night.
I think the YCSP would be a terrific event close to home to end the observing season on.
Best Regards.
--
Paul Leuba
|
Hi Phil,
? Apparently my Yahoo membership didn't take, so I can't vote.
? I'd go for October first, as long as it isn't Halloween. Fewer mosquitoes, and clearer skies are more likely.
? Tom
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 11/7/19 10:23 AM, philderosa1@... wrote:
*Enter your vote now! <> *
*For 2020 YCSP at Susquehannock State Park, which month, August, September, or October, would be your FIRST choice? Would you go the other months, or not, in what order?*
|
Steve Taylor