A printer friendly version of the schedule may be found by clicking HERE
1:00 p.m. Welcome to the 16th annual Enchanted Skies Star Party, Etscorn Campus Observatory & El Camino Real International Heritage Center.
1:15 p.m.,Presentation: "Solar System Ambassador," Kevin Koski, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
3:00 p.m., Mandatory Meeting for all participants planning to go to South Baldy, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
5:00 p.m., Observing at 10,000 Feet -- atop Socorro County's South Baldy peak. Convoy leaves Etscorn Campus Observatory. See the About page for more information.
8:00 p.m., Observing at El Camino Real Dark Sky Site, Observing at the Etscorn Campus Observatory.
1:00 p.m., Insider's Tour of the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array Radio Telescope. Tour begins at the VLA site, 50 miles West of Socorro.
2:30 p.m., Lecture: "Alien Fauna of New Mexico," Dave Thomas, New Mexicans for Science and Reason, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
3:45 p.m., Lecture: "Relativity for Regular Folks," Dave Thomas, New Mexicans for Science and Reason, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
5:30 p.m., Depart Socorro for Field Trip and Tour to U.S.
Air Force GEODSS deep-space surveillance facility at
White Sands Missile Range.
NOTE: Participants taking this tour must provide their
names and Social Security numbers in advance upon
registering for the star party.8:00 p.m., Observing at El Camino Real Dark Sky Site, Observing at the Etscorn Campus Observatory.
1:00 p.m., Lecture, "Frontier Science," Dail Frail, NRAO, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
2:00 p.m., Lecture: "Introduction to Galaxies," Jason Speights, NMT Physics, Etscorn Campus Observatory
3:00 p.m., WORKSHOP: Telescope Engineering by Barry Spletzer.
Often amateur telescope makers spend countless hours perfecting a beautiful primary mirror only to enclose their gorgeous optics in a menagerie of scrap plywood and cardboard tubing. Sound engineering principles applied to the overall telescope design can significantly enhance the telescope, producing a scope that is lightweight, portable, and easy to setup and collimate, without sacrificing performance. This presentation will discuss specific design approaches and solutions to areas such as the mirror cell, spider, secondary holder, truss, collimation procedures, and overall structure. Several engineered telescopes will be available for hands-on examination and demonstration of this approach. The presentation concentrates on general approach, techniques, and results rather than the supporting engineering analysis so it will be readily understood by those without an engineering background.
07:00 p.m., Keynote Lecture: NASA Astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld, STS - 125 Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission Specialist. New Mexico Tech's Fidel Center Ballroom
8:30 p.m., Observing at El Camino Real Dark Sky Site, Observing at the Etscorn Campus Observatory.
8:30 p.m., Lecture: "Beginning Amateur Astronomy," Jason Speights, NMT Physics, Etscorn Campus Observatory.
9:00 p.m., Bill Spargo Memorial Lecture: "Learning the Constellations," G.B. Cornucopia, U.S. National Park Service.
1:00 p.m., Lecture: "A General History of the El Camino Real," Paul Harden, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, El Camino Real International Heritage Center
3:00 p.m., Lecture: Secret Rainbows: How do we know what stars and nebuulae are made of? A combination lecture and hands on workshop about nthe nature of light. Lisa Foley, IRIS/PASSCAL.
5:00 p.m., Dinner is Served! Saturday Night chuck-wagon dinner at El Camino Real International Heritage Center. Southwestern music fitting of a chuck-wagon dinner will be performed live by Doug Figgs.
7:00 p.m., Campfire Lecture: "Sky Stories of Ancient America," G. B. Cornucopia, U.S. National Park Service, El Camino Real International Heritage Center.
Stay for observing at the El Camino Real International Heritage Center after the Campfire Lecture!
Nightly observing from the Etscorn Campus Observatory (just outside Socorro)
Nightly observing from the El Camino Real International Heritage Center (~ 30 miles south of Socorro)
Drawings for numerous door prizes, including Thursday-night Early-Bird drawings for early arrivals.
Solar observing.
...and more to come!
More events may be scheduled in the future.
The schedule is subject to change without notice, so check back before making final plans!
NASA Astronaut, Dr. John Grunsfeld, completed the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in May. Dr. Grunsfeld is an astrophysicist and veteran of five Space Shuttle flights, three of them servicing missions to Hubble. He has logged more than 58 days in space and nearly 59 hours in space walks.
He received a B.S. from MIT and a Ph.D from the University of Chicago, and did postdoctoral research at Caltech. His astronomical research has covered X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, high-energy cosmic rays, and work on new detectors and instrumentation. He has used the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Very Large Array, X-ray astronomy satellites, and optical telescopes, including Hubble, in his research.
Dr. Grunsfeld was selected by NASA in 1992, and made his first Shuttle flight in 1995. He has flown as a Mission Specialist on STS-67, STS-81, STS-103, STS-109, and STS-125. He has been Chief of the Computer Support Branch of the Astronaut Office, Chief of the Extravehicular Activity Branch, and NASA Chief Scientist. He is an enthusiastic aviator and member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the American Astronomical Society, the Explorers Club, and the American Alpine Club.
In 2002, as Payload Commander of STS-109, Dr. Grunsfeld carried a logo flag of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory aboard Columbia, and returned that flag to Socorro following the flight. As one of the spacewalkers on the Hubble Servicing Mission this year, he helped equip that orbiting telescope with four new or rejuvenated scientific instruments, new gyroscopes, new batteries, and a new computer. With these improvements, the now-legendary HST is better than ever as a scientific tool, with a new lease on life.
Image courtesy of NASA