35th Annual Deep South Star Gaze

[bsimon615]

The 35th Annual Deep South Star Gaze is rapidly approaching......we are just 3.5 weeks away from our start date on Tuesday, October 17th. The DSSG will end on Sunday morning, October 22nd. The Feliciana Retreat Center, located about 10 miles north of Clinton, LA, will once again be the venue for the DSSG. From this location we enjoy 6.5 magnitude skies on a really good night. Last year we had 4 really good nights and one night that was not perfect, but still ok. This year will be our 9th year at the Feliciana Retreat Center.

Baton Rouge Astronomical Society members that have registered so far include Donald Brocksmith, Joe Morris, Bob and Vina Sinitiere, Scott Louque and family and Walt Cooney, a former BRAS member. I am expecting some additional registrants from Baton Rouge, however time is growing real short if you want a lodge room (motel like room with a/c and heat and a private bathroom. Can sleep up to 3 utilizing the top bunk (room has a single bed and a bunk bed). In the lodge we have wifi and the dining hall.

Really too much information to describe in one email. If anyone needs more information type in Deep South Star Gaze in Google and that introductory web page with pictures will provide more information as well as a link to the Deep South Star Gae Yahoo Group where you can find answers to all your questions as well as all necessary forms in the Files Section.

Tons of good prizes this year including an Orion ED refractor (110 mm) some nice TeleVue eyepieces, some Pelican cases as well as other good door prizes. The prize count right now is up to about 40.

Programs on Friday and Saturday too, see the Yahoo Group recent conversations for details. Included will be a retrospective on attendees that have passed away. A tribute to Wally Pursell will be a featured part of this presentation.

Hope to see some more attendees from Baton Rouge!

Barry Simon, Director
Deep South Star Gaze

[bsimon615]

The lodge at the Feliciana Retreat Center for the 35th Annual Deep South Star Gaze (beginning on Tuesday, October 17th) is now full. Qualifying that, it is full in the sense that every lodge room is reserved for at least some nights during the course of the event. I have 5 rooms which are not occupied until Friday night so these rooms could be used earlier in the event, cleaned and then reoccupied by those that have already reserved them for the weekend. Let me know if anyone is interested.

While the Deep South Star Gaze does run from Tuesday thru Sunday morning and we do have a number of people staying for the duration of the event, many come for only one or two nights and there are some that only come for one night or even just for one day, leaving a few hours after sunset. (Note, if you do that you have to be parked between the observing field and the main gate near the log cabin, which is about 150 yards from the eastern end of the observing field.)

So why come for just one day, and just a few hours of the night?

1) Programs during the day on Saturday (also on Friday) between 11 am and 1 pm.

2) Our big door prize drawings are held on both Friday and Saturday at 3 pm. We have well over $3000.00 value in door prizes.

3) A number of attendees bring astronomical items to sell, so this is a good chance to pick up needed equipment at a good price.

4) If you are getting into astronomy the Deep South presents as a good opportunity to look at and thru many different telescopes, helping you decide what you may want to purchase.

5) Taking it all in - nothing beats the sight of a beautiful setting which the Feliciana Retreat Center is. Add to that a telescope and canopy covered field, with perhaps 60 to 80 telescopes set up. You have to see it to appreciate what I am talking about.

So while you may not yet be registered and you may not want to invest the time in staying multiple nights, coming up for just the day on Saturday and hanging around for a few hours of darkness that night is well worth the effort.

Barry Simon
bsimon615@aol.com

[bsimon615]

The Friday Door Prize Drawing at the DSSG is being moved from 3 pm to 11 am due to Scott Robert's flight schedule out of Baton Rouge. As many of you know, Scott Roberts is the President of Explore Scientific. He has been very gracious in his contributions to both the Pontchartrain Astronomy Society and the Deep South Star Gaze. He will be with us at the DSSG from Wednesday afternoon to late on Friday morning. This is the reason why we are moving the Door Prize Drawings up. Hopefully those of you planning on arriving Friday can work with this schedule change.

Friday programs will follow the Door Prize Drawings and will begin at 1 pm. The Saturday Door Prize Drawings will be held at 3 pm as planned.

Barry Simon