Gwen Berry
The invitation first appeared in the High Prairian back in March – High Prairie Night at the Goldendale Observatory. It was to happen on April 13, but as the date approached the weather refused to cooperate. The trip was rescheduled for early May, but the skies were still hidden by clouds. Another new date, June 30, was foiled by upgrades to the observatory’s telescope. Finally, on August 24, the long-awaited High Prairie Observatory Night took place.
Around 25 High Prairians turned out for the trip to the observatory. Although the new main telescope wasn’t available because some essential parts still hadn’t arrived, it was more than made up for by the beautiful evening, views of Venus and Saturn through smaller outdoor telescopes, and the amusing and informative presentations by Troy Carpenter, Observatory Director.
As people arrived, everyone stood outside and enjoyed the lingering evening and the scenic views from the observatory’s deck. Venus became visible low on the western horizon, and a telescope and high-powered binoculars were arranged for close-up viewing. Venus was in close conjunction that week with Jupiter and Mercury, though Mercury had already gone below the horizon by the time it was dark enough to see it.
An indoor presentation followed. Since the audience included a group of kids involved in robotics, that evening’s program focused on robotic functions in space, including the requirements and obstacles that engineers have to design for and lots of funny, fun, and interesting information about our man-made satellites and exploratory missions.
After dark, everyone traipsed outside just in time to see a “satellite flare,” which happens whenever reflective surfaces on a satellite send sunlight directly toward earth. With no moon in the sky to dim it, the Milky Way was clear and bright (although it was easy to see why the Observatory is talking with the City of Goldendale about lowering Goldendale’s ambient light level). Saturn, Mars, and the star Antares were easy to find lined up in the southern sky, and the small telescope was set up to show Saturn and its rings. It was all accompanied by an entertaining presentation about space and the stars.
Thank you to Audrey Bentz and James Day, whose persistence in scheduling and rescheduling High Prairie Night at the Goldendale Observatory led to a great evening for those who went on the trip. Thank you, also, to presenter Troy Carpenter, who could have had a career on Comedy Central if he hadn’t gone into astronomy.
There’s no need to wait for another High Prairie Night to visit the observatory. Although the summer schedule ends on September 30, from October 1 through March 31 the observatory will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with a solar program at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 6 p.m. (info at www.goldendaleobservatory.com). There are advantages to going in the winter. It gets dark earlier, so you don’t have to stay up as late to see the stars. And when winter skies are clear they’re really clear, so you can see even more.
(click images for an enlarged view)
Top (l–r) Enjoying the warm summer evening, Getting a view of Venus up close, James Day adjusting high powered binoculars, Listening to the evening presentation.
Bottom: Troy Carpenter pointing out Venus in the west