I was recently reminded of the time in 2002 when, on a “What’s a Girl to Do?” adventure, I rented a 36-foot coach to travel to the 11th Riverside Telescope Makers Conference in Borrego Springs, California.
I was hooked because I’ve always been interested in the night sky. I was terrified of driving such a monster, but I knew I could do it after taking a long course at the rental car company where I learned how to drive, set up and enjoy the “diesel pusher”.
When I was on my way home to pick up my dog Cody (a large hunting dog I had adopted), I liked to look down at the buses – cars were like ants. I had no fear of collision as my vehicle was bigger and more dangerous.
When I arrived at my house, the neighbors came in droves to see what was going on. One neighbor said, “Let’s go to Vegas!”
Shaking my head, I sent him out. “I’m spending the weekend with the stars!”
I took Cody to his new (temporary) home on wheels and he settled right in on the couch while I got out what we needed for the weekend.
With a tank full of diesel, Cody and I headed to our destination. When we reached the resort, the biggest obstacle was parking the beast. Backing it into the campground! While a dozen guys watched from across the street, surrounded by telescopes.
I took a deep breath and parked like a pro. On the first try!
Later, I actually needed help hooking everything up and fixing the drawers while everyone was adoring Cody.
After I got settled in, I met former OC Astronomers President Helen Mahoney and confessed that I didn’t have a telescope. “No problem,” she said, “just wait until it gets dark. Everyone will be able to enjoy the view.”
While we waited, Cody and I explored the impressive collection of telescopes, most of which had arrived by truck or trailer. As we maneuvered through the forest of tubes, I kept hearing, “How big is yours?” If I hadn’t known they were talking about telescope mirrors and lenses, I would have blushed.
A man from the Las Vegas Astronomical Society had a prize winner – a 20-inch, f/5 Newtonian (a type of telescope with a fast focal length that is ideal for wide-angle views of the night sky and objects in space). To see through the eyepiece, he had to climb an 8-foot ladder.
At sunset, astronomers began their observations. The then president of the RTMC explained that celestial navigation had become relatively easy with the advent of computers. Using software such as TheSky, telescopes could be programmed to find distant galaxies and other objects visible to the naked eye with the click of a mouse. Far away galaxies!
My first observation was M31, the Andromeda Galaxy (the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way). “I’m trying to relate this to Star Trek,” I said to Mahoney.
“The Enterprise only traveled in our galaxy,” she said (except for three episodes). “What you see is 2.4 million light years from Earth.” When I didn’t answer, Mahoney added, “It happened 2.4 million years ago.”
I was speechless and overwhelmed by the stars.
Cody and I moved on, traversing the area with the help of a flashlight wrapped in red cellophane (white light ruins night vision), visiting dozens of telescopes and seeing the universe with new eyes. One man summed up my feelings. “In a turbulent and uncertain world, the eternity of the night sky is incredibly comforting.”
The next evening, as darkness fell, the scene became surreal again. Red lights dotted the landscape. People crowded around red-camouflaged computer screens. Telescope motors whirred.
At 3 a.m. Ralph Megna of the Riverside Astronomical Society showed me Saturn through his 10-inch telescope, and after sitting there for a while, I was able to see the amazing Cassini Division, the dark gap that separates Saturn’s two bright outer rings. Then I was met with a sight so spectacular that all I could do was mutter, “Wow-ww.”
A quiet laugh broke through the darkness. “She must be looking at the Orion Nebula.”
They knew it. They too had seen the four new stars shining brightly from the huge glowing vortex of cosmic gas.
Just before sunrise, Cody and I stumbled back to our cozy home on wheels. Later that morning, wife and dog emerged, blurry-eyed and still dreamy – reluctant to leave the desert and Orion behind.
What’s a girl to do?…I’m going to find out where another telescope manufacturers conference is and see if my little VW Beetle can get me there AND if I can stay awake two nights in a row. That’s the bet.
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for Record-Bee. To contact her, email [email protected]
