This column was provided by San Benito resident and amateur astronomer David Baumgartner as part of a local series on astronomy.
While searching the night skies for all its wonders with your telescope, binoculars or just your own eyes, you will notice it seems to be much more fun if you can do it with others around. You will find that it is even more fun if those so-called others turn out to be some of your own friends.
A while back four of us “friends” had just that chance. We all met in town and caravanned some 35 miles south of Hollister into South County where we setup our equipment to view the night skies in the best of conditions; no light pollution.
We each had our own telescopes; Ron with his Celestron 11-inch; Dan with his Meade 8-inch; Steve with his Celestron 12-inch; Mike couldn’t make it that night, and me with my traveling Orion 8-inch Ritchey Chretien. Yes, that is a real name. Size is everything when it comes to astronomy you know. But the most important thing we brought was food, and some hot coffee/chocolate. O.K., we brought some candy too. Four to 10 hours is a long time to go without the essentials.
I’m the only one who doesn’t drink coffee there, never have. I think it goes back to when I first tried it, I burnt my tong. Right there and then I decided if it’s going to burn like that every time I drink it there’s really no need for me to go through all that pain. So that was my last taste of coffee, ever.
When I was in the Airforce I was stationed at Thule Airforce Base Greenland for a year, it seemed longer. We were only 700 miles from the North Pole. It never got above freezing the whole time I was there. At our office in the back of a hanger we would all take turns making the coffee per the scheduled list on the wall each morning.
I always made a big deal about me having to make their coffee since I didn’t drink it. They didn’t make my chocolate that I drank every day. So one day it was my turn to make the coffee. I’ll show them, I’m thinking. So I put not only the coffee in the pot but along with it I put sugar, salt, and anything else I could find to mix in with it.
Well it just so happened as soon as I finished making the coffee along comes in the office none other than our commander, a two star general. Well of course the first thing he does is sit down and orders a cup of our coffee. I’m thinking; oh boy I’m in deep doo doo now. Not exactly the words I was thinking then, but these will do for now.
So I’m moving to the back of the room trying to be as conspicuous as I can. One of the airmen, not knowing what concoction I made up, pours the general a cup of coffee that he will never forget. I guess nor will I. Ready for the first sip, evidently it didn’t go over well with him. Spitting the coffee back into the cup with a loud yell he says, “What the hell was that? I’ll tell you what the hell that was, that was the worse tasting coffee I have ever had the misfortune to taste.”
He asked, “Who attempted to make it today?”
Our Ssargent said, ‘We take turns, sir. Well, who in the hell made it today?” The sargent looks at the list and says; “Airmen Baumgartner, sir.”
“So where is this Airmen Baumgartner,” says the commander?
Hearing my cue, I moved up and center at attention and said, “Airmen Baumgartner, sir.” Looking me straight in the eyes, the commander asked if I drank coffee. I said that no sir, I didn’t.
He says, “I can see why you don’t.”
After an hour of criticizing me on my ability, or lack of, to make coffee, he goes over to the scheduled list, crosses off my name and says, “I don’t want Airmen Baumgartner to ever make coffee here or anywhere else while he is in the Airforce. We have enough trouble with the Russians, we don’t need to put up with Airmen Baumgartner’s coffee making on top of all that.”
I told the guys after the general left that, “I couldn’t have said it better.”
Everyone got good laugh out of it. Needless to say, I never had to make that concoction ever again.
I kind of got off the main subject there now didn’t I? But I did mention Chocolate, which was mentioned at the beginning of this article, and one more connection; In our area when you look up at the north star, Polaris, stands about 37 degrees above the horizon. In Thule Greenland, it is almost straight up in the sky. It was strange to see the Cir-come Polar Constellations, such as The Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia, circling around and around straight over your head. They don’t dip down to the horizon like they do in our part of the world.
O.K., where was I? Oh yes, astronomy. I don’t care how much you know about this hobby, there are always one or two of your friends in your party that seem to know more. Or, maybe you know something that they don’t know, this could involve gossip as well. Anyway, it is always fun sharing what you do know with others, and them sharing with you. You just know you are going to walk away that night learning something. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
Not wanting to waste any precious viewing time, we started erecting our instruments immediately before the dark skies came along. It always seems to take me the longest to get ready. Maybe it’s because I bring so much stuff with me. Maybe it’s because I’m just slow. I don’t know. When I’m just getting my telescope aligned I look over and everybody else is already gazing at the heavens.
But once we are all set up the fun begins. Right away I hear Steve yelling out, “Quick, you guys, come over here, I have the Andromeda Galaxy in the sight.”
So I run over to see how it looks. I no sooner get there and I hear Ron spout out, “Wow, you guys got to see this”, which turned out to be nothing at all, because he forgot to take off the telescope’s lens cape.
Sorry Ron, I couldn’t resist.
And then it doesn’t take Dan long for him to start acknowledging what he has sighted in his scope. I might add that Dan’s scope is always set up next to the food table. I don’t know, it just seems to be that way every time we go out.
You wouldn’t think there would be that much exercise involved with astronomy. Sometimes I think I would be better off if I were to leave my scope at home and just use theirs. Then I wouldn’t have to bring up all that stuff, and it would be a whole lot easier to pack up at the night’s end. Then I could concentrate on the food with Dan.
Well, everything was going smoothly, and then the clouds came in to greet us cutting our viewing time somewhat short. I say short because there are times when we stay out till four o’clock in the morning or so, depending on the weather and such. So we packed everything up and made our way down the hill in hopes to find the main country road back to Hollister.
We all had fun. We all learned a lot. We all talked about coming back soon.
Clear skies….
This month’s calendar events
Feb. 01: New Moon
Feb. 02: Moon passes 4° south of Jupiter
Feb. 03: Moon passes 4° south of Neptune
Feb. 03: Mercury is stationary
Feb. 07: Moon passes 1.2° south of Uranus
Feb. 08: First quarter Moon
Feb. 09: Moon passes 0.03° north of Ceres
Feb. 10: Moon is at apogee (215,591 miles from Earth)
Feb. 12: Venus is at greatest brilliancy
Feb. 12: Venus passes 7° north of Mars