Michael Hotka's
Okie-Tex Star Party 2016


I arrived at the 2016 Okie-Tex Star Party Friday September 23rd to help setup the party. I helped by putting out orange flags so that the road boundaries could be painted, then I put a white flag next to each power outlet to help mark it so people wouldn't drive over them.

This is the 3rd time I've setup next to Rod Gallagher.

Most of my 12.5" scope broken down and stowed on the dinette table.

During the star party, I gave a presentation and finished the Soputhern Constellation Hunber and Active Galactic Nuclei Observing Programs and looked at the last Planetary nebulae for the Souther Sky Planetary Advanced Award.

Ready for a night of observing.

Table all setup with everything I need to support mny observing.

Dinner. I basically trash the motorhome during the week.

Okie-Tex 2016 taken on Sept 28, 2016 - Click on image above for a larger image.

My motorhome is behind the big Class A in the 2nd row. My telescope is covered with the white cover in front
of my motorhome..

Tried to use my Argo Navis for the first time. Something was wrong so I used the Sky Commander for the
rest of the party.

All that is left of Kit Carson's Lost Fort. People thought it was 5 miles south of here in New Mexico. Locals took
most of the rocks used in the walls and buildings once the fort was abandoned. It was erected to protect the
Sante Fe Trail.

2 pictures of the ruts left by all the carts that traveled the Sante Fe Trail.

2 pictures of petrogrylphs in Anubus Cave, left by Celtec nomads long before Europeans were thought
to inhabit this part the country. Most marking as astronomical and date back to about 1000 AD and have
Western Eurpoean influence in some of the petroglyphs. Other sites likes this are found in Missouri and
Indiana.

Dr. Phil Leonard, the expert on the goings on at Anubus Cave.

My scope on Septembetr 25, 2016.

I observed about 180 objects in my telescope, 120 of them were brand new, first time observed objects. Of the new count, I saw 72 new galaxies, 34 new double stars, 5 new dark nebula and 1 new comet.

Click here to see my raw observing logs for the week.


 

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