H. Jay Melosh, Distinguished Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science at Purdue, will speak on
"Results from NASA’s Deep Impact Mission to Comet Tempel 1"
Abstract:
In the early hours of July 4, 2005, one of the two of NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft splashed down on the surface of Comet Tempel 1 at 10.2 km/sec, creating an impact crater about 100 m in diameter and 30 m deep.  The second spacecraft, passing by at the safe distance of 500 km, sent images of the event back to the Earth.  The object of this interplanetary kamikaze mission was to dig deep beneath the surface dust deposits and expose the pristine interior 1 to 10 m below the surface. The mission succeeded spectacularly:  The impact threw out about 10 million kilograms of fine dust, tarry organic material, frozen water and CO2, after creating an initial jet of melted silicates and vaporized ices.  Analysis of more than 4,000 images and spectra returned from the two spacecraft, revealed that old ideas about the structure of comets must be substantially revised.  On November 4 of this year, the Deep Impact spacecraft is flying by another comet, Hartley 2, to make detailed images of its nucleus.  On February 14 of next year, we are returning to Tempel 1 via the Stardust spacecraft to examine the consequences of the impact in more detail and complete our survey of the comet’s surface.

Forrest Hamilton from the Space Telescope Science Institute (they run the Hubble) will be back this year, speaking on the Kepler Project, a new NASA space telescope that is searching for earth-sized extra-solar planets.

Optician Mike Lockwood will be back this year.  A former University of Illinois engineer, he is now working full time producing large mirrors, and is the supplier of Starmaster's larger dob mirrors.  Recently he's been pushing the "fast" limit, so you can use a huge dob without having to climb up so high on the ladder.  He's also the mirror supplier for Great Red Spot's new "Jupiter Series" monster dobs (see "Vendors", below).

Ron Kaitchuck, astronomer at Ball State University, will speak on "The Missing Universe" (dark matter).

Chuck Bueter is an indepedent primary/secondary education professional in the South Bend area with a particular interest in astronomy education and light pollution.  A short list of things he's been involved in includes transitofvenus.org, darkskiesawareness.org, nightwise.org, "Paper Plate Astronomy Education", and AstroCamp at YMCA Camp Eberhart.  Most recently, his project "Let There Be Night", where 3400 high school students in the South Bend area measured light pollution by counting the stars visible in the constellation Orion, as seen from their neighborhood, and used the data to build a huge 3D light-pollution map out of Lego blocks, has won several awards.

Harry Gaebler is the 2009 first-place winner of the Astronomical League's National Young Astronomer Award.  Harry is a student at Bloomington North High School, and won the award for his research on comparing different methods of measuring distances to galaxies, and also on the correlation between distance (or age) of galaxies and their shape.

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Camping:

 Those registering for the full event option are welcome to camp on the observing field or in any of several campgrounds at the camp.   There is a lawn near the lodge, about 100 yards from the main observing field, that can also be used for camping.  There are also smaller campsites in the wooded east half of the camp.

 

Lodging

(if you don't like camping):

 
 

Meals, facilities, and everything else:

Food will be available from a concession wagon starting Friday afternoon.  And for those arriving Thursday,
 we hope to again have a free brunch at noonish on Friday in the Nature Center.
The Southfork restaurant in Mulberry is highly recommended by the camp ranger-
it's just three miles away, at the intersection of Mulberry-Jefferson road and SR 38 in the middle of Mulberry.
Free coffee, hot chocolate, and popcorn will be available from 9 pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
There's a soda machine at the Nature Center, and a microwave oven at the observatory.
No campfires in or near the observing field.  Camp stoves are permitted on the observing field before dark
Some campsites have charcoal cooking grills.  Campfires are permitted in established campfire rings only.
The camp does not have RV hook-ups.

Water and restrooms are available at the Nature Center.  There are showers in the Lodge basement.
  There is only one set of showers, so there's a shower schedule:

Shower Schedule

8am - 10 am: Women & girls 10 am - 12 pm: Men & boys 12 pm - 2 pm: Small children accompanied by parents 2 pm - 4 pm: Women & girls 4 pm - 6 pm: Men & boys

There are campsites scattered throughout the camp.

There is a Wi-Fi antenna on the south side of the Nature Center.  It should cover most of the observing field.

We will run extension cords from the Nature Center to nearer parts of the observing field for those needing ac power.
Bring your own power strip and extra extension cords.

Click here for maps 

There will be an information booth at the Nature Center.

Questions?  Contact Russ Kaspar at rk@kasparradio.com 765-659-4451 or John Mahony jmmahony@hotmail.com.

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General Rules:

Campfires are permitted in established campfire rings only, and must never be left unattended.  No campfires in or near the observing field.  Camp stoves are permitted on the observing field before dark, and some campsites have charcoal cooking grills.  There's a microwave oven at the observatory.

Bag all garbage, dispose of butts, and clean up your campsite.

Well-behaved pets are allowed, but do not walk your dog on the observing field- it would be way too easy for a dog to wrap its leash around a telescope's tripod leg and knock it down.  Cleanup after your pet is required.

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Star Party Etiquette and tips:
If you've never been to a star party before, here are a few tips:

Most amateur astronomers love to show off what's visible through their scopes, so don't be shy about asking to look through someone's scope.  If the image doesn't appear to be properly focused, ask the scope owner how to adjust the focus.  If you wear glasses for near- or far-sightedness, you will probably find it easier to view if you remove your glasses and adjust the focus for your eyes. 

If the object being viewed appears near the edge of the scope's field of view, or if you can't see it at all, tell the scope owner so he can adjust the aim.  Many scopes today have motorized or computerized mounts which can be damaged if you try to move the scope manually.  However some other scopes have very simple mounts that aren't even motorized to track the object (as the earth rotates beneath it), so the object will slowly drift across the field of view.  That means you may need to occasionally move the scope to keep the object centered.  In most cases, you move it by just physically nudging the eyepiece end of the scope, but check with the owner first.  And since the optics may make the image appear upside-down or mirror reversed, the direction that you need to move the scope may not be what you expect, so try a small nudge first to find out how the image moves.  As a general rule, the skyward end of the scope needs to move gradually towards the west, to counter the earth's eastward rotation.

No white light!  Many astronomical objects are faint, even when viewed through a telescope, so preserving the dark-adapted state of our eyes is very important.  Red-light flashlights are permitted, since red light has less effect on dark-adaptation.  If you don't have a red-light flashlight, we will have a roll of transparent red plastic available at the information booth (at the Nature Center) to put over your flashlight to convert it to red light.  Even then, keep it aimed low, and avoid shining it in people's faces.