I towed my pop-up camper north to Crowell, TX, and on to the Three Rivers Foundation’s CSAC last Saturday. It is Disneyland for astronomers! My van was loaded with equipment from the night before. I observed until 3AM Saturday morning, tried to get some sleep, then drove to 3RF.
Main Entrance
I met with Jeff Barton, the Director of Astronomy, and he gave me a quick tour of the facilities. CSAC is staffed with volunteers; most hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There is a sleeping facility on premises, called the “Jail”. It can handle up to 10 volunteers. Hi-tech restroom and shower trailers are nearby. The main structure on site is the big dome and classroom.
Classroom and Dome
Jeff introduced me to the volunteers, then took a visiting geologist from Texas Tech on a walking tour of the 50 acre property. We relaxed on the classroom porch in rockers telling all our tall stories until catered pizzas were delivered at 6:30PM.
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Pizza Time!
The star field is well-designed with individual power posts for each observing location.
Star Field
The classroom offers a cool break from the 104F afternoon heat. It is a great place to process images, or check email. Yes, 3RF provides excellent wi-fi throughout the facility!
One Class You Don't Want to Skip
The Butterfly Garden is the home of two more domes. I was amazed at the attention to detail in the landscaping around the domes.
Butterfly Garden
Guests began to arrive in the early evening for the monthly public star party. I think the gate count was over 100. Kids lined up to sit in my couch potato telescope chair. (This is a Sim Pichoup-designed beach chair with 20X80 binos attached) I set up my Mini Tower in A/A mode and shot a widefield of M8, M20, and M21. 13X45 seconds under a black velvet sky with the C8, Hyperstar3 and QHY8 OSC.
It was a great time for all. I am going back this weekend for the Lunar Star Party. Check out http://www.3rf.org for more information on this treasure in the Texas ranch country.
John Bozeman