Hello astronomy fans! We just got back from South Dakota. A campground 20 minutes from Mt. Rushmore put us up for free in return for me giving the campers astronomy presentations. All three nights were clear, it was terrific!
I had good crowds all three nights and the last night, two couples from different parts of the country had starter scopes that they didn't know how to use. It was pretty easy on setting them up and getting them started. One was a Celestron Newtonian that was a pretty decent scope, but had junky eyepieces. I had a 10mm Celestron Ultima that I let the guy use and he was floored! Those starter scopes aren't too bad if the folks use a decent eyepiece.
I clued them in on what to look for on the web and told them, "If you buy anything, just say 'Dean sent us!' I'm not sure if I'll get any gift certificates sent my way, (Ha ha) but it's worth a shot. At any rate, we have some budding amateur astronomers out there.
I'm sure the July meeting was great, and if Rick Murray got his Messier award, I'm sorry I missed it. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of you soon, but the chance to get an inexpensive vacation to South Dakota was too good to pass up. We're going back again next year. See you next month!!!!!!!!!