Rtd2014 Drive - Thursday, Cherohala Stargazing
 

Join us for stargazing and an intro to astrophotgraphy, at 4,500 ft elevation along the Cherohala Skyway. We will gather Thursday evening in the Wildwood Grill parking lot at about 8:30, and depart at 9:00pm. After a casual drive up to the Hooper Bald overlook Unicoi Crest pulloff, turn off all of your lights and let your eyes adjust to the dark, clear skies and see more stars than you have in a very long time. With decent seeing conditions you can expect to easily see the Milky Way (our home galaxy), and with the help of telescopes & cameras, expect to see even more. If you have a telescope, spotting scope, birding scope, or binoculars, be sure to bring them to get the most from this experience.

As we are at about 4,500 ft elevation on top of a mountain range at night, plan for cool, windy weather and dress with plenty of layers. We will stay probably until midnight, though those that wish to leave early are welcome to.

I will bring my sky tracking camera mount, which others are free to use, and will probably have my 6" refractor telescope as well. Preserving your night vision is very important, so please remember to turn off all white lights (headlights, dome lights, trunk lights, cell phones, and so on) and keep them off for the duration of the experience. Red lenses can be purchased online to put over your regular flashlight, which will help preserve night vision when light is needed (though on a clear night, there is typically enough star/moon light to see well enough for walking around & setting up gear).

NOTE: The timing of this drive is VERY subject to change, as clear weather conditions are crucial for good viewing. Check the event board in Fontana Lodge for any updates, and call Andy (habitforming) on channel 4.0 if you are unsure. I will try to keep this thread updated until the last minute with our most current plans. If Thursday is not favorable, this might be moved to Friday or Saturday evening instead, although I prefer not to interfere with the beer or bourbon swaps.

If you plan to do astrophotgraphy, please feel free to ask questions here beforehand, as proper settings & equipment are crucial for good results. I personally have experience with Canon equipment, though I can provide general recommendations for any equipment. The two most important pieces of gear are a good solid tripod (remeber to bring something to weight it down, if it has a hook), and a remote shutter release. If you don't have a remote shutter release, familiarize yourself with settings such as mirror lock up and delayed shutter release. If you have compatible Canon equipment, Magic Lantern is strongly recommended to install on your camera beforehand.

Keep an eye on the astronomical forecast here: http://cleardarksky....NF1TNkey.html?1 (The darker the boxes are in the top 4 rows, the better the conditions)

Attendees (11 cars):
Habitforming (leader)
pwrinxs
ZDMS2K
jvf1
FurY
darcyw
jlozano180
chrisaltima
TheStigSC
SgtB (tentative)
scammedon (tailgunner)

In for sure...

I'm in chief!

I'll tailgun....

We can always count on you to be the assman... :tipwink:



Thank you sir!

This is a great drive/event. I'll miss it dearly :sadwave:

Oh the irony....assman means sky in one of the languages I know. And this thread is about sky. Lol

:spitcoffee:

in.

darcy

Well if you've seen Andy's ass, you'd understand.