This very interesting region in Norma contains many HII features as well as many other interesting objects. Below you can see an annotated version with the most clearly visible objects identified, except for the HII region in the bottom left corner. I couldn’t find out what this is called, so if anyone knows please let me know in the comments below Somehow these objects and this fov get rarely imaged, which made it all the more interesting for me to try and get a nice image out of this.
Most eye catching are the RCW objects, which are different types of objects. Let’s have a more detailed look at each of them.
RCW 103 Supernova Remnant
RCW 103 is the brightest region of hydrogen gass in this image. It is a supernova remnant of a star that went supernova around 2000 years ago at a distance of 9000 light years from earth. It (probably) has a very interesting neutron star in the center: This might very well be the slowest rotating pulsar we currently know of. “The source exhibits properties of a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, yet its deduced spin period is thousands of times longer than any pulsar ever observed.” http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2016/rcw103/
RCW 104 and Wolf-Rayet 75
Wolf-Rayet stars are extremely hot stars. Their surface temperatures range from 30,000 K to around 200,000 K, hotter than almost all other stars. They have broad spectra, but lack in hydrogen. They cause strong stellar winds, thus shaping their environment and feeding it with material. In this case we can see such a star (WR 75) in the middle of the HII region known as RCW 104 which is shaping and ionizing the surrounding hydrogen gass.
RCW 106
RCW 106 is a cloud of hydrogen gass and dust. In fact, it contains so much dust that much of hydrogen gass and a lot of stars are hidden from sight in the visible light. RCW 106 contains some very massive O-type stars. These stars (probably) form in the most dense areas of the gass and dust cloud and they live only briefly. They burn through their fuel in tens of millions of years.
RCW 102
RCW102 is another interesting gass cloud that’s a mixture of ionised hydrogen gass and dust. Neighbouring RCW 102 we can find the bright planetary nebula RCW101, Menzel 3 or the ‘Ant Nebula’.
RCW 101, also known as Menzel 3 and the Ant Nebula
Menzel 3 is a young bipolar planetary nebula that is composed of a bright core and four distinct high-velocity outflows. It is expanding at a rate of 50km/s and located at around 8000 lightyears from earth.
Open star clusters
There are numerous Open Clusters like NGC6115, Ruprecht 116, Ruprecht 176, Pismis22 and many more. Ruprecht 176
Pismis 22
NGC 6115
Planetary nebulae
Apart from the Ant nebula there are two more planetary nebulae that can be seen in this image. They are Pe1-4 and WRAY 17-74.
Acquisition details
Image taken with monochrome Nikon D600 on a APM107/700 with Riccardi reducer and modified Nikon D600 on a TS Quadruplet 480/80, mounted on Fornax 51 and guided with MGEN.
It was my last wedding of the season and I can’t imagineeee a better wedding to end it with than Alec & Chelsea and their sunshiny hearts!! Spend just five minutes with them and you’ll know what I mean. They’re the kind of couple you just love from the moment you meet them. They’re genuine, kind-hearted, full of joy, and appreciators of the little details in life. <3 Watching Chelsea float around on her wedding day as the happiest human ON EARTH filled my whole heart!
Alec & Chelsea! Thank you for trusting me with these memories and for making my 2019 wedding season end on the perfect note!! One that I’ll never forget. I’m truly so grateful for your trust in me to capture this day. <3
Getting in touch with the best fake tan ireland, to look extraordinary on the wedding day can also be one of the highlights of the ceremony.
Enjoy a few of my favorites from this beautiful Farm at Eagles Ridge wedding full of so much love and be sure to read more of Alec & Chelsea’s love story here! Xo
Vendor Credits: Photographer | Caroline Logan Photography Second Shooter | Vanessa Shenk Planner | Planned Perfection Venue | Farm at Eagles Ridge Floral & Event Design | Petals with Style DJ | 3 West Entertainment Hair & Makeup Artist | The Bonafide Ginger Rentals | Treasured Events Invitations | Minted Wedding Gown | Country Way Bridal Lighting | Shumaker PDT Catering | Tasteful Occasions Cake | Tasteful Occasions
For Photographers: Love creamy skintones & soft colors? Learn to edit light & airy here!
Today on social media, girls flaunt perfect lives: styled hair, trendy and fashionable outfits, picturesque backgrounds, flattering but casual poses. The snapshots curate a particular image of effortless beauty, but behind the scenes, even the most casual selfies take tens of tries and a full face of makeup. Posed photos are the result of a million pieces falling into place, making one photo the one that outdoes the others: the background, the pose, the outfit, the hair are each good enough. Aesthetic shots of cities and landscapes are carefully chosen to match a color scheme and curate the feed.
These posting rituals speak of long-held beauty standards, modeled by popular accounts and cascading down to the normal person and 16-year-old girl. If you’ve been wondering “why is everyone famous on social media so thin/attractive/white?”, you’re not alone. It’s widely speculated that the TikTok “For You” algorithm scores users by euro-centric standards of attractiveness, and Black influencers find it significantly harder than their white counterparts to secure brand deals and make income. The fact is algorithms boost well-performing content, absorbing an entire human history of white and thin people imposing standards on everyone else.
While beauty standards aren’t new, one might argue that social media promotes them in an especially harmful way. Research isn’t yet conclusive on how social media’s unique interactivity affects perceptions of beauty. Social media does contribute to negative body image; however, exposure to traditional media has a similar effect. Meanwhile, the nature of influential content is shifting from aspirational to relatable, as increasingly digestible media forms connect with audiences in more casual ways. Marketers know this, so marketing has moved from traditional advertisements towards influencer sponsorships. For example, Doja Cat made a Tiktok jingle about Mexican pizza for Taco Bell, and Duolingo is known for its “unhinged” social media persona.
The shift is noticeable. Gone are the aspirational bloggers of 2014, posting DSLR photography and expensive foreign destinations — my current feed is girls about my age, who look like me, holding photoshoots on city streets and parking garages. Instead of VS Pink models, my “celebrities” are influencers like Helen Peng, a girl who could basically be my classmate, except that she’s an incredible dancer with 1.8 million Tiktok followers.
Embedded in the rules accompanying this shift is a gendered expectation, always the message to girls: Try, but don’t try too hard. Look polished but relatable, model but not unnaturally, wear natural makeup but not full glam. Blur your photos so they look taken in the moment.
Instead of aspirational lives that only rich celebrities who evidently have very different circumstances can attain, we constantly view “relatable” content from people just slightly ahead of us. Productivity YouTubers are just like you, but they have a perfect system for studying and note-taking. Fashion bloggers tell you exactly which clothes they bought, so you can buy them and achieve the same look. The standards are subtle but demanding, asking why we can’t do it if they can.
In many ways, the beauty standards of relatability are more far-reaching than before. Instead of being limited to the sphere of physical appearance, an entire lifestyle is idealized and projected. In every aspect of life, there’s relatable content for you to aspire to: diet, outfits, travel, workouts, work, home decor, nights out, nights in, friend groups, even crying. So we strive, because we believe we can recreate these idealized scenes. They make it look easy.
What makes the standards more insidious is that they’re never spoken, only understood by a sea of girls finding their place in the digital age. Influencers often don’t take the stance of a brand selling you a product; they approach their audience as a friend giving an honest recommendation. It doesn’t feel like conforming to a beauty standard when an online persona you trust recommended you a new study system, or a different brand of hair product.
Young girls — the generation we say look like 23-year-olds when they’re only 16 — grew up looking at perfect pictures of others online, and they understand what the digital world asks of them, learning social rules analogous to the ones they pick up in school. Naturally, they learn. They don new haircuts, draw on freckles and eyebrows, learn to pose in photos (perhaps by watching a modeling tips video), get outfit inspiration from 25-year-old bloggers, and wear blazers to school. They become photographers and social media managers. It’s second nature because these are the rules of digital society.
This is the world my little sister will grow up in. Still, I won’t tell her to delete social media and recover some past innocence from before digital standards permeated our consciousness. These are the new rules, and if any girl enjoys engaging with lifestyles portrayed on social media, she deserves to try as hard as she wants without contempt. (No one is telling boys to stop hitting the gym every day in their pursuit of an ideal body type.) Obviously, take care of yourself first, and take whatever measures you need against social media’s many physical and mental negative effects. When your health is spoken for, then curate your Instagram feed if you want, go out with your friends and have a day-long photoshoot if you want.
The act of revolution is not necessarily ignoring standards entirely, rejecting the supposedly frivolous pursuit of beauty in the name of feminism. I think it’s finding a way to love yourself anyway — whether it involves makeup or fashion or fitness, or posting on Instagram, or not posting on Instagram. It’s coming to terms with who you are, both your physical and digital selves.
Elizabeth S. Ling ’23 is a Computer Science concentrator in Eliot House. Her column, “Alone Together,” appears on alternating Fridays.
Siguiendo con la presentación de sus últimas cámaras de nueva generación QHY ha presentado el modelo QHY5III585C una cámara a color enfocada a astrofotografía planetaria y guiado con una sensibilidad al infrarrojo cercano similar a la QHY5III462C pero con mayor rango dinámico que ésta.
La QHY5III585C trae un generoso sensor de 1/1,2 pulgadas y un excelente desempeño con nulo amp-glow. Con esta cámara se incluye un filtro de corte UV/IR y un filtro IR850nm.
En estos nuevos sensores, la parte del fotodiodo del pozo de píxeles es físicamente más profunda que en los modelos anteriores. Esto permite que los fotones de longitudes de onda más largas penetren más profundamente en el sustrato lo que aumenta enormemente la sensibilidad del sensor a la luz roja e infrarroja cercana alcanzando sensibilidades similares a la de la luz visible.
Con esta cámara tendremos un alto rango dinámico (HDR) de 88 dB, aproximadamente ocho veces más que el sensor IMX485 de la generación anterior.
Con su pixel de 2.9um de tamaño esta cámara es perfecta para astrofotografía planetaria y con un sensor de 3856*2180 píxeles nos presenta la posibilidad de realizar grandes capturas en fotografía lunar de 8.4 Megapíxeles.
Al igual que el resto de cámaras de esta segunda generación incorpora un puerto USB 3.2 de tipo C más robusto que los anteriores de tipo B.
La ampliación de memoria desde los 256MB hasta los 512MB DDR3 es otra de las mejoras de esta nueva gama de cámaras.
La QHY5III585C ya está disponible en algunas tiendas con un precio aproximado de unos 418€.
Gary joined 360Cities more than 10 years ago, back in 2011. During this time he has published more than 1,300 stunning panoramas, for which he earned a well-deserved Maestro badge.
Gary is a freelance photographer specializing in maritime scenes. His panoramas focus mainly on historic buildings, such as cathedrals, castles, and lighthouses from his home country, the UK, and from other beautiful locations around the world. Enjoy just a few of his 360ºs below and don’t forget to visit Gary’s profile page!
Intense moment frozen in time. Aurora framing the mountains in the background and Vikbutan Bay in the foreground, Lofoten Islands, Norway. The intensity of this display lasted for a short 10 minutes.
With humble excitement, I am pleased to announce that my piece, Intensity, which was also a 2020 PPA Gold Medal Winner, has been selected as Best of Show in the 9th Annual Photography Show of the Flagler County Art League by Juror, Eric Breitenbach.
“It’s not just the northern lights but the way their forms and shapes play off the landscape. The photographer made an astute selection of the location for composition and incorporated extraordinary technique for a once in a lifetime picture.” – Eric Breitenbach
This piece, along with three of my other works, (Reaching Out – Honorable Mention | Animals, Fading Mist (Vanishing Mist) – Honorable Mention | Land/Sea/Cityscapes, and Orange Glow) will be displayed alongside a richly talented cohort of fellow photographers, and can be viewed at: Flagler County Art League.
Polar bear cub interacting with its mother outside their day-den in Wapusk N.P., Manitoba, Canada.
Sunrise through the fog at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.
Fishing village in Lofoten bathed by late morning light
Unfortunately, with big sadness I just found out that one of our members is no longer among us. This is what Don Machholz’s wife announced on Don’s Facebook page:
It is with profound sadness that I share with everyone that my beloved husband, Don Machholz, passed away unexpectedly and swiftly from COVID at 3:15 AM on Tuesday, August 9, 2022. He was a very kind, gentle and loving soul, we love each other from the moon and back.
Don was a world famous comet hunter. He discovered as many as 12 comets during his lifetime and never gave up his passion. Until very recently Don would continue his comet hunting though visual observation.
Don spent more than 9,000 hours comet-hunting in a career spanning over 50 years. These comets include the periodic comets 96P/Machholz, 141P/Machholz, the non-periodic C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) that were visible with binoculars in the northern sky in 2004 and 2005, C/2010 F4 (Machholz), and C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto). In 1985, comet Machholz 1985-e, was discovered using a homemade cardboard telescope with a wide aperture, 10 inches across, that gave it a broader field of view than most commercial telescopes. Don utilized a variety of methods in his comet discoveries, in 1986 using 29×130 binoculars he discovered 96P/Machholz.
Don Machholz was one of the inventors of the Messier Marathon, which is a race to observe all the Messier objects in a single night.
Image courtesy of Swedish astrophotographer Lasse Lindh
The fascination of star gazing had already started during the very first years of my childhood. I was looking up at the night sky with my grandfather every summer night, studying constellations, the phases of the moon cycle, counting satellite passages and by using his binoculars to discover globular clusters of stars. Equipped with star maps from his home-library I was gradually discovering more and more of this fascinating world we call universe.
Even though years went by, the interest and fascination of cosmos had never left me… I found myself occupied with many other things before astronomy finally became my main hobby in recent years.
I was born in Stockholm, Sweden 1979 and grew for the most part of my childhood years in Greece. Later I’ve studied physics at Lund’s university and was hoping to continue with astronomy. At my free time I was an active amateur astronomer in South Sweden, Lund. At some point I was also appointed as chief of observatory for the Tycho Brahe Astronomy Society in Lund.
Circumstances in life led me to move with my family to California. Today I’m working as a sofrware developer within the aviation industry and weather systems for airports. During my off-time, I spend most of my time with my wife Melissa and our daughters.
My main hobbies are astronomy, astrophotography, game development and I was also a member of several astronomy societies in south Sweden but time was never enough to continue being an active member.
This blog is dedicated to my family (Melissa, Vanita and Lena Grace), our friends and to all of you who share the same fascination towards the beauty of this science and all the mysteries yet to be revealed by our constant discoveries!
Belgian street photographer Jeffrey De Keyser captured extraordinary pictures depicting “The Absurd Human Condition”. Jeffrey who travels to various parts of the world and captures some extraordinary shots from ordinary day-to-day lives. During traveling, Jeffrey comes across different types of situations that depict “the absurd human condition”.
Scroll down and inspire yourself. Please check his more amazing work on his Website and Instagram.
After weeks of suffocating heat and smoke from the Tamarack, Beckworth, and Dixie fires, Aubrey and I decided it was time to make a trip the California coast, one of the only places within a 7 hour drive that could promise cool and clean air. We followed the long and windy roads to Salt Point State Park, one of my favorite stretches of coast that has the same strange rock formations you would expect to find in Utah. Ironically, though we came to breath fresh air, the sky itself was foggy most of the day and resembled the smoky skies from home. Still, simply knowing that the air was clean made all the difference, and sleeping in a tent in cold damp air was exactly the relief we’d hoped for.
The area is also quite popular with fishing and other harvesting. At one beach we met some friendly van lifers cleaning out their Sea Urchin haul, and I bravely nibbled on a piece of sea-to-mouth Uni they offered. It was extraordinarily delicate, sweet, fishy, salty, and nutty.
Bizarre sandstone shapes etched by millennia of wind, salt, and rain in Salt Point State Park, on California’s Pacific Coast. I used a long exposure (30 seconds) in this photograph to blur the misty sea to accentuate the strange figures.
We had visited here once before, but looking through my blogs that image never seems to have made it on here, so now seems like a good time to share it, too. The rocks here are covered in mesmerizing designs of tafoni, the same kind of weather rock found elsewhere along the coast, and in the southwest.
Intricate patterns of tafoni (the sculpted cave-like features on the sandstone) adorn the wild coastline of California, while the huge waves of the Pacific Ocean crash against the shore.
We have just returned from a memorable astrophotography trip at a Bortle 1 dark sky site. The event was an annual star party hosted by the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club known as the Okie-Tex Star Party.
After a few location changes during the first several years, the star party found its home at Camp Billy Joe near the small town of Kenton, OK, not far from the Oklahoma/Texas border. The name ‘Okie-Tex’ was selected to show the collaborative efforts of the two states.
Aside from taking some amazing astrophotography images through our telescopes, the event opened our eyes to the experience of being under a truly dark sky.
Arriving at the Okie-Tex Star Party
Camp Billy Joe is a very remote location away from all city light pollution. This also means that depending on where you live, you might have to drive (or fly) a long distance to get there.
We flew from Toronto to Dallas/Fort Worth where we boarded our connecting flight to Amarillo, Texas. From there, we rented a car and drove approximately 2.5 hours to the star party site.
When you arrive, you can check in (if registration is open) and then set up anywhere on the field. Like most star parties, your chances of getting a better spot are higher the earlier you arrive.
Travel Tips:
When traveling to the star party by car, there are significant distances between each of the small towns along the way. You’ll want to make sure you always have a lot of gas to avoid running out before the next gas station. There is no gas station in Kenton and the closest gas station to the star party is either Boise City, OK (36 miles) or Clayton, NM (43 miles).
It is always nice (and often easiest) to arrive at a new location in daylight. For our travel, we arranged for an early morning flight to arrive around dinner time to get settled and set up the first night. For our flight home, we made sure to book an afternoon flight to accommodate the long drive from the star party back to the Amarillo airport.
Where to Stay for the Okie-Tex Star Party
Like most star parties, camping is your easiest option for enjoying the star party. You can set up your gear outside your camper or tent and enjoy all the other activities and events on-site.
If you’d prefer a little more shelter or a bed while at Okie-Tex, they do have a limited number of bunkhouses available on a first come first serve basis. This includes a separate bunkhouse for men and women, as well as a family option.
Aside from the above options, there are limited alternatives for sleeping arrangements outside Camp Billy Joe. There is a small bed and breakfast nearby that we heard books up early.
As a speaker at the event, they arranged for a mobile home rental for us in the small town of Kenton, OK. This meant we had to drive the short distance (3 mins) to and from the star party and park outside the gates, which closed at 9 p.m. to avoid headlights or any type of white light once it was dark out.
A view of the Okie-Tex Star Party from the rock formation nearby.
Meals and Food Options
When you are so far removed from city amenities, the logistics for running a star party are more complicated.
In terms of food, there is catering available for those who are in a tent or staying offsite. There is a separate registration process and cost associated with this, so keep an eye out for this when completing registration.
If you’re looking for a late-night snack, the Cosmic Cafe is also available on-site each night from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.
If you are camping, please note that open flames are not allowed for cooking (to discourage smoke and fire issues) but cookstoves are okay.
And if you’re up for a bit of a drive (approximately 45 minutes), there are also food options available in Boise City OK, and Clayton, NM.
Events at Okie-Tex Star Party
There are a lot of activities to do at the Okie-Tex Star Party besides astronomy or astrophotography.
There are plenty of great speakers lined up throughout the week and some additional workshops you can register for. There is also a swap meet, vendor tents, and some pretty awesome giveaways.
If you’re up for a little adventure, there are some other sightseeing activities that you can do in the area, including hiking the Black Mesa Summit, walking along a dormant volcano, and checking out preserved dinosaur tracks.
South View on top of Black Mesa Summit
Black Mesa Summit
We hiked the Black Mesa Summit which is only a short 10-15 minute drive from the star party. You can use Google Maps to get you to the parking lot and follow the trail to the top. Be sure to bring a backpack with water to keep you hydrated for the 9 mile trek and be on the look out for rattlesnakes.
Fun fact: Cimarron County, OK, which includes the Town of Kenton and the summit, is the only county in the U.S.A to touch 4 different states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, & Kansas).
Summit tips:
You will want to make sure you leave plenty of time before dusk to complete the entire journey. It took us three hours to finish the 9-mile (14-kilometer) hike.
You will hike a long way (approx. 2 miles) before reaching the point of the hike where you actually start to ascend the Mesa.
Be sure to get your photo at the top of the summit, which is signified by a granite column. This is where you will see information about the 4 different states.
There is apparently a logbook at the base of the column as we later saw on social media. We did not sign it as we could have sworn the case it was in said ‘do not open’.
If you want the best view (and a view of the star party) but sure to follow a small path to the south. This will take you near the edge marked by two large wooden crosses. You can spot Kenton and to the left, the field of the star party. Again, be on the look for rattlesnakes that apparently like the tall grass.
Black Mesa Summit Column.
Bortle 1 Skies
As a Bortle 1 site, the skies at Okie-Tex were incredible. We were lucky enough to have two crystal clear nights under the darkest skies I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, one of those nights was the day we arrived and we were, of course, exhausted from travel. With a half-day workshop the next day, I had to pack it in early. But the following night was also great.
We were told by the regular attendees of the Okie-Tex Star Party that some years have been very windy, but this was not the case for our trip. The skies were calm, cool, and most importantly, dark.
A 25-second exposure of the Milky Way, Ash, Okie, and Tex.
The scenic, rolling landscape at the Okie-Tex Star Party is well-suited for nightscape photography. Our host (Andy) spent much of his time at the party taking incredible nightscape images with creative compositions (including this incredible 360-degree view of the night sky).
I tried to capture as many Milky Way nightscape-style images as I could with my stationary tripod and filming camera (a stock Canon EOS R6). The following image is a single, 25-second exposure at ISO 3200 of the Milky Way from our campsite.
A single 25-second exposure of the Milky Way from our campsite.
Deep-Sky Astrophotography Setup
Even though we flew, we were able to bring a fair amount of gear with us to take advantage of the dark skies. Because this was our first time under Bortle 1 skies, I did want to bring a little more focal length than I typically bring to a star party.
Below is the breakdown of the rig that I brought in my carry-on luggage and personal item (backpack). We did have to check one bag as our tripods did not fit in any of our carry-on bags. It also came in handy for packing some warmer clothing for at night.
Trevor (left) and Ashley’s (right) setup
My Setup:
Ashley’s Setup:
I chose to photograph the Embryo Nebula in Perseus in LRGB. Unfortunately, the clearest nights of our trip landed at times when I had to present in the morning, and I didn’t run the rig as long as I wanted to.
My final image includes just 2.5 hours of total exposure time, using a ZWO ASI6200MM Pro camera and LRGB filters.
The Embryo Nebula in Perseus.
(Ashley has not yet processed her images of the Cave Nebula, but we will add those to the post when ready!)
When you are flying to a star party, you realize there are lots of other things that you typically bring to make things more comfortable, that you wouldn’t be able to given the circumstances – things like chairs, a table, a blanket, etc. Thankfully, Andy, from the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club had us covered, and brought all those things for us, including extension cords.
He even brought and set up a sky-box for us to have a little place to go during the star party, which also doubles as protection from the wind, which is common at Okie-Tex. He also kept an eye on our gear, so we could leave it set up, while we traveled to and from the town where we were staying. Thanks, Andy!
Sky Box for Astrophotography
Star Party Speakers
In 2022, I was a speaker at the Okie-Tex Star Party. They expressed interest in having me attend in 2021, but due to the pandemic and the lockdowns between the Canada and USA border, it was arranged for the following year.
I presented on two topics: a half-day workshop on wide-field Astro imaging, and as per the request of the star party organizers, a presentation on the ZWO ASIAIR. Both talks went well and attendees seemed to be engaged in the information.
In addition to myself, there were other presentations from folks like Jonathan Talbot and Rick Fienberg on the topics of ‘Leveraging New CMOS Technology’, ‘Pixinsight Beginner Imaging’, ‘The New Era of Professional-Amateur Collaboration in Astronomy’ and ‘The Great North American Solar Eclipses of 2023 & 2024’.
ASIAIR Presentation at Okie-Tex Star Party
Rules at Okie-Tex Star Party
As far as rules go, Okie-Tex is a pretty laid-back star party. They do have a few rules to follow, mostly pertaining to white light which is normal for a star party:
No white light after dark (laptops, cars, cell phones, etc.)
No laser pointers
Dim red light only and aim it at the ground
Anticipate your vehicle lights (opening and locking doors) and take the appropriate steps to make sure there are no issues with light
Park outside the gates after 9 p.m. if you are not staying overnight and park facing away from the star party
Pets are allowed but they must be leashed and contained at all times. Be sure to clean up after them.
Okie-Tex Star Party Impressions
This is a very relaxed and casual star party that doesn’t impact the amazing Bortle 1 skies. People just ‘get’ the rules (i.e. no white light) so all you need to do is show up, set up, and enjoy yourself.
The Oklahoma City Astronomy Club are great hosts. Being in such a remote location, it can be easy to feel a little uneasy, but they really do make sure you have all the comforts and necessities at the site – washrooms, showers, catering, power, etc. The star party is well organized and runs like you think a star party that has run for 30+ years would run – like a well-oiled machine.
The Okie-Tex Star Party from above.
There are a lot of seasoned attendees at this star party that make it a lot of fun. You can join in on the conversation, and get the scoop on their stories from the many years they have spent attending the star party and make new friends.
You’ll also want to be sure to hike to the top of the nearby rock formation adjacent to the star party to see Okie and Tex, the official flamingo mascots of the star party.
Overall, we had such a great time at the Okie-Tex star party and can definitely see ourselves returning in the future. A big thanks to the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club for the invite and for taking such good care of us!
