It’s been a long hiatus. I last had my telescope set up for the public at the end of 2022. Cold winter nights deter even the most hardy amateur astronomers. But the weather and lunar phases seemed to conspire against me: favorable lunar phases and rise/set times coincided with heavy clouds; strong winds accompanied clear nights; and then there was the wildfire smoke.
But I’m back and determined to make up for the lost time. The season began this week in Wellfleet, on Cape Cod, where my family and I spend a couple of weeks every summer. A beautiful crescent moon and Saturn, always a crowd favorite, were the showpieces.
I’d like to thank my son, Leo (in the pink shirt). He arrived on the scene after I had a sizeable crowd and two telescopes running. Within five minutes he had learned how to find and track targets, and kept one telescope on target while I assisted and answered questions at the other. We spent the evening jumping back and forth between the two instruments. I couldn’t have done it without him!
