Welcome to OSP XII - 2016.
...and it just keeps getting better!
The road trip this year was back to Holbrook, AZ and search for meteorites.
On July 19, 1912, the quiet of Holbrook, Arizona was interrupted at approximately 6:30 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. local time, by a series of loud booming sounds followed by several explosions in rapid succession. The entire explosive event lasted for about 30 seconds to perhaps one minute. As a few Holbrook residents looked to the sky, there was too much daylight to see the bright light of the meteor. From the explosive sounds, the meteor passed in a due east path over the town and it was actually seen by one witness to explode about a mile or two in the air and it is now estimated that about 14,000 - 16,000 pea sized extraterrestrial stones pelted the ground arround the section house located at the Aztec Rail Yard, six miles east of Holbrook....
Google Map To "Holbrook, Arizona
Meteorite Fall Of 1912, Meteorites, Strewnfield."
View Larger Map
For the meteorite hunt: The one centimeter cube reference object, for taking scale pictures of the meteorites we'll find.... They are made of Tungsten Carbide, a very hard dense material.
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Upon arrival the skies were awesome blue.
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And clear days turn into clear nights....
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It is nice living in the number one observing state in the USA; Arizona!! The skies are just awesome, and to have a 36-inch telescope at 7000 feet is nirvana....
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Some wildlife showed itself..., here a lizard is checking us out.
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A squirrel is caught building a nest....
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Humming birds were zipping around and one landed long enough for Joe to get a nice portrait....
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Some wildlife we brought with us.... Hawking loves it up north.
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Kuiper has been an OSP attendee since the first year!!
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Cactus, yes, at 7000 feet elevation amoung the pinon pine....
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Desert Paintbrush in bloom!! Very pretty....
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The group consisted of Joe, Bill, Jonathan, and Diane....
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Jonathan set up his 15x70 binoculars on our paralellogram mount. Jonathan is seen here looking east....
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Bill the bartender kept the Cosmo's flowing....
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Joe made pizzas and I baked them.... This is going to happen each year!!
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Diane also enjoyed the pizza.... Everyone was stuffed but when it is made with natural ingredients by hand it can't get much better.
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Joe sets up the 6-inch refractor. Totally enjoyable views!
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Holbrook..., rather bleak but there's meteorites out there. Use the scroll bar to see the panoramic image.
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Potential meteorites had digital images taken with GPS coordinates, plus, the 1-cm cube next to it for directional and size reference....
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The special t-shirt for this year was about details of comets, bolides, meteors and meteorites....
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We made steaks for the Saturday night dinner..., and a toast to Good Times!
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The bottle got its new mark and then put away for next year....
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All good things..., must come to an end.
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Back in Gold Canyon, Jonathan, Diane, and I went on a hike to see the Indian drawings near or house....
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Many such carvings are in the Superstition Mountains....
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Nice hike too....
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