The Katy ISD/Robert Shaw Astronomy On Wheels event went off without a hitch. The organizers estimated a total attendance of 500-600 students, siblings, parents and teachers. We had a more or less continuous flow of attendees in the “telescope patio” with lines at every scope – although actual visual observing was constrained by the clouds.
The event staff were extremely helpful. I was not aware of any organizational problems. Nearby parking was tight as usual.
There were 13 FBAC volunteers and 7 or 8 scopes including the AOW TeleVue, the FBAC Lunt Ha solar scope, and 4 smart scopes. Bill Spizzirri gave his presentation on meteors and meteorites in a large room adjacent to the telescope area.
As the sun was setting, the solar scope provided great views of a large prominence and the FBAC Dwarf Mini imaged a few sunspots. The AOW TeleVue caught a beautiful crescent Venus low in the West. Otherwise, it was targets of opportunity between clouds. About 8:20pm the nearly full moon rose above the Robert Shaw building through broken clouds. Of course, the moon was a big hit with the remaining attendees. The FBAC team was packed up and ready to head home a bit after 9:00pm. Traffic wasn’t too bad coming or going.
