Soapstone Natural Area Star Party Site, Ft. Collins, CO May 2011

Soapstone Star Party Images from June 24, 2011

Created:July 25, 2011 (best viewed at 1680x1050)

Sagittarius & The Milky Way
Piggyback Pentax MX ASA 400 Kodak Gold, 100mm lens, 15 minute tracked & guided on C-14

Aquila Sagitta Vulpecula
Several Messier objects and a good representation of a Dark Nebula B142-143
Clear Sky Clock .......

This is the view from the lower star party site, with the Front Range to the right and Ft. Collins to the left.

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These are not public star parties right now and only open to members of local astornomical societies in the area, upon contacting the Vice President
of the Northern Colorado Astornomical Society. This is a Historic & Wildlife sensitive area, so if you do attend a star poarty, please stay to the roads as
much as possible. And when the temperaturre gets warm (~May) out come the Rattlesnakes, so give them LOTS of leeway.

Soapstone Location:

On Google Earth:

Latitude 40* 56' 37.49" N 40.94374722 (3.73 miles from Wyoming border.)
Longitude -105* 04'58.39" W -105.08288611
Elevation- 6140 ft
Time zone -7 hrs MDT
Rawhide Smoke stack(strobe) is: 6.56 miles away @ 152* Azimuth (332* reverse Az.)

Here are the: Proposed Star party dates: They are all on Friday with Saturday as a make-up night

May 2011 Fri. 27, Sat .28 - SS1_1 - Failed...clouds & rain

June 2011 Fri. 24, Sat. 25 - SS1_2 - Nice night three attended - got a couple of nice astro-photos.

July 2011 Fri. 22, Sat. 23 - SS1_3 - Setup at top turnaround, one attended, fairly clear, X5 photos

Galactic Home 07/25/11
Astro-P home