Arunah Hill Days 2004

Arunah Hill Days Report

Arunah Hill Days started out kind of shaky with predictions of a weekend with tropical storm Ivan.

Overcast sky's prevailed for our Friday night speaker Glenn Chaple. Glenn gave a very engaging talk on variable star observing that was appreciated by all who attended. The activities concluded with "Really Bad Science Fiction Theater" and evening thunderstorms.

Saturday morning signaled improving weather conditions. In the afternoon, we had model rocketry and the annual Astronomy Association Horseshoe Throwing Tournament. Arunah Hill retained it's title when Nick Volant won the final match!

By late afternoon, a northern cold front pushed into the region giving us hope for a clear night sky. As people gathered for a talk by keynote speaker Joe Gavin, they were treated to a stunning Arunah Hill sunset.

Joe gave an inspiring talk about how we engineered our way to the moon with project Apollo. At the conclusion of his talk, we were told that Joe had come to Arunah Hill on his 84th birthday! Thank you, Joe!

Joe Zuraw and Bruce Blanchard entertained us in the pavilion, and the evening ended with one of the most transparent observing conditions I've ever seen at the Hill.

All and all not a bad weekend for one that was predicted to be a total tropical washout. So much for Ivan!