On astrology, I always say...

At a recent observatory Public Night a visitor asked if I could recommend books on "astrology" and I told her no. There are, however, many excellent books on astronomy. As I always say, astrology is astronomy's illegitimate parent.

Hiram Camera Watches Skies all Night

Back in the spring of 2011 I learned that NASA was seeking new locations to become stations in their All-Sky Fireball Network. Knowing the nighttime skies over Hiram can be excellent, I thought addition of a local network station would be a great thing: it would allow viewing of local phenomena often missed by human eyes, and would contribute to real ongoing micrometeorite research. Making the station happen, however, was not so simple.

The Network is a collection of automated cameras that watch the sky every night for incoming meteors, brighter than the planet Venus, called fireballs. Each station's local computer analyzes video in real time looking for signature flashes made by bright meteors. If a fireball is spotted, the video is captured and relayed to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for further analysis. "The collected data will be used by the MEO {Meteoroid Environment Office} in constructing models of the meteoroid environment, which are important to spacecraft designers," says a NASA statement.

The Fireball Network (about 2012) Before Hiram Came Along

I received the go-ahead to pursue the project from Dr. Laura Van Wormer, Physics Department Chair, and contacted Dr. William Cooke, the head of NASA's MEO, asking him about applying. The application form was astonishingly easy and from the beginning it was apparent we were a good potential site. I completed the form and waited.

Stations in the Fireball Network require an unobstructed view of the sky (360 degrees, nearly down to the horizon), a relatively clear dark nighttime sky, and infrastructure including high-speed Internet access; Hiram had all of those qualities, at least in some places. Hiram's ground-level Stephens Memorial Observatory is located on what today would be a residential lot in the village. The Observatory property is bordered by tall trees on the western property line and by houses and trees to the north and east, thus unsuitable for wide views of the sky. Nor does Stephens have broadband Internet. Buildings on campus, however, had different combinations of the three requirements!

The tallest building on the Hiram College campus that might afford a clear view of the sky, with roof space for a camera setup, and proximity to sheltered space for a computer, was the Colton-Turner Science Building. Colton is a very old building but the view from atop its mechanicals penthouse is amazing!

Panorama Shot from the Penthouse Roof Showing Hiram College Campus and Horizon

A long period of waiting was punctuated by occasional contacts with NASA and eventually we were told we were approved. There was, however, one little problem: the Northeastern U.S. was not covered well by the Fireball Network and there were no other stations close enough to work with us -- stations need to be not-too-close and not-too-distant from each other in order that their fields of view overlap and proper triangulation can be made of any meteor sighting. Triangulation allows for calculation of speed, distance, brightness, etc., all important to the research. Perhaps, as Dr. Cooke suggested, we could join the Canadian meteor network?

More waiting. Then suddenly, in October 2012, an exchange of emails began with Dr. Cooke's associate, Danielle Moser of the Micrometeoroid Environment Office. There were no other nearby applicants, she stated, did I have any suggestions? I provided a few but, apparently through her own research, Moser found other interested and qualified parties and the project was "on!"

The Weather Station atop Colton

Meanwhile I needed to find a suitable home in Colton for the Fireball camera host computer system. I had seen a weather station on the roof of the building and asked about whose it was; perhaps we could work together. Enter, Dr. Louis Oliphant, Chair of the Computer Science Department. From the start Oliphant was enthusiastically supportive of the camera project. He first suggested a small closet inside of the mechanicals penthouse. There was electrical power available, LAN connectivity, and close proximity to the roof, but I could only imagine that room, outside wall facing west, heating to oven-like temperatures in the summertime and killing the NASA computer. There had to be another place for the computer to live.

Technician Installing the All-Sky Camera High above Hiram

After much mulling over, and queries by Oliphant, a new space was offered up: a dumbwaiter elevator shaft. Good, but no wiring access to the roof and no windows for a GPS antenna. Nearby, however, was the answer: the corner of a little-used laboratory. The lab's "owner," Dr. Matthew Sorrick of Environmental Studies, was happy to allow the installation.

All-Sky Fireball Network Camera Sits Atop its Mast Waiting for Dark

So on August 13, 2013, after much delay, emailing, and a lot of head-scratching and searching, technicians arrived at Hiram College and set up the All-Sky camera system. Cables were strung from the roof down to the lab and through a window frame, the computer set up and configured for Hiram's LAN with help from Network Administrator Bryan Drennen, and the system tested. We didn't know when we might see the first results but were happy to have Hiram now an official observation station. It was a long process, a long day, and we were willing to rest and wait. As it turns out, we didn't have to wait long.

"First Light" for Hiram College's Fireball Network Camera - a Bright Perseid in the Western Sky!

The annual Perseids meteor shower had peaked over cloudy skies the past weekend but there are always stragglers. The Perseid shower is known to be rich in fireball meteors, again, those brighter than Venus. In that first overnight and under mostly-clear skies, the little camera picked up several fireballs, verified in coordination with the other new camera station at Oberlin College. Everyone involved was delighted.

The Fireball Network (August 2013) After Hiram and Partners Were Added

I am very pleased that Hiram played a big part in spurring expansion of The Fireball Network into the Northeastern region of the U.S.  From now on, we will not only watch the skies but watch for what our unblinking eye on the sky has seen. Meteor showers will become even more interesting.

Postscript: Not only am I thrilled and proud to have seen this effort through to fruition, to be listed with the fabulous historic Allegheny Observatory (thanks to NASA's recruitment of them) is a huge honor!

A beautiful night with friendly visitors

After weather caused us to cancel the September and October Public Nights at Stephens Memorial Observatory of Hiram College, it was a pleasure to behold beautiful skies tonight! The first visitors arrived just before 7:00 PM as we were just opening. The waxing crescent Moon was down among neighboring trees but their bare limbs allowed a few minutes of lunar viewing that we did not expect. As others arrived we turned the big telescope towards the east and the brilliant Pleiades star cluster (M45). During the evening I believe we were able to make out traces of nebulosity around a couple of the stars -- the "Seven Sisters" were beautiful to see. Like diamonds scattered on black velvet, the stars of the Perseus Double Cluster shown through the eyepiece. We couldn't fit both clusters within the field of view so the telescope was pointed at the brilliant center of one. Jupiter rose steadily and, with a little ladder-climbing, we were able to observe the gas giant through most of the evening. Observing conditions were not ideal through, remarkably, we were able to make out three and sometimes four cloud belts in the planet's atmosphere! All four Galilean moons were visible during our session. Conditions did not support 200X magnification so we stayed at about 120X. In the same area of sky as Jupiter was the double-binary star system of Capella; a brilliant reddish dot, twinkling in the eyepiece. As the last visitors were leaving, we stood on the front lawn and looked up. One guest said she saw two meteors -- likely late-arriving Leonids -- though I saw none. I pointed out that we could make out the glowing patch of sky that is the Double Cluster without the use of binoculars or telescope ... seeing was that good! It was a very enjoyable night sharing the night sky with a friendly group of visitors.

No Moon - Stormy Sunset

Stormy Sunset: I was to have led a local event celebrating International Observe the Moon Night tonight but the weather has been unfriendly to such endeavors! There was one giant "sucker hole" that let me see the Moon briefly; it was quickly replaced by something pretty spectacular but much closer to home!

Ugh! Winter off to a poor start!

This area suffered moderate to heavy cloud cover for the December 10, 2010 total lunar eclipse. I'd been looking forward to it --even considered gearing up to produce a live webcast-- but we were disappointed in the end. I didn't even get out of bed to look out the window. Those who did take a peek largely saw clouds or got brief glimpses of the partial phases of the event.

I had to cancel the December Open Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory due to illness. I was suffering from a stomach "bug" and was well-advised to not stand out in the cold. Skies were mostly-cloudy that night so I hope nobody was very disappointed we did not open.

We're hoping 2011 brings good things for the Hiram observatory: we've a good chance of a construction site for a new observatory and there are plans afoot for a kick-off event in a funding drive! More on all of that later, as developments come.

The next Stephens Open Night is set for January 22 and we plan to show off the Great Orion Nebula. Skies this month have generally been cloudy and snow is currently in the forecast daily -- we'll make plans and see if Mother Nature cooperates!

Swasey Observatory

Perched on a hilltop on the campus of Denison University in Granville, Ohio is a beautiful example of a modest academic observatory from the turn of the twentieth century. Swasey Observatory was, in 1909, the gift of Ambrose Swasey of the Warner and Swasey Company. Built of white Vermont marble, the structure boasts a lovely tiled entry chamber, classrooms (one a former transit/zenith observatory), and a metal spiral stairway leading up to the observing dome. The transit telescope has been uninstalled and its pier removed but is still on display. Several astronomical timepieces are also present though not operating. Under the dome (a modern replacement for the original wood-and-steel structure) is a beautiful nine-inch Warner and Swasey 1910 refracting telescope with Brashier optical components. The drive system has been updated to run via electrical motor but most of the instrument is original equipment. The old telescope is used in astronomy instruction and the building has an observing deck where modern small telescopes may be attached to permanent piers. Dan and Mike, professors of physics at Denison, were most generous with their time answering several questions I had concerning the old telescope (nearly a twin to the one I maintain) and allowing me plenty of time to photograph. It was a fine way to spend a dreary Friday. Making this blog entry is about as close to observing as I will get on this cloudy and rainy Saturday night when I would otherwise present a public observing session at Hiram.

Photo by James Guilford.

Stairway to the stars

It was a rainy and cloudy weekend so no stargazing this time. I did, however, attend the groundbreaking for what will be a unique public facility: the Geauga Park District's Observatory Park. The park will celebrate nature from the ground beneath our feet to the cosmos of which we are a small part, all under skies recognized as some of the darkest in our region. As a part of the development the District acquired the Nassau Astronomical Station from Case Western Reserve University and will rehabilitate its 1957 building and research-grade 36-inch Warner and Swasey Cassegrain telescope for Park use. A second 36-inch reflector has been donated to the cause. Park officials expect the facilities to be open for use next year. As a boy I dreamed of observatories of the design seen at Nassau (and at Baldwin-Wallace College)... their turret-domes, telescopes, control rooms, and catwalks enthralled me then and now. How wonderful it would be to use such a facility on a regular basis! It was a thrill to visit Nassau this weekend as a part of the Park's groundbreaking. Hopefully the facilities will continue to fascinate and inspire for many generations to come, both by themselves and as stairways to the stars.

Exquisite sky tonight!

The seeing and the starry sky were exquisite Saturday night for our September Open Night. The sky over the village was cloudless and sparkling with diamond stars. The Milky Way stretched broad and bright overhead, arcing half-way across the sky, dust lanes evident. It was the finest sky I've seen in quite some time. All told 49 visitors came, stretched out over the two hours of the event -- much better than 49 all showing up at once, which has often happened! The smaller crowds at any given time allowed for better interaction with visitors and gave them the sense that they could take their time looking through the telescope. Several College students were in attendance including a young man from Mexico City. Students rarely show up at these events so it was a pleasure to have them. Three students arrived at the scheduled 11:00 closing time and I spent a half-hour with them... they were excited and enthusiastic about the entire experience. Earlier in the evening a girl, maybe eight years old, was obviously enthralled with her views of Jupiter and the Galilean Moons; she even used a chart I provided at the eyepiece to put names to the star-like dots aside the huge planet. It is extremely gratifying when someone, most especially a child, really "gets" what they are seeing when looking through a great telescope. That young lady wasn't just looking at Jupiter, she was observing! Also featured was the Andromeda Galaxy which filled the field of view with its misty wonder - the light of a trillion stars 2.5 million light-years away! Jupiter was resplendent with not only the dark, broad equatorial cloud bands visible, but other "stripes" could be seen in the temperate zones. I must say, between the excellent seeing and improved tracking of the telescope, I enjoyed the best views I've ever had of those two objects, both at 122X. The telescope's right ascension clutch has been slipping badly. By hand-tightening the clutch I found that the telescope tracked as well as some modern electrically-driven scopes making higher-magnification public views practical and enjoyable. Observing Jupiter was, by the way, greatly aided through use of a neutral density filter -- it was difficult to observe without the filter as Jupiter was so very brilliant! It was an excellent night.

Private observing

The forecasters all indicated last night (Sept. 1) would have very good seeing conditions and, because I wasn't due in to work until Monday afternoon, I decided to go to the Observatory and enjoy a little private observing. The session would also give me a chance to check on the facility and experiment with the telescope's faulty right ascension clutch.

Except for the dehumidifier bulk tank being nearly full, the place was fine. That was a relief since not long ago a severe thunderstorm with possible tornado passed a few miles to the south of Hiram.

It was my belief the hand control for the RA clutch was not able to turn far enough to lock the clutch and engage the telescope's clock drive. I removed the control linkage and manually tightened the clutch. Sure enough, the telescope began tracking decently (considering all of the mechanicals are a century old). I'll see if I can rig a kluge remote of some sort until a permanent fix can be arranged.

Seeing conditions were very good for the Moon, at least. The waxing gibbous Moon dominated the sky wiping out all but a trace of the Milky Way and dimmer stars. There were also traces of high, thin clouds later in the night. I experimented with afocal photography using a new digital SLR camera and got mixed results (see image above). An apparatus holding the camera in alignment with the telescope eyepiece would help a lot. I also got a halfway decent image of Jupiter's planetary disk with the handheld camera! Seeing wasn't as good as forecasters indicated but I was surprised at how well it photographed using this simple, unsteady technique. The Galilean Moons showed only as the faintest specs in the photographs though they were brilliant in the eyepiece.

I experimented with --and failed-- using the telescope's RA dial and clock to guide me to M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy. I need to devote a good dark night to that and learn it well. Too bad our declination rings are messed up --still more work to do-- for their use would help.

Using binoculars I was able to spot M31 and, in stages, nudge the big telescope into proper aim. The big galaxy looked very nice (to me it looks like a cottonwood tree's seed) though a darker background sky would have helped contrast and aid in seeing its soft outer edges.

Finishing off the night I tried some moonlit photos of the Observatory and the grounds. Mixed results there but it was fun trying.

Next public night is Sept. 12 and Jupiter is the featured object.

Dome trouble

Well, we had trouble, my friend! During our April 4, 2009 public night, the shutter began acting up. It was difficult to open for the night and was nearly impossible to close (see previous post)! College carpenters built up a scaffold inside the dome early in May and determined that the rollers that carry the shutter had derailed -- nominally the rollers move along an iron bar at the top of the opening easing operation. The craftsmen lifted the shutter back on to its tracks and lubricated the wheels. With the scaffold in place the telescope could not be moved so all use of the Observatory was suspended during the balance of April and through May. While the scaffolding was still in place, over the late-May Memorial Day weekend, I replaced the pull ropes that are used to manually open and close the shutter. I have no idea how old the cotton rope was; I replaced it with a tough poly braded rope. The shutter works better than it has in years though close examination of the condition of its wooden components left us with worries.

May offered a number of clear nights which was a big change from an otherwise very cloudy spring season. Unfortunately needing to be fresh for work and a nasty late-May head cold kept me from taking advantage of the clear night skies. Hopefully this will be a good year for me and I have hopes of using both the Observatory and my private telescope(s) more frequently than in recent years.

Photo: Crammed inside the Observatory dome is a large scaffold used by workers to repair the troublesome dome shutter. The hundred-year-old sliding wooden cover had become derailed. Taking advantage of the presence of the sturdy apparatus, I replaced operating ropes and inspected the upper reaches of the dome and shutter ... it wasn't pretty!

Tough night at the Observatory

Saturday night, April 4, was to be the first scheduled Public Night at the Observatory of the year not canceled by weather conditions. As forecast, the skies cleared and promised to cooperate for the night's event giving us fair seeing and temperatures in the mid-30s. Because of previous cancellations the Open Night was to serve as our official Saturn Observation Campaign event for the spring and we registered as a local site for the global "100 Hours of Astronomy" which is a part of the International Year of Astronomy observance.

Despite clear skies our events nearly did not happen. Pulling the ropes to open the observatory's dome shutter I head a loud squawk echo through the chamber -- the shutter had jammed for some reason and would not open fully and would not close. Repeated efforts finally resulted in the shutter opening all the way and we were free to see the sky.

The night saw 26 visitors between 9:00 and 11:00 and they were treated to superb views of the Earth's Moon. As usual the old nine-inch scope excelled at lunar landscapes but the Moon was very high in the sky --not far from the zenith-- and the telescope was not tracking well. We settled for moderate magnification (133X) and enjoyed nearly three-dimensional viewing of Mare Imbrium's crater-marked lava expanses. Wrinkled crater walls, mountain ranges, and long, low, lines of hills looking like frozen ripples in hardened plaster were seen vividly. Views of Saturn were also quite good: the rings tipped towards us at only about three degrees (minimum tilt was reached in January but we missed that). Moments of very good seeing revealed a slight shadow across the planetary disk cast by the rings and a hint of gap between the planet's limb and the inner rings. A special treat was the sight of four of Saturn's moons and, over the course of the evening, noting their changing positions relative to each other and to their planet. Galileo, 400 years ago, never saw the Moon or Saturn a fraction so well as we did. He was, however, very meticulous and a skilled observer of what he could see. The Moon, while beautiful to look at, also lit our less-than-perfectly transparent skies causing quite a bit of glow so we confined ourselves to viewing only it and Saturn. The last visitors departed at about 11:10 PM.

All was routine as I began closing up until I attempted to close the dome. Squawk, boom! The shutter stalled and jammed again on its tracks. This time, however, it was stuck. After many attempts with the ropes I climbed into the opening. I found one of the lower wheels on the shutter had derailed so I lifted the shutter back on to the track. Not enough! The main problem was with the track at the top of the dome! There's no way to reach that point without scaffolds or ladders. It was going on midnight and I didn't know what to do but to keep trying. If anyone was watching from outside it must have been quite a sight... the silhouette of a man in the aperture, bright lights on inside an observatory dome, pushing and pulling and shaking the shutter, until finally it settled into its closed position. Tired, sore, and worried, I shut off the lights, locked up, and headed home at about 12:30 EDT. What a night!

Saturday night clouded out

At first all looked good. Then the forecasts began to change. By early evening it was apparent there would be a generally opaque cloud layer over the region through midnight. No Observatory open night Saturday night. The Observatory will have probably only one more chance at a public viewing of Saturn --next month-- before it sinks into the trees that block our Western skies.

Saturn shows but not students

Tonight (Saturday) I had the observatory open from 9 to 11:00 PM at the behest of the student environmental group at Hiram College. This open night was to be a part of their Earth Day activities. Unfortunately --or not-- this was also the college Springfest and the poor old observatory was up against a pop music concert, an orientation day, and other activities. We had only two visitors --a student couple-- at Stephens the whole time. Gave them a look at Saturn with moons Titan, Rhea, and Dione visible and told them about the observatory, telescope, etc. Sky conditions were clear but seeing was generally not very good with high-altitude water vapor preventing the sky from being very black. I couldn't find dim objects, not even M44 (The Beehive star cluster) but Saturn looked surprisingly good; the shadow of the ring system could be seen on the planetary body. Maybe a hint, now and again, at cloud banding on the planet. I took a look at Mars but between seeing preventing high-power views and Mars receding and becoming quite small, it was not very interesting. That was about it for observing! A bat had moved back into the dome and/or shutter as had a nest-building bird or two. And one of the shutter closing ropes snapped when I slammed it shut for the night! It looks like this one will be an easy fix but I fear future breaks will be higher and harder to repair.

Not tonight you don't

I thought it rather optimistic! Monday night was clear and lovely but not a good night for me scheduling-wise for an Observatory session. Tonight my schedule is clear but the sky is not. Rain is expected tomorrow. That's life, I guess! I did confirm the position of Saturn last night, floating beautifully beside bright Regulus, found Mars, and watched Orion sinking into the Western sky. If we are able to open to the students and public Saturday night, Saturn is going to be tricky... the big refractor is going to be tipped high, very high, which means the eyepiece is going to be very low. Still, it will be worth the effort -- it nearly always is.

A fine lunar eclipse

After a day or two of nail-biting, monitoring forecasts of sky conditions, the Clear Sky Clock tipped the scales for me... Wednesday night's sky would be clear and we would be able to see the Feb. 20 total lunar eclipse.

I packed up only one extra eyepiece --the great antique scope has a wonderful low-power ocular that presents the entire lunar disk-- and bundled myself up. It was a c-o-l-d night!

As the eclipse was getting underway a freshly-cleared sky began to cloud up. A thin layer of cloudiness obscured all detail from the Moon just as Earth's shadow was taking a good chunk out. And a little snow fell through the dome slit! Gad! Just as I was beginning to give up hope, however, the sky quickly cleared and we had good seeing for the rest of the night!

The view of the Moon through the 9-inch refractor was typically spectacular. Even the full Moon looks great through that scope with its fist-sized eyepiece. During the partial phase of the eclipse, however, there was a time when the lunar limb was relatively bright, the central portion of the disk was bluish, and the dark shadowed region took on a reddish hue. Quite beautiful. During totality the Moon took on a pale coppery color; it was not a particularly colorful eclipse. Impressive and beautiful, nonetheless. Saturn, near opposition, was also near the eclipsed Moon (the bright "star" to the left of the shining Moon in the photo above) so during the hour-long totality I swung the telescope over to give visitors a look at the ringed world. Even at low power --Saturn quite small in the field of view-- visitors were excited to see it. At about 100X the excitement grew. Seeing was only a little better than fair for while we could make out the gap between the inner rings and the planetary body, no shadow could be seen and no detail within the ring plane. Two or three moons were visible. I'm hoping for better conditions for Saturday's Saturn Observation Night. As totality was ending I swung the scope back to the Moon to watch bright light begin its progress across the disk.

In all more than 44 visitors came into the observatory -- there were probably more but people were coming in to look through the telescope and going out to enjoy the sky with their own eyes ... they were getting into the event!

The last visitors left at around 11 PM and I was finally free to try some photos. A little too late, however, to get the shot I wanted... looking at the Moon along the telescope and through the dome. The Moon had already brightened to the point that I couldn't balance the exposure. It's a nice photo anyway and I'll use it for some things, it's just not the picture I had imagined. It was getting late and my feet and hands were getting cold --it was 18 degrees F. in the dome-- so I closed up and went home.

A fine lunar eclipse.

Mars strikes again!

What a night! Thanks to a Page 1 story in the Ravenna Record-Courier about Mars with references to our January 12 Open Night, more than 184 visitors looked through the old scope!!! There was a line of people literally out to the street! Of course the disappointing reality of Mars observation presented most folk with a small featureless pale disk in the eyepiece --the night's sky was clear, but seeing was fair to poor-- still, there was a lot of excitement and interest. Many assorted questions about the telescope, the Observatory, Mars, and astronomy. If you were good and lucky you could see a hint of shadow within the disk representing surface markings. That's the mystique of Mars for you: lots of interest and potential disappointment! I'd wanted to show off other objects but had to stay fixed on Mars until just before 10 PM. I was able to give the last group a look at the Orion Nebula which was spectacular before clouds finally began to close in. I'd printed 10 star charts as hand-outs before driving out to Hiram ... I didn't want to print too many! Yeah... 184+ visitors! I still can't believe it.

Winter Solstice

The weather forecast gave us great doubt for the open night at Stephens. There was, however, an opening in the all-day cloud cover coming our way. Hiram College rented the StarLab portable planetarium and staged a Winter Solstice program earlier in the evening that led nicely into the Observatory's 7:00 PM opening. The sky, by then, had cleared and with temperatures of about 40 degrees (F) opening the dome was tolerable. Though transparency was only fair at best, the nearly-full Moon presented an interesting target and the Cooley Telescope did its usual job in knocking the socks off new visitors. The lunar image was glorious. Turning the telescope to Mars, however, really didn't reveal much. The not-so-good sky conditions prevented us from seeing any surface markings even though Mars was only four days past its closest approach in this opposition cycle (opposition to take place on Dec. 24). Hoping for better viewing conditions in January with Mars still fairly close. By 9:00 the sky had closed in completely hiding Mars, even from unaided eyes, and obscuring any detail from the lunar disk. Still in all we had about 48 visitors over the evening -- one of our best nights!

Chaunticlair Observatory

About 8:15 in from the balcony ("Chaunticlair Observatory") with clear sky, clouds on the western horizon ahead of a large rainy weather system. With the 90mm Meade and 12.5mm eyepiece looked at Jupiter. View was sometimes clear and I could just make out the two major cloud bands. The Orion Nebula, however, looked great ... the best I've seen, and a beautiful veil filling the field of view. The Trapezium region was clearly visible with its young central stars. Quick looks at Betelgeuse and Sirius. Saturn was at the zenith and not observable. It's cold, 32F, with light pollution seeming to increase; perhaps thin cloud layer moving in. Quit at about 8:30 PM. Photo: The twin-level "Chaunticlair Observatory." It may not be much of an observing facility, but it's convenient! That's the 90mm Meade waiting for nightfall.