A galaxy far, far away

Huerfano County attracts astronomers due to dark skies

By David Rinehart

Over 300 members of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society enjoyed a view of the heavens they can only see in Huerfano County. The Society, and its 60 active members organize the annual “Rocky Mountain Star Stare”, and last weekend the group descended on an open meadow in northern Huerfano County.

This is the first year the group is camping and viewing the skies from its own property. The Society purchased 35 acres off County Road 634, north of Gardner, last August. Previously they held their event in a meadow near Westcliffe.

“We love it here. You have the darkest sky in the United States,” Society President Art DeBrito said. The 343 attendees are not content to view the entire Little Dipper and Milky Way with their naked eye. They are serious hobbyists who bring their own telescopes.

“We have several members with 24 inch (diameter) scopes. Last year a member brought his 36 inch scope that requires a fourteen foot ladder to climb to the viewer,” DeBrito said.

The equipment, complete with GPS and computer tracking capabilities, enable the members to view astronomical features usually only pictured in textbooks: The Swan, Lagoon, Dumbbell and Crab nebulas, Spiral galaxies known in the trade as M51 and M101, they even have solar scopes that enable looking at the sun during the day to see the violent nature of it’s surface.

“We have been warmly welcomed by the County Commissioners and the (Huerfano County) Chamber of Commerce,” DeBrito said of his interactions within the County.
The Star Stare event is organized each year to coincide with the new moon in June, “because the background of the night sky is so black,” DiBrito explained.

According to DeBrito the public is welcome to come to see the amazing heavenly bodies that only telescopes can show. Since the group now owns property in Huerfano County, they will be back here next year. The society maintains its own website (csastro.org) to keep its membership informed.

Debrito does wonder about the future, “Our group that views is getting older. This is a hobby we need to pass on,” DeBrito said. The event includes numerous activities for youngsters, including an 18 object scavenger hunt, a swap meet for adults looking to expand their equipment holdings and numerous social outings to surrounding attractions - like Mission:Wolf and Walsenburg Wild Waters.

“Yes, our group has discovered comets, but not any with a trajectory colliding with Earth,” DiBrito said when asked if Armageddon is coming.

“We look forward to coming back again next year,” DeBrito concluded.

Reprinted with permission from The Signature Newspaper, June 25, 2009