Needville, TX

Summer Fun in Houston -- The George Observatory -- Part 2. This huge tree dripping with moss is near the entrance to Brazos Bend State Park. It is a very peaceful setting.

Underneath the observatories is a theater and an exhibit room. Here is one of the exhibits on a computer screen. It is interactive for those young and young at heart.

They also have posters with information on them, like this one. It has some great colors to capture people's attention.

Here is the 24" telescope mirror that is no longer in use. There is a sign above the mirror saying to "Try to shake your own hand". This is where the theater part of the hall is. There was a short slide show at about 7:00pm about the telescopes and astronomy topics. Then we went up to the telescopes.

Here is the dome my brother Bob was working in last night. He was in charge of the 18" telescope.

Here is Bob with the telescope. Notice the head lamp on his head? It is a special one for use in astronomy -- it has a red light feature to illuminate objects without causing the pupils in your eyes to dilate.

Here Bob was trying to decide what to look at. He also has the computer to help with declination, ascention, etc. of the telescope. He showed me Venus, Saturn, M13 and two nebulas last night. He would actually turn the telescope to where it needed to be and then adjust the dome. I must tell you that when he spun the dome around to open to a particular slice of the sky it was the coolest thing.

There was a private party there last night for a star party, but most Saturday nights are open viewing for the public. If you happen to go for a public viewing, just tell them Liz Flint the Realtor told you about it.

Here is another emblem from one of the many astronomy clubs that use the observatory.

This great bench was in front of the visitors center at the entrance to Brazos Bend State Park. For more pictures and information about this great place, see part 1 of this blog post.

Bob Sees Stars -- The George Observatory -- Part 1

Here is a map of the park. There are lots of hiking trails, picnic areas, camping and fishing to be had. For more park information click here. BEWARE of the alligators. Saturday nights the public can look through the telescopes in the observatories.

Last night I went to the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park. I was excited because my brother Bob was operating the 18" telescope there. There was also a private party of about 45 people there.

The dome my brother operated last night is the smalller dome on the right hand side. The large one on the left has a 3' diameter mirror. I went in that dome as well. The amazing thing about that one is that the floor is on an elevator that brings you up to the eyepiece.

Here is my brother Bob walking into his dome. He was the only operator of this telescope last night, so he got to look at what ever space objects he chose. The viewings started at around 8:30pm and we ended up looking through the telescope until about 10:45pm.

Here is Bob at one end of the 18" telescope. The 18" refers to the diameter of the mirror in the telescope.

Here is Bob doing prep work on the telescope. He adjusts the telescope and then spins the dome around to see the slice of sky he wants. We saw Venus, Saturn, M13 and a few nebulas. One of them was the Whirlpool nebula.

There are many astronomical societies that run the telescopes here. Here is one of the seals from the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society, along with their website of www.jscas.net.

I have never heard of this one, the Astronomical Society of South East Texas, and their website of asset-astronomer.org.

I passed these deer while I was in the park on the way to the observatory. What a great night. I suggest wearing cool clothing in the summer and also bring a flashlight. See part 2 for more pictures.