133 sleep-deprived but cheery people joined us for the 21st Annual Group Photo during the mid-afternoon hours of Saturday, August 22, 2009.... This number included 12 children (two of them babies!). There were at least 3 well-mannered astro dogs ... The weather was typically fine and warm. Official total Star Party attendance was about 720 when you added in the 2 busloads of students from OMSI's Camp Hancock who spent the night Thursday night...... Featured in one of his favored "upfront" positions is Bernie K., again this year wearing his flashy, tie-dyed OSP T-shirt! . Jan Keiski. is just to the left of center in the third row back, also wearing a tie-dyed OSP shirt. Past OSP Directors Chuck and Judy Dethloff stand high in the far back, with both also sporting flashy Committee tie dye shirts. Brand-new Director Dave Powell is seen about three rows back on the right side of the picture (and in the close-up below). Thanks to Steve Coe for loaning me the roof of his motor home for this year's photo-- he was an OSP Speaker, seen in the front row in the blue T-shirt (also see close-up). See page bottom for this year's group photo close-up slice!
.... Folks with other comments or identifications, please email me).
There has been only one year in
OSP history when weather was so bad that no Group Photo was taken,
and that was 1990 in the Steens. 2009's weather was 
great for observing
on basically every night. The night I arrived this year featured
the HOTTEST
SUNSET I have every recorded
in all my years at OSP... Overall, 2009 OSP featured more of the
clear night-time skies that have been so characteristic of this
site during the 17 years that we've used it! The heat was excessive
on perhaps two days, but the humidities were very low so it was
a temporary discomfort.
We were glad to escape any close encounters with the forest/range fires that smoked up horizons over Oregon during summer 2008, and once again we suffered no more than the normal summer fire restrictions, such as no barbeques.
Be sure to check back during October for more added content! This will include the first time I have published any of the UVB studies I have been doing up at OSP the past few years (ultraviolet light intensity, aka sunburn danger).... Click here for a brief overview of OSP UVB, and for much more detail about the subject please visit my pages about UVB in Oregon, and sunburn risk in the tropics.
Our 2009 close-up is from the right side of the group photo. Featured are the new Director of OSP, Dave Powell*, and also Margaret McCrea-Campbell and Steven Coe. Also visible (with less certainty) are Ray Stinson and Tim and Chris Anderson. Dave in later years of OSP became famous for leading the very popular nightly star talks. He is in the center of the picture, with a reddish shirt and backwards cap.
