ABAS activities · 2023

On May 21, 2023, the American Bootes Astronomical Society (ABAS) held its very first in-person gathering in the backyard of attorney Mangmang Cai's home in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Virginia. Members of ABAS marked the occasion by designing their own Boötes-themed merchandise, including T-shirts, mugs, pens, and car decals.

Attorney Mangmang Cai, one of the earliest organizers of the American Bootes Astronomical Society, though not a current board member, is a Peking University graduate and a passionate astronomy enthusiast. He has many acquaintances in Virginia and generously provided the venue for the gathering.

He also personally funded the society's first telescope and prepared equipment including a thermometer and projection screen for the event. Falls Church, located in Fairfax County, is part of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and a community with a large Chinese-American population.

On that same evening, the lawn at Kent Gardens Elementary School in Falls Church was transformed into an impromptu observatory for ABAS's first community sidewalk astronomy event. People of all ages lined up for a turn at the telescopes, curious to see what was up there. The event was a testament to the universally shared curiosity about the wonders of the night sky.

In addition to stargazing, the evening featured a presentation on astronomy and a projection display on a large screen set up on the school playground. The event began in the early evening and continued until around 9 p.m., attracting more than 100 participants, including many children and their parents. ABAS also distributed Boötes-themed merchandise as souvenirs and keepsakes.

On May 22, 2023, ABAS hosted another sidewalk astronomy event on the lawn of a local church in Falls Church.

That evening, participants had the opportunity to observe Saturn through a telescope. A camera attached to the telescope also transmitted a live image of Saturn onto the projection screen, allowing everyone to share the experience and watch the planet together. The event concluded around 9 p.m., with approximately 100 people taking part.

On May 24, 2023, ABAS hosted its first roadside astronomy event on the National Mall. Renjiang Xie, Mangmang Cai, Ruofan Wang, Ge Yan, and others set up telescopes in front of the Capitol, drawing crowds of tourists who stopped to admire the sky. The event was covered by World Journal reporter Zhang Jun and ran until 9 p.m.

The event site had been reserved with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management one week in advance. Approximately 400–500 people took part throughout the evening, including passersby and federal employees leaving work at the end of the day. The National Mall is surrounded by major federal institutions, making the area especially busy with pedestrians in the early evening.

For safe solar observation during the afternoon, a Baader solar filter was mounted on the front of the telescope for visitors to observe sunspots. The telescope was then used for stargazing in the evening, with images of the night sky projected onto the screen for the audience.

On May 24, 2023, ABAS joined Haycock Elementary School in the Washington, D.C. area for a day of solar astronomy. Young students learned basic solar facts and viewed the Sun through a dedicated solar telescope.

At 3 p.m., ABAS members Renjiang Xie, Mangmang Cai, Donald, and others visited the school. A school bus arrived to pick up students at dismissal time, while the school's principal came out personally to meet and take photographs with the ABAS members. The principal expressed support and welcomed the society's future astronomy outreach activities at the school.

Haycock Elementary is regarded as one of the notable elementary schools in the greater Washington, D.C. area. A number of students and parents had gathered outside the school at dismissal. The solar observation activity lasted approximately one hour, with groups of students and parents stopping by to observe sunspots.

On June 2, 2023, ABAS returned to Kent Gardens Elementary School for a full evening of astronomy. At 3 p.m., ABAS members gave students an approximately 30-minute astronomy lecture in the classroom, including a presentation of astronomical photography. The students then went outside to the playground for a brief sunspot observation session. At 7 p.m., the group gave a short astronomy presentation for parents and children, and distributed commemorative souvenirs. An hour later, participants gathered on the playground for a telescope observation of Saturn.

The success of the event was made possible in part through Jeff's support. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who went into education after completing military service, he helped ABAS connect with students and their parents.

The journey west

An annular solar eclipse crossed the western United States on October 14, 2023. Members of the American Boötes Astronomical Society traveled from different cities to meet in Las Vegas before driving into the eclipse path in Utah. This was the society's first organized road trip to observe an eclipse.

Members began arriving in Las Vegas around October 11, some from New York and others from Austin, Texas. Last-minute flight changes delayed some members, leaving those who had already arrived waiting through October 12 and reconsidering their departure time for the following day. They also took stock of their telescopes, cameras, solar filters, equatorial mounts, and tents in Las Vegas.

On October 13, six members left Las Vegas in two cars. They drove north from Nevada, crossed the northwestern corner of Arizona, and entered Utah. The two vehicles carried the group, photography equipment, and camping supplies. That night, everyone stayed at a campground in Utah within the path of annularity, where they could set up their equipment and begin observing early the next morning.

Observation morning

On October 14, the group met other members near Sevier, Utah. Another group chose to observe from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both locations were within the path of annularity, and both groups successfully saw the annular eclipse.

The observing setup consisted of a refracting telescope with a solar filter fitted over the front, a camera attached at the rear, and a portable equatorial mount that tracked the Sun continuously. Before taking photographs, members repeatedly checked that the filter was secure, leveled the mount, and tested focus and exposure. The annular phase would last only a few minutes, leaving no time to fix a loose component or an out-of-focus image, so everything had to be checked thoroughly beforehand.

The ring of light

As the Moon gradually moved between the Sun and Earth, a small portion of the Sun disappeared and the remaining visible disk narrowed into a crescent. At maximum eclipse, the Moon appeared slightly smaller than the Sun, leaving the Sun's outer edge visible as a complete ring of light—the spectacular annular eclipse.