the Turners as well free Park admission and free camping for two nights. The instruments, as before, are available to be used at the discretion of the Sky Guides once the public program ends. Last season we had more than our share of compromising weather. This upcoming season we hope that each Guide will have ample opportunity and occasion to utilize the instruments for his or her personal pleasure and satisfaction.

Instruments will continue to be assigned by Richard Brown RABrow@aol.com. Not all available instruments necessarily will be needed or utilized for a given Star Walk. Sky Guide experience and familiarity with a given instrument remain important. We recognize, however, that interests change and all of us want the Guides to be able to enjoy the instrument variety while on an appropriate learning curve. Qualified Sky Guides will assist others to learn the handling of the different size and types of scopes.

In 2003 it is very important that all volunteers coordinate their availability through Richard. Once your assignment is confirmed, you will need to contact Copper Breaks State Park directly for your camping reservations. Please identify yourself as a Sky Guide for the benefits but please do so only after you have first contacted Richard. If you do not do this, please expect to pay for your camping site. Contact information for Copper Breaks State Park is cbsp@srcaccess.net or (940) 839-4331.

With all the equipment we will greatly need assistance with logistics. Loading the instruments into trailers Saturday morning, setting up at Big Pond, breaking it down at the end of the evening, and unloading everything Sunday morning goes quickly and smoothly when several of us work as a group. Please let Richard know when signing up if you can help with this crucial area. In addition, assistance in setting up chairs and pathway lights for the public is always appreciated as well.

We would always hope that all Sky Guides would feel free to add their suggestions and thoughts. Our goal, as always, is to be able to offer some wonderful and perhaps unique experiences for visitors and Guides alike.

Regards,
Fred Koch
fkoch@chipshot.net

(Continued from page 7)

There is great promise of introducing mirrored binocular telescopes this year. The binocular scope with paired 12 ½" mirrors built by Bruce Sayre in California should be coming back from California after receiving some modifications and its own Equatorial Platform. Bruce is also finishing the construction of a new 22" f/5 binocular telescope. If the larger paired mirrors are simultaneously completed then this instrument should be introduced this season as well. This larger instrument will have its own tracking and go-to capability.

The giant Fujinon 25 X 150 binoculars on a dedicated parallelogram mount will continue to be available.

The StarChair from Australia was popular enough last year to justify meeting demand with two more that should arrive this spring. We were fortunate to be able to obtain some Vixen 20 X 100 binoculars (now discontinued) that should be a good trade-off between magnification/aperture and weight.

We hope to routinely utilize real time CCD images this year. Currently being tested for the best configuration for use at Copper Breaks is a StellaCam Ex astronomy video camera. This instrument has enhanced sensitivity and tentative plans are to permit earth-bound visitors to enjoy images of deep sky objects on a monitor. In addition, we would hope concurrently to be able to offer eyepiece views of the same object through another instrument.
Benefits for Sky Guides will continue to include the wonderful potluck meals and camaraderie at