Tony and Marina's Star Tour

It was a cold and stormy day, followed by a cold and stormy night. I was sure no one would want a star tour and had settled in for the evening. Then a call came from Arnaud at Chez Eugene: A couple from Canada wanted to go star gazing. Well, it's cloudy I said and very cold. Make sure you tell them "very cold". I was sure this would dampen their enthusiasm, but then the call came at 10:15. Could we go out for just an hour - please? I can never disappoint anyone, so it was on with the warm clothing, the watch cap, the wind-proof jacket, gather the equipment and head for Chez Eugene.

Tony and Marina are a great pair from Toronto. Marina is an analyst for a stock trading group at one of Canada's big banks, and Tony runs a telecom company in Eastern Europe. It's good to be Ma CSC! By the time we had arrived at the observing plateau the wind had died down and the sky had mostly cleared, so it was just cold, not cold and windy. The storm had cleared the sky, the moon wouldn't be up for another 90 minutes, so we had a great view of the spring stars and Saturn. I love it when the moon rises behind my back while I'm talking. It's like someone had switched on a huge spotlight on the plateau. I always jump straight to the telescope then so we can watch the moon rise over the machtesh.

By this time I was really into it and ready to stay the night, but the cold got to Tony and Marina, so we decided to call it a night. They love meteor showers, great to watch from Mitzpe Ramon, so I hope they and their friends will be back for some meteor shower star parties this summer.

Tony and Marina in front of Chez Eugene

And remember to Keep on lookin' up!