Saturday February 22nd 2025:

My plans for this year (2025) are to use my 6-inch f/6 Newtonian almost exclusively as my primary deep-sky telescope. The 6-inch is relatively light and much easier to set up and bring back inside after a night of observing, as compared to my much heavier 10-inch solid-tube Newtonian.

Note the number of counterweights, as the 6-inch with an 80 mm f/5 refractor and required another weight to properly balance.

Vixen has an odd diameter declination shaft, which will allow only a Vixen weight. I just ordered and received the extra weight only yesterday (Friday February 21st 2025.)

Note the carbon fiber tape around the back or bottom of the optical tube: This is to prevent “bumping” into the back of another mount used with this telescope, which is a CGE-Pro, when setting in place, and removing. The optical tube has to be set in from the upper or top side, and removed by pulling up also, which puts the tube in an awkward position, as it’s above waist height.

The piggyback 80 mm refractor with an amici diagonal (correct image) serves as both a second telescope and my finder. Note: I also have a Rigel Quick Finder for quick pointing, and as another source to locate brighter deep-sky objects.

Using a Celestron CGE-Pro GoTo mount is always possible for finding “immediately” those very faint deep-sky objects without spending an excessive amount of time. This mount will be used to locate and see those objects on the threshold of the 6-inch. When I know a “very faint” object is in the center of the telescope field of view, “it’s much easier” to see.

During the summer of 2023 while my wife, Debbie and I were in Gaffney, South Carolina, we stopped at a drive-thru restaurant. Upon leaving I noticed a person sitting at an outside table under an umbrella, shielding themselves from the sun. It appeared they might possibly have had all of their earthly possessions in a shopping cart. The contents in that cart were piled high and so much so, they were spilling over the sides. 

However, when driving past, a strange feeling came over me, that I just had to stop and talk to this person. I stopped and asked If I could buy them something to eat. They hardly looked up, all the while continuing to write on a sheet of paper. They glanced up with an annoyed look and said:  “I’m not here for you to buy me something to eat” I’m here to pray for you.” I was a bit taken aback, but said thank you.

This person continued writing almost fervently, and I asked: Could I have the prayer to take with me, and read later?  The person said: “No…I’ll read it to you” but saying so with conviction.  

The mysterious person began reading the prayer, but I could not seem to hear or understand anything they were saying.  It was just unintelligible words, and I could not comprehend a single thing being said. After reading the prayer, the mysterious person put their pen and prayer away rather hurriedly.  

There was something else, as strange as it sounds, but I could not seemingly see their face. Maybe I wasn’t suppose to and If asked later, what did they look like, I couldn’t say. 

So, we drove away, but there was traffic in the parking lot of the restaurant and shopping center, and was forced to turn around only a few hundred yards away.  This took, maybe a couple minutes or so, at most. I began thinking about the stranger and our encounter, and just had to go back to see them again. However, upon returning to the table and umbrella…neither the person nor the overflowing shopping cart were there.  We drove around the restaurant, looking in all directions, but the person that just read a prayer to me, was nowhere to be seen.

It would have been impossible to simply leave this fast and with a grocery cart running over with bags of clothes and whatever.  But yes, the person seemingly had just vanished into thin air!  And why would this person…this apparition, after not willing to give me the written prayer, suddenly leave?  And now after almost two years, I continue to think and wonder: Was this truly a supernatural event?  Could it really have been something unworldly, maybe even an angel sent to me for a purpose? It could have been for many purposeful reasons, such as a delay to keep us from from leaving, and getting back on the highway. It could have been for countless other reasons, and one day, I believe this reason, or purpose will be manifested to me.

Angels are mentioned in the bible, almost 300 times. And if you believe in God, you also believe in angels. President George Washington experienced a vision, being described as an angel at Valley Forge, during the American Revolution. This event has been well documented by both Washington and others. And there are countless stories of angel encounters, but most of the time people ignore them, and most often, just don’t believe.

However, I cannot definitively prove anything in my story, and it’s just my own recording of a personal event, that happened almost two years ago, on a summer afternoon. If my wife, Debbie had not been with me, and also witnessed this incredible event, I would never have considered writing this story…

Roger Ivester (Boiling Springs, NC on March 16th @ 6:30 AM EDT, 2025) 

https://rogerivester.com/