Deep-Sky Observing And Other

Recently, we had a good friend to lose their father. I wanted to say something meaningful and not just “I’m very sorry” and nothing more. So, quite a few years ago, I had read a poem by James S. Tippett, and thought it would be very good to share with anyone who had just lost a loved one. This poem also has great meaning for all of us…to think about and contemplate from time to time. Roger Ivester

The train photo from Public Domain: Strasburg Railroad of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And “The Train of Life” by James S. Tippett.

At birth, we board the train and meet our parents, and we believe they will always travel by our side.

As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life.

However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone.

Others will step down over time and leave a permanent vacuum. Some, however, will go so unnoticed that we don’t realize they vacated their seats.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells.

Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves.

The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down.

So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.

It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty, we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

This poem was written “again” by James S. Tippett, but you might find a similar poem with variations online. Roger Ivester

April (2025) photo…

A Supernatural Event on a Summer Afternoon…Or Was It Something Else?

During the summer of 2023, while my wife, Debbie, and I were in Gaffney, South Carolina, we stopped at a drive-thru restaurant. As we were leaving, I noticed a person sitting alone at an outdoor table beneath an umbrella, shielding themselves from the afternoon sun. It appeared they may have had all of their earthly possessions in a shopping cart. The cart was piled so high with bags and belongings that items were spilling over the sides.

As we drove past, an unusual feeling came over me—a strong impression that I needed to stop and speak with this person. So I pulled over and asked if I could buy them something to eat.

The person barely looked up, continuing to write on a sheet of paper. Finally, with what seemed like an annoyed expression, they glanced at me and said, “I’m not here for you to buy me something to eat. I’m here to pray for you.”

I was taken aback but simply replied, “Thank you.”

The person continued writing almost fervently, and said: “I’m writing the prayer for you.” I then asked, “May I have the prayer to take with me and read later?”

Without hesitation came the reply: “No…I’ll read it to you.”

There was a conviction in those words that immediately caught my attention.

The mysterious stranger began reading the prayer, yet I could not seem to hear or understand anything being said. The words were unintelligible to me. Although I could see the person’s lips moving, I could not comprehend a single word.

When the prayer was finished, the stranger quickly folded the paper, put away the pen, and gathered everything.

There was something else that has remained with me ever since. As strange as it sounds, I could not clearly see the person’s face. Perhaps it was the shade of the umbrella, perhaps something else—but if someone had asked me later to describe their features, I couldn’t have done so.

We drove away, but heavy traffic in the restaurant parking lot and shopping center forced us to turn around only a few hundred yards away. The entire detour took no more than two or three minutes.

As we circled back, I found myself thinking about the encounter. I felt compelled to see the stranger once more.

But when we returned, both the person and the overflowing shopping cart were gone.

We drove around the restaurant and searched in every direction, but there was no sign of the stranger. Considering how full the shopping cart had been, it seemed impossible that someone could have disappeared so completely in such a short amount of time.

To this day, I cannot explain what happened.

Why would this person refuse to let me keep the written prayer, insist on reading it aloud, and then seemingly vanish within minutes?

Now, three years later, I still find myself wondering: Was this truly a supernatural event? Could it have been someone—or something—not of this world? Might it even have been an angel sent for a purpose?

Perhaps the encounter delayed us from returning to the highway for a reason. Perhaps its purpose was something entirely different. Or perhaps one day the reason will become clear.

https://rogerivester.com/

The following photo was made on (April 25th 1993) when Debbie and I made a trip to Bird Mountain Observatory, located in Landrum, SC.

The primary telescope in the dome is a 7-inch Astro-Physics refractor. The observatory has a meeting room, with a handicap ramp to access the telescope, and full living accommodations.

However today (April 15th 2025) I would “by-chance” see a photo online of the now deserted observatory and from 2009!

April 27th 1993: Debbie is sitting in front of an enlarged photo of the Veil Nebula East, using film. The telescope that was used for the photo was a Takahashi Epsilon 180 astrograph f/2.8 telescope.

For comparison to the “film photo” behind the couch: My pencil sketch of the “Veil Nebula East ” from my suburban backyard, using a 10-inch Newtonian. This is one of my favorite deep-sky objects!

When Debbie, myself and Sophie drove to the entrance of the Bird Mountain Observatory we found the locked gate, but despite the locked gate, we had a fun day. (April 27th 1995)

Leaving Observatory Road: April 16th 2025

The three of us still had fun, doing and seeing other things in and around the towns of Tryon, Saluda and Landrum: April 16th 2025

In 1967, Shelby Drag Strip was only “one of two quarter mile drag strips” located in North Carolina. I’m not sure of the other as Rockingham was not built until 1969, and did not open until the spring of 1970.

Remnants of the Shelby Drag Strip still exist at current (2023)

The following photograph is a Google Satellite image of what’s left of the Shelby Drag Strip, which is center-left and in the wooded area, behind the “Jaws of Life” facility.

Local drag racer Butch Greene from Polkville, raced in the very first event at the Shelby Drag Strip, during the summer of 1967. Butch was driving a 1955 Chevrolet, with a special 396 cubic-inch “crate engine” and 450 horse power, but unfortunately broke an axle on that first night. However, after repairs, Butch came back in a week or so to beat Van Hatley in the modified class, who was also driving a 1955 Chevrolet, but with a small block.

The Shelby Drag Strip was an NHRA sanctioned track. I didn’t realize this, until reading an old newspaper clipping “saved ” by Butch Greene, as following…

Friday night drag races:

I’d go with my brother Phillip, sometimes to race our 1951 Henry J, but at times, we’d just go to watch. When Phillip was not able to go on occasion, I’d ride with Robert Miller, who was a French teacher at Burns High School. Robert raced most every week with his orange and white 1956 Oldsmobile. I was only 14 years old at the time, so I always needed a ride.

Remnants of the Shelby Drag Strip still exist today as shown in the following recent photos.

Walter McIntyre, was a regular who raced a 1967 Ford Fairlane with a 427 cubic-inch tunnel-port engine. This was a Ford factory drag race car.

Jim Bridges brought two 1966 Ford GT-350’s Mustangs with high-performance 289 engines. One was white (which he raced) and the other was red. He would drive the red one, and tow the white one behind. The stock GT-350 (289 engines) produced 306 horsepower and would run in the 12.40’s at Shelby.

In 1968, Bridges purchased a race engine from Bud Moore Racing with ~400 plus horsepower. He raced this car at both Bristol and Rockingham and others. His best times were in high ~11’s, in the quarter mile. (Bridges was a former Marine pilot, flying an A4 Skyhawk).

Below: Butch Greene and his 1955 Chevrolet with a 396-cubic inch “crate engine” with 450 horse power.

Butch Greene and his 1955 Chevrolet with the “special” 396 cubic-inch race engine at the Shelby Drag Strip. The date as shown on the following newspaper clipping is June 9th 1967.

A regular was Ralph Ledford with his 1962 white Plymouth Valiant, and a world record holder in its class. It was owned and driven by Ralph who I talked with via telephone this afternoon, while visiting Butch Greene. (Date: Wednesday, September 18th 2024)

The Plymouth Valiant had the special “Hyper-Pak” 6-cylinder engine. The Valiant’s best time in the 1/4 mile was in the high 13-seconds at about 98 mph.

Then there was Garland Buff from Casar, who would later own Shady Side Drag Strip, with his son Ronny. Garland raced an English Ford using two engines: One being a Chevrolet 409 stroker engine and at other times using a stroker Oldsmobile engine. He used the same transmission for both engines.

Shady Side Dragway is still owned by the Buff family, but both Garland and Ronnie are now deceased. Shady Side is now one of the most active drag strips in the country, with bracket racing, and hosting national gasser and pro-modified events. From starting out in the 50’s as a dirt strip to now an all concrete state of the art race track. Shady Side is well known throughout the southeast as a world class facility by top drag racers, and is currently in the process of becoming IHRA certified.

Back to the Shelby Drag Strip:

Garland Buff won the gasser class most every week at Shelby. One Friday night, my brother Phillip was runner-up in our 1951 Henry J. Garland took the winning purse of $50, but gave Phillip the trophy, which was really exciting to both Phillip and myself. Garland was very a kind, soft-spoken man, and was always willing to help anyone with his many years of drag racing experience.

When it came to engine building, Phillip always said Garland was a genius. He engineered and did the machining for the stroker kits for both the Oldsmobile and Chevrolet engines as mentioned above.

Phillip and myself would go to the Shelby drag strip on many Friday nights. We would also “again” compete in the gasser class on occasion with a 1951 Henry J. We used a tow-bar to pull the Henry J with our Dad’s 1956 Studebaker. Phillip was 17 and I was 14.

One night during a race, Phillip shifted the Henry J a bit too hard and locked up the transmission in high gear. We managed to hook it back up to the Studebaker, and leaving the engine running. I was able to drive the Henry J in high gear, and in tow, using the clutch and gas to balance the speed with the Studebaker. We were successful in getting home, and fixed the transmission the following day. We raced on what might be referred to as a “shoe-string” budget, with our stock 1951 Henry J.

I remember so well, Tommy Mauney driving his white 1965 GTO to the drag strip. He would jack up this car, remove his street tires and put on racing slicks which he’d brought in his trunk. Seems he would also disconnect the headers at the collector. (?)

Tommy never left drag racing and has become one of the “most renowned and successful professional drag racers” in the country today. Mauney was inducted into the North Carolina Motorsports Hall of Fame.

From the Shelby Drag Strip and a 1965 GTO to his current 200 mph plus, under 4-seconds Pro-Modified Camaro in the 1/8th mile. I like the following cover photo of Tommy’s Camaro from Rockingham Drag Way with credit to the same, and all sponsors listed, including the NHRA.

Photo credit Mecum Auctions: The last Ronnie Sox race car by Tommy Mauney.

Ronnie Sox and another Shelby native:

My first cousin, and famous world class drag racer Reid Whisnant, was born and raised in Shelby and bought race engines and even race cars from Sox and Martin.

Reid had a close professional relationship with Ronnie Sox for many years. Reid Whisnant passed away in December 2005, from complications from hip surgery, after falling in his race car shop.

Reid moved from Shelby to Atlanta, during the 50’s and founded “Atlanta Race Cars” some years later. I remember going with my older brothers to visit Reid, for a few times in about 1967 and 1968. We were amazed when touring his shop. It was filled with incredible amounts of racing equipment, including race engines on stands, race car chassis, and so much more…even a Sox & Martin Barracuda sitting in the corner.

Click on the following link to read about the restoration of Reid’s 1972 Pro Stock Plymouth Duster:

https://hot-cars.org/2021/12/13/reid-whisnants-plymouth-hemi-duster-restoration-story/

Reid never raced at Shelby, as he had moved to Atlanta during the mid-50’s, and began racing mostly in Georgia and South Carolina.

The following is one of Reid’s earlier Pro Stock Plymouth Dusters, which he raced at most all national events. Photo credit “hotcars.org“

Reid was involved in an “infamous event” with Frank Iaconio from New Jersey, at the 1983 World Championships. An event that is still talked about to this very day! Reid was driving a Dodge Charger at this time.

Click on the following link to read all about this drag racing historical event! Note the incredible “hole-shot” that Reid had over Iaconia, as can be seen in the following link!

https://competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/9220-encore-iaconio-no-longer-wondering-what-if

My wife, Debbie and I were in Greenville, South Carolina on August 17th 2024…meeting with some grandchildren at a mutual easy location. While driving by Roper Mountain, via I-85, I thought about the famous 23-inch (1882) refractor telescope on top of this mountain.  

Now, this is not just any antique 23-inch historical refractor telescope.  This is the very one that was used by (Princeton Astronomer, Richard Pierson) to see the Martians coming to Grovers Mill, New Jersey, in “The War of the Worlds” based on an 1898 novel by H.G. Wells. This radio show was thought by many to be an actual invasion of the earth by Martians, with many thousands of listeners throughout the country being frightened to death!

Orson Welles (with his booming and dynamic voice) narrated the famous broadcast. Welles played the character of the Princeton Astronomer. This event brought world-wide fame to then 23-year-old Orson Welles.

Roger Ivester

Photo credit and information as following, of the 23-inch refractor telescope and observatory: Roper Mountain Science Center, And Charles E. Daniel Observatory.

The Daniel Observatory, Roper Mountain, South Carolina:

As a Greenville County Schools facility, the Daniel Observatory is open to the public only during special events.

The Charles E. Daniel Observatory features a very historic 23-inch refractor telescope, the eighth largest of its kind in the nation. The Great Refractor was completed in 1882 for Princeton University and was the main instrument in their Halsted Observatory. The lens was figured by Alvan Clark and Sons of Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1933, the telescope was entirely rebuilt by J. W. Fecker Company. The U.S. Naval Observatory owned the telescope from 1964 until 1978, when it was offered to the School District of Greenville County.

Funds provided by the Charles E. Daniel Family Foundation were used in renovating the telescope and in constructing the observatory building to house the telescope. The telescope is used to educate, to inspire, and to entertain visitors. On select Friday evenings, the observatory is open for limited public observation, in conjunction with programs shown in the planetarium. 

As following: Commemorative Plaque in Grovers Mill, New Jersey.

Famous landing site of the Martians to commemorate “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast on October 30th 1938.

An abreviated story of British Airways Flight 009, callsign Speedbird 9, that departed from London Heathrow to Auckland. I’ve compiled the following information from Wikipedia and other sources. The plane was a Boeing 747-236B. Roger Ivester

Actual plane photo as following also from Wikipedia

On 24 June 1982, the aircraft flew into a cloud of volcanic dust by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, SE of Jakarta, Indonesia. A catastrophic event occurred….all four engines shutdown.

Selected information as following from Wikipedia and other sources…

On 24 June 1982, the route was flown by the City of Edinburgh, a Boeing 747-236B registered as G-BDXH. The aircraft flew into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung around 110 miles (180 km) south-east of Jakarta, Indonesia, resulting in the failure of all four engines.

Incident or event:

At the time of the incident, the flight crew consisted of 32-year-old Senior First Officer Roger Greaves, 40-year-old Senior Engineer Officer Barry Townley-Freeman, and 41-year-old Captain Eric Henry Moody. The flight crew members had boarded the aircraft at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Kuala Lumpur and were due to pilot the 747-200 for the Malaysia to Perth Airport leg.^[4]

As the flight progressed, smoke began to accumulate in the passenger cabin of the aircraft. Passengers who had a view of the aircraft’s engines through the window noted that they were unusually bright blue, with light shining forward through the fan blades and producing a stroboscopic effect.

Around 13:42 UTC (20:42 Jakarta time), the number-four Rolls-Royce RB211 engine began surging and soon flamed out. The flight crew immediately performed the engine shutdown drill, quickly cutting off fuel supply and arming the fire extinguishers. Less than a minute later, at 13:43 UTC (20:43 Jakarta time), engine two surged and flamed out.

Within seconds, and almost simultaneously, engines one and three flamed out, prompting the flight engineer to exclaim, “I don’t believe it—all four engines have failed!”

The flight crew quickly determined that the aircraft was capable of gliding for 23 minutes and covering 91 nautical miles from its flight level of 37,000 feet.

At 13:44 UTC (20:44 Jakarta time), Greaves broadcast a Mayday to the local air traffic control authority, stating that all four engines had failed. However, Jakarta Area Control misunderstood the message, interpreting the call as meaning that only engine number four had shut down.

After a nearby Indonesia flight relayed the message to them, air traffic control correctly understood the urgent message. Despite the crew emergency transponder setting of 7700, air traffic control could not locate the 747 on their radar screens.

Many passengers, fearing for their lives, wrote notes to relatives.

Reports from another source say passengers were in awe of an electrical light storm outside the plane, as the engines glowed white and then stopped.

Owing to the high Indonesian mountains on the south coast of the island of Java, an altitude of at least 11,500 feet was required to cross the coast safely.

The crew decided that if the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude by the time they reached 12,000 feet they would turn back out to sea and attempt to ditch into the Indian Ocean.

The crew began engine restart drills, despite being well outside the recommended maximum engine in-flight start envelope altitude of 28,000 feet. The restart attempts failed.

Despite the lack of time, Moody made an announcement to the passengers that has been described as “a masterpiece of understatement.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.”

At 13,500 feet (4,100 m), the crew was approaching the altitude at which they would have to turn over the ocean and attempt a risky ditching. Although the crew had guidelines for the water landing procedure, no one had ever tried it in a Boeing 747.

As they performed the engine restart procedure, engine number four finally started, and at 13:56 UTC (20:56 Jakarta time), Moody used its power to reduce the rate of descent. Shortly thereafter, engine three restarted, allowing him to climb slowly. Shortly after that, engines one and two successfully restarted, as well.The crew subsequently requested and expedited an increase in altitude to clear the high mountains of Indonesia.

As the aircraft approached its target altitude, the St. Elmo’s fire effect on the windscreen returned. Moody throttled back, but engine number two surged again and was shut down. The crew immediately descended and held 12,000 feet.

As Flight 009 approached Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, the crew found seeing anything through the windscreen difficult, and made the approach almost entirely on instruments, despite reports of good visibility.

The crew decided to fly the instrument landing system, but the vertical guidance system was inoperative, so they were forced to fly with only the lateral guidance as the first officer monitored the airport’s distance-measuring equipment (DME). He then called out how high they should be at each DME step along the final approach to the runway, creating a virtual glide slope for them to follow.

Although the runway lights could be made out through a small strip of the windscreen, the landing lights on the aircraft seemed to be inoperable. After landing, the flight crew found taxiing impossible, due to glare from apron floodlights, which made the already sandblasted windscreen opaque.

Other information as following:

It must have been quite a feeling for the captain, flight crew and all passengers to be able to plant their feet on the ground, and think how close they came to dying.

Captain Moody who was credited with saving the lives of 263 people on that fateful day, passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 19th 2024 at the age of 82. Roger Ivester

This was my first time to attend the “Spruce Pine Alien Festival” and so glad I was able to go. What a day it was! I was probably passed by many “Real Space Aliens” but was just unaware at the time.

So here are some photos from the day:

26,000 people attended this one day event last year, and I feel sure there were more or at least as many this year. I had to park at least 1/2 mile away and walk to the downtown area, however, I didn’t mind this at all.

The finest Quartz in the world comes from Spruce Pine. Computer chips for cars, computers and anything where they are used are made from Spruce Pine quartz.

And also the first mirror that was manufactured for the 200-inch Hale Telescope was made from this quartz. Unfortunately the mirror cracked during the process before completion and another one was made from a new process or material at that time, known as Pyrex. This glass was better able to handle the incredibly heat needed during the manufacturing process.

Spruce Pine, North Carolina: How It became a part of astronomy history via The Chestnut Flats Mine, due to the incredibly pure Quartz which was used in the manufacture of the first 200-Inch Hale Telescope mirror. As mentioned previously (above) unfortunately that first mirror cracked during the manufacturing process.

Historic photo from days past of the Chestnut Flats mine as following: Photo credit: Mitchell County Historical Society

I found the following article by David Biddix, a Spruce Pine native, who shares some very interesting information. This is not the complete article.

Alex Glover…is the Director of Mining and Environment for Active Minerals International, LLC. He is a licensed professional geologist in nine southeastern states in the United States and has lived in the Spruce Pine area since 1997. He is interested both in the geology of the Spruce Pine Mining District and in its history, which goes back some 170 years.

….I’ve always wondered why ore from the Chestnut Flats Mine near Spruce Pine was chosen for the telescope’s mirror. Recently, I had a discussion with Alex Glover, a local geologist and mining historian who is very familiar with what is known as the Spruce Pine Mining District, a 10 mile-long, 5 mile-wide outcropping of rock from early in earth’s history that contains some of the purest minerals in the world and is the economic lifeblood of this region. This purity was the reason Corning Glass came to this region to find materials for the mirror. Alex speaks about what types of minerals are found in the district….

David Biddix: Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Now for the complete article by David Biddix as following: Click on the following link…

https://cosmoquest.org/x/365daysofastronomy/2011/11/04/november-4th-the-role-of-spruce-pine-quartz-in-astronomy

I purchased the following quartz specimens, pictured on the table below from “Rocks And Things.” Possibly even from the famous Chestnut Flats Mine, or for sure from the same vein of quartz rock. Roger Ivester

Solar telescopes provided by North Carolina Amateur Astronomers, and friends of mine for many years: Steve Davis and Don Brooks.

May 24th 2024 at 7:30 AM: While Debbie and Sophie were still sleeping…I walked outside to see this amazing early morning rainbow in the west. This was my first time to see a rainbow at this time of the day, as they mostly occur in the afternoon and in the east. However, maybe more frequent than I’d think, as I’m just not looking at that time of the day. And we all know that a rainbow is always opposite the sun: When a rainbow is seen during the afternoon…the sun is in the west.