Welcome to the KVAS Website!
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The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society operates and maintains Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate, near Cross Lanes, West Virginia. This rolling-roof design observatory houses the club's 16" F-4.5 Newtonion Reflector Telescope. Breezy Point Observatory is host to many of the club's monthly meetings as well as a number of star parties each year.
Since 1987, the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society has partnered with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and Blackwater Falls State Park to host Astronomy Weekend. This annual event takes place every fall in Davis, WV, under incredible dark skies that are an astronomer and astrophotographers dream come true.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society operates and maintains Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate, near Cross Lanes, West Virginia. This rolling-roof design observatory houses the club's 16" F-4.5 Newtonion Reflector Telescope. Breezy Point Observatory is host to many of the club's monthly meetings as well as a number of star parties each year.
Since 1987, the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society has partnered with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and Blackwater Falls State Park to host Astronomy Weekend. This annual event takes place every fall in Davis, WV, under incredible dark skies that are an astronomer and astrophotographers dream come true.
You can also visit us on Facebook.
Click on the icons below to open the Facebook page or to contact us by email.
Club Scope
Our club scope donated by Chuck Spann is the workhorse for our club. It provides outstanding viewing during star parties and observation sessions for our members and guest.
Exciting news - KVAS is planning on a second observatory to house a historic Cassegrain Telescope Donated by Ruth Haxton. It will be a great complement to our current telescope.
Click on image to enlarge
Exciting news - KVAS is planning on a second observatory to house a historic Cassegrain Telescope Donated by Ruth Haxton. It will be a great complement to our current telescope.
Click on image to enlarge
Meetings
Meetings are held the third Friday of the month. The manager of Camp Virgil Tate, Jason Young, has graciously allowed us to meet on site at Camp Virgil Tate allowing us easy access to our Breezy Point Observatory following our meetings. Due to winter dark hours we have adjusted our meeting time. Our next meeting will be on Friday, February 17th at 6:00 p.m. at Camp Virgil Tate lodge in Sissonsville, WV.
Driving Directions: To get to Camp Virgil Tate, take Interstate 64 to the Cross Lanes exit. At the end of the ramp, turn to go to Cross Lanes (away from the dog track) and follow Route 622. You will go through Cross Lanes and travel about 4 miles before 622 takes a left turn at a light. Take the left. You will continue for several miles over a curvy road with a few sharp turns and then pass the Baber Agee Church on your right. The turn into Camp Virgil Tate is about 1 mile past the church. The turn (to the left) is marked by a small green sign on the right side of the road. This turn will take you across a bridge and to a small paved road. Camp Virgil Tate is about 1 mile out the road. Once you enter Camp Virgil Tate, go through Virgil Tate to the first intersection and turn left. The Lodge is on the right.
***There is a "back way" to get to Camp Virgil Tate. Take I77 out of Charleston to the Tuppers Creek exit. At the end of the ramp, take a left. Go a little more than 1 mile to the intersection with Route 21. Take a right. Go a little over a mile, past Sissonsville High School and take a left at the light onto Route 622. There is a fairly large sign to Camp Virgil Tate at the turn. Camp Virgil Tate is a right turn 4.4 miles from that intersection.
Driving Directions: To get to Camp Virgil Tate, take Interstate 64 to the Cross Lanes exit. At the end of the ramp, turn to go to Cross Lanes (away from the dog track) and follow Route 622. You will go through Cross Lanes and travel about 4 miles before 622 takes a left turn at a light. Take the left. You will continue for several miles over a curvy road with a few sharp turns and then pass the Baber Agee Church on your right. The turn into Camp Virgil Tate is about 1 mile past the church. The turn (to the left) is marked by a small green sign on the right side of the road. This turn will take you across a bridge and to a small paved road. Camp Virgil Tate is about 1 mile out the road. Once you enter Camp Virgil Tate, go through Virgil Tate to the first intersection and turn left. The Lodge is on the right.
***There is a "back way" to get to Camp Virgil Tate. Take I77 out of Charleston to the Tuppers Creek exit. At the end of the ramp, take a left. Go a little more than 1 mile to the intersection with Route 21. Take a right. Go a little over a mile, past Sissonsville High School and take a left at the light onto Route 622. There is a fairly large sign to Camp Virgil Tate at the turn. Camp Virgil Tate is a right turn 4.4 miles from that intersection.
KVAS Next Club Meeting
Our next Club Meeting is February 17th at Camp Virgil Tate Lodge Conference Center. We will update members with the new progress on the second observatory and updates to Astrophotography Weekend at Blackwater Falls State Park. A presentation and demonstration of the ZWO AM5 mount will be given by Jason Young. All are welcome to stay for a members starparty after the meeting weather permitting.
Upcoming StarParties:
None Scheduled for February
Contact us if you are interested in having a starparty for your group. Email: president@kvas.org
Our next Club Meeting is February 17th at Camp Virgil Tate Lodge Conference Center. We will update members with the new progress on the second observatory and updates to Astrophotography Weekend at Blackwater Falls State Park. A presentation and demonstration of the ZWO AM5 mount will be given by Jason Young. All are welcome to stay for a members starparty after the meeting weather permitting.
Upcoming StarParties:
None Scheduled for February
Contact us if you are interested in having a starparty for your group. Email: president@kvas.org
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Exciting News is coming for 2023!
KVAS will be hosting an AstroPhotography Weekend at BlackWater Falls in addition to Astronomy Weekend. Stay Tuned for more information. The initial planning meeting was held on Jan 29th for the event. Latest update for the newly planned observatory: Work is underway! The Project plan with milestones is being executed, Grant funds have been utilized for the work so far and a second observatory to house the Haxton telescope will soon be realized. The Site Prep is completed for the new observatory to include trees and brush cleared along the access road to breezy point, gravel tailgated to provide the needed access for concrete and materials, and the concrete pads have been poured and stamped with a compass rose pointing true north. Thanks go out to Jason Young, Bill and Aaron Brown and Rodney Waugh for the work and coordination. The rebid for the observatory will be posted January 31st and remain open for two weeks. Once closed, a bid will be selected by the board for the structure. Stay Tuned for further updates. The Primary and secondary mirrors have been recoated and being stored off site until the new observatory is completed. Thanks go out to Ed for transporting the mirrors down and back to Majestic Mirrors. Work on the focuser is also underway by Robert Dean. |
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A luminary vigil was held at the observatory for Leah Strickland from Herbert Hoover by friends after a church star party held on Sat Oct 15th 2022.
Photos from Astronomy Weekend 2022 at Blackwater Falls State Park
The Don Haxton Telescope
This Telescope has a long history. It was built in Japan in 1938 by the GOTO Telescope Company for the University of Tokyo. It is a 12” cassegrain reflector F/10 telescope. It was placed on top of a mountain on one of the islands of Okinawa. It was used for astronomy and during World War ll, I am certain it was also used to search for US ships and planes.
After the war, the US Navy confiscated it and took it to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis Maryland where it was used to teach astronomy and stellar navigation. It remained there for several years until Goddard Space Flight Center at Greenbelt Maryland needed it for the Apollo Program. It was used to monitor the Sun for radioactive solar storms that would endanger the Apollo Astronauts when they were outside the Earth’s protective magnetosphere, to and from the Moon.
After the Apollo Program, an employee at Goddard named Donovan M. Haxton Jr used the telescope for star parties with his students from a local collage where he taught astronomy.
After the terrorist attack of 9/11, security was increased and the college students were no longer allowed on the property. The telescope fell into disuse. Don Haxton was able to purchase the telescope before he retired.
Donovan M. Haxton Jr. passed away on May 10, 2016. He was a scientist in every sense of the word. His wife, Judith Haxton passed away on October 12, 2020. They left two Daughters, Lilah Haxton and Ruth Huffman.
The Haxton Family attended the fall event, Astronomy Weekend at Blackwater Falls State Park for many years. This event is sponsored by the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society and the State Park. Astronomy Weekend started in 1988 and continues to this day. They enjoyed various activities including star parties, astronomy talks, (Don Haxton gave several talks) the raffle drawings or sitting around the lounge exchanging experiences and tall tales. Of course the park itself is a major attraction.
In February of 2021 Ruth Huffman contacted Janet Willson and offered the 12” telescope to the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society that is based in Kanawha Valley, West Virginia. After 3 snow delays, Rodney Waugh, Judy Waugh and Scott Blake traveled to the Haxton house at Laurel Maryland, on Whiskey Bottom Road. It is located between Washington DC and Baltimore. We brought the telescope back and stored it at Rodney’s house.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society thanks the Haxton Family for this valuable donation.
Don’t mistake goto for the modern telescopes we have today. That is the name of the Japanese company that built the telescope. They are still in business.
The telescope is a 12” cassegrain reflector, F/10. The six foot long tube sits on an equatorial mount that has two axis that are arranged 90 degrees to each other. One axis is aimed toward the north star, Polaris. The telescope is equipped with a clock drive on that axis, that makes one rotation per day, just like the Earth does. This allows the telescope to track the stars.
Now, this telescope is built very heavy. It weighs several hundred pounds and sits on a cast iron base nearly 2 feet by 3 feet. The pedestal is also cast, in two sections. An electrical control panel is on the lower section. The two bearings on each of the mounts axis are nearly 2 feet apart. Each axis has two knobs to make fine adjustments and another knob to adjust the stiffness of each axis. Installing the counterweights is a two man job! The tube is built with six 1 1/8” pipes that run from end to end and five rings that make up four sections. The tube is surrounded with sheet metal to block outside light. It has has two access doors, one for each mirror. The 12” primary mirror has a 2” hole in it’s center for light to pass thru to the eyepiece and is located at the base of the tube. It is housed in a mount that has three sets of knobs. Each set has three knobs, a push, pull, and a locking knob. The three knobs are situated one directly behind the other. This allows the mirror to be precisely collimated. The 3 1/2” secondary mirror located at the far end of the tube has three adjustments for it’s collimation. Behind the primary mirror is a foot long rack and pinion focuser that holds the eyepiece.
The telescope is an F/10 which means that the primary mirror focus is ten times it’s diameter. The magnification is determined by dividing the length of the focus of the primary mirror by the length of the focus of the eyepiece. For example, 3,048mm divided by a 10mm focal length eyepiece gives a magnification of 304.8. This is an excellent telescope for the moon, planets, double stars and narrow deep space objects.
The telescope also incorporates a 4” F/15 refractor. This 4” telescope can be used visually or with a star micrometer that is also included. It can be used, over a period of time, to detect movement between two astronomical objects. To do this, you find a “suspect” object, record the readings and find a nearby star and record the second readings off of the micrometer. After a week or more, compare the new readings with the first ones. If there is a difference, you may have discovered a solar system object. Now, by measuring off the suspect object and 0several other objects, you can plot a path of movement over time.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society plans to build an observatory to house this telescope with a sliding roof, similar to the existing Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate. Breezy Point Observatory houses a 16” newtonian reflector telescope on a Astro-Physics goto mount that aims itself.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
Rodney Waugh
11/8/21
This Telescope has a long history. It was built in Japan in 1938 by the GOTO Telescope Company for the University of Tokyo. It is a 12” cassegrain reflector F/10 telescope. It was placed on top of a mountain on one of the islands of Okinawa. It was used for astronomy and during World War ll, I am certain it was also used to search for US ships and planes.
After the war, the US Navy confiscated it and took it to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis Maryland where it was used to teach astronomy and stellar navigation. It remained there for several years until Goddard Space Flight Center at Greenbelt Maryland needed it for the Apollo Program. It was used to monitor the Sun for radioactive solar storms that would endanger the Apollo Astronauts when they were outside the Earth’s protective magnetosphere, to and from the Moon.
After the Apollo Program, an employee at Goddard named Donovan M. Haxton Jr used the telescope for star parties with his students from a local collage where he taught astronomy.
After the terrorist attack of 9/11, security was increased and the college students were no longer allowed on the property. The telescope fell into disuse. Don Haxton was able to purchase the telescope before he retired.
Donovan M. Haxton Jr. passed away on May 10, 2016. He was a scientist in every sense of the word. His wife, Judith Haxton passed away on October 12, 2020. They left two Daughters, Lilah Haxton and Ruth Huffman.
The Haxton Family attended the fall event, Astronomy Weekend at Blackwater Falls State Park for many years. This event is sponsored by the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society and the State Park. Astronomy Weekend started in 1988 and continues to this day. They enjoyed various activities including star parties, astronomy talks, (Don Haxton gave several talks) the raffle drawings or sitting around the lounge exchanging experiences and tall tales. Of course the park itself is a major attraction.
In February of 2021 Ruth Huffman contacted Janet Willson and offered the 12” telescope to the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society that is based in Kanawha Valley, West Virginia. After 3 snow delays, Rodney Waugh, Judy Waugh and Scott Blake traveled to the Haxton house at Laurel Maryland, on Whiskey Bottom Road. It is located between Washington DC and Baltimore. We brought the telescope back and stored it at Rodney’s house.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society thanks the Haxton Family for this valuable donation.
Don’t mistake goto for the modern telescopes we have today. That is the name of the Japanese company that built the telescope. They are still in business.
The telescope is a 12” cassegrain reflector, F/10. The six foot long tube sits on an equatorial mount that has two axis that are arranged 90 degrees to each other. One axis is aimed toward the north star, Polaris. The telescope is equipped with a clock drive on that axis, that makes one rotation per day, just like the Earth does. This allows the telescope to track the stars.
Now, this telescope is built very heavy. It weighs several hundred pounds and sits on a cast iron base nearly 2 feet by 3 feet. The pedestal is also cast, in two sections. An electrical control panel is on the lower section. The two bearings on each of the mounts axis are nearly 2 feet apart. Each axis has two knobs to make fine adjustments and another knob to adjust the stiffness of each axis. Installing the counterweights is a two man job! The tube is built with six 1 1/8” pipes that run from end to end and five rings that make up four sections. The tube is surrounded with sheet metal to block outside light. It has has two access doors, one for each mirror. The 12” primary mirror has a 2” hole in it’s center for light to pass thru to the eyepiece and is located at the base of the tube. It is housed in a mount that has three sets of knobs. Each set has three knobs, a push, pull, and a locking knob. The three knobs are situated one directly behind the other. This allows the mirror to be precisely collimated. The 3 1/2” secondary mirror located at the far end of the tube has three adjustments for it’s collimation. Behind the primary mirror is a foot long rack and pinion focuser that holds the eyepiece.
The telescope is an F/10 which means that the primary mirror focus is ten times it’s diameter. The magnification is determined by dividing the length of the focus of the primary mirror by the length of the focus of the eyepiece. For example, 3,048mm divided by a 10mm focal length eyepiece gives a magnification of 304.8. This is an excellent telescope for the moon, planets, double stars and narrow deep space objects.
The telescope also incorporates a 4” F/15 refractor. This 4” telescope can be used visually or with a star micrometer that is also included. It can be used, over a period of time, to detect movement between two astronomical objects. To do this, you find a “suspect” object, record the readings and find a nearby star and record the second readings off of the micrometer. After a week or more, compare the new readings with the first ones. If there is a difference, you may have discovered a solar system object. Now, by measuring off the suspect object and 0several other objects, you can plot a path of movement over time.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society plans to build an observatory to house this telescope with a sliding roof, similar to the existing Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate. Breezy Point Observatory houses a 16” newtonian reflector telescope on a Astro-Physics goto mount that aims itself.
The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.
Rodney Waugh
11/8/21
Thursday, January 7, 2016.
Charleston Gazette/Mail. Area man suggests ancient mounds line up to reveal summer, winter solstice. By Ben Calwell, Metro Reporter.
Metro photo by BEN CALWELL
Scott Blake stands next to a model of the Criel Mound in the South Charleston Interpretive Center.
Blake is researching the possibility that the Criel Mound and nearby Wilson Mound are aligned to mark the summer and winter solstices. As a naturally curious man, Scott Blake likes to leave no stone unturned when his inquistive mind is teased with a mystery. Blake, who resides in the Cross Lanes area, believes that two of the remaining ancient Indian mounds in the Kanawha Valley served not only as burial places but also as a solar calendar for the Adena culture. He’s referring to the Criel Mound in South Charleston and the smaller Wilson Mound, which still exists in what is now Sunset Memorial Park, a private cemetery, also in South Charleston. “They are 1.6 nautical miles apart,” said Blake, during a recent visit to the South Charleston Interpretive Center, which has a large model of the Criel Mound on display. Blake, who is vice president of the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society, began looking into the possibility that the two mounds mark the winter and summer solstice, when he was asked to prepare a talk for one of the KVAS’s regular club meetings. Seeking a topic, Blake stumbled upon an idea that the two mounds could possibly be aligned to mark the solstices. Diving into books, websites and other sources that describe the field of “archeoastronomy,” Blake began his research and is writing a paper on the topic. Based on his research and observations in the field, Blake said the two mounds, in relation to the sun, are aligned in a way that told the Adena people when the summer and winter solstices began. The two mounds, he said, share the same “bearing line” of 245 degrees southwest by 65 degrees northeast. It’s an example of archeoastronomy, or “how ancient people used the sky as a time piece,” Blake said. “It aligns to the sunrise on the summer solstice -- Wilson to Criel -- and the sunset on the winter solstice -- Criel to Wilson. Due to the mountains, the alignments seem to happen when the sun is about a disc width above the ridge tops,” he said, in a follow-up email. The compass heading of the two mounds is 245 degrees southwest by 065 degrees northeast. “The bearing is important because it conforms to what researchers look for first if they question if a site has potential. The site meets this requirement.” As an amateur in the subject, Blake said he has done as much as he can. “Right now I have gone as far as I can go with the resources I have. I need to take it to the next level. The next step is to completely affirm the site has an alignment with professionals and then see if there is a potential lunar alignment like the Newark and High Bank sights in Ohio,” he said, referring to mounds in Ohio. Eventually, Blake would like the Criel and Wilson mounds to be recognized by the International Society of Archeoastronomy and Culture. Blake said there was a “huge complex” of mounds in the the area in the late 1800s and that Cyrus Thomas of the Smithsonian Institution cataloged all of them east of the Mississippi River. “He documented over 50 of them in the Kanawha Valley,” he said.
Blake is researching the possibility that the Criel Mound and nearby Wilson Mound are aligned to mark the summer and winter solstices. As a naturally curious man, Scott Blake likes to leave no stone unturned when his inquistive mind is teased with a mystery. Blake, who resides in the Cross Lanes area, believes that two of the remaining ancient Indian mounds in the Kanawha Valley served not only as burial places but also as a solar calendar for the Adena culture. He’s referring to the Criel Mound in South Charleston and the smaller Wilson Mound, which still exists in what is now Sunset Memorial Park, a private cemetery, also in South Charleston. “They are 1.6 nautical miles apart,” said Blake, during a recent visit to the South Charleston Interpretive Center, which has a large model of the Criel Mound on display. Blake, who is vice president of the Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society, began looking into the possibility that the two mounds mark the winter and summer solstice, when he was asked to prepare a talk for one of the KVAS’s regular club meetings. Seeking a topic, Blake stumbled upon an idea that the two mounds could possibly be aligned to mark the solstices. Diving into books, websites and other sources that describe the field of “archeoastronomy,” Blake began his research and is writing a paper on the topic. Based on his research and observations in the field, Blake said the two mounds, in relation to the sun, are aligned in a way that told the Adena people when the summer and winter solstices began. The two mounds, he said, share the same “bearing line” of 245 degrees southwest by 65 degrees northeast. It’s an example of archeoastronomy, or “how ancient people used the sky as a time piece,” Blake said. “It aligns to the sunrise on the summer solstice -- Wilson to Criel -- and the sunset on the winter solstice -- Criel to Wilson. Due to the mountains, the alignments seem to happen when the sun is about a disc width above the ridge tops,” he said, in a follow-up email. The compass heading of the two mounds is 245 degrees southwest by 065 degrees northeast. “The bearing is important because it conforms to what researchers look for first if they question if a site has potential. The site meets this requirement.” As an amateur in the subject, Blake said he has done as much as he can. “Right now I have gone as far as I can go with the resources I have. I need to take it to the next level. The next step is to completely affirm the site has an alignment with professionals and then see if there is a potential lunar alignment like the Newark and High Bank sights in Ohio,” he said, referring to mounds in Ohio. Eventually, Blake would like the Criel and Wilson mounds to be recognized by the International Society of Archeoastronomy and Culture. Blake said there was a “huge complex” of mounds in the the area in the late 1800s and that Cyrus Thomas of the Smithsonian Institution cataloged all of them east of the Mississippi River. “He documented over 50 of them in the Kanawha Valley,” he said.
Links
Regional Clubs
Central Appalachian Astronomy Club
Ohio Valley Astronomical Society
Northern Virginia Astronomy Club
Tri-State Astronomers
Morgan County Observatory Foundation
WVU Astronomy Club
Astronomical Club of Southern West Virginia
Shenandoah Astronomical Society
Organizations
Space.com
NASA
International Dark-Sky Association
McDonald Observatory
Astronomy Magazine
The Astronomical League
Sky and Telescope Magazine
Astronomy Picture of the Day
SpaceWeather.com
AccuWeather
Lunar and Planetary Institute
2017 total eclipse of the sun USA
44 Closest Stars
Space Weather Woman
Dealers
Astronomics
Celestron
Scope Stuff
Diffraction
Meade Instruments Corporation
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars