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 Index to this section:
  "The South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association"
  (An introduction to the association and its activities.)

  "The Fox Astronomical Observatory"
  (The observatory and its equipment.)

  "The Brandon Refractor"
  (From Guaynabo, Puerto Rico to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)

  Under Southern Skies: 1950 through 2000
  (The History of the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association, Inc., with observing notes)
  Observing Notes for South Florida: 1956 through 2000
   (approximately two minutes to download at 56k)
 
 

 In 1973, the State of Florida turned control of the land that is now Markham Park over to the citizens of Broward County. The intent was for the land to be maintained as a natural recreation area. The South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association, the first resident of the new park, has always been committed to that end, and has, in the past, worked to improve the environment by participating in recycling programs.

 With the help of the Broward County Commission and the Parks Department, Markham Park was selected as the ideal setting for an observatory, and for the study of the night sky. In the mid 1970s, the membership, with the support of the citizens of Broward County and individual benefactors from the South Florida area, designed and constructed Fox Observatory. Over the years since completion of the project in 1977, thousands of young visitors from Broward and Dade County schools and from organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America have looked up into the night sky over the park.

 This unique opportunity for education and involvement is the result of a joint effort: Annual membership dues and public contributions provide for the operation and maintenance of the observatory and its equipment, while the Broward County Parks Department maintains the building and the grounds. (None of this could be accomplished without the support and cooperation of the Parks Department and the enthusiasm of the citizens of Broward County!)

 Groups and individuals from the area or visiting South Florida are invited to visit the Fox Observatory. In addition, anyone wishing to attend the association's monthly meetings is welcome and encouraged to do so. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month, and membership is open to the public. Anyone wishing to join can do so at one of the monthly meetings or during a visit to the observatory on one of the open house nights. (Dues: student under 18--$10, regular--$25, patron--$60, gold--$100. One membership fee covers the family, and includes the monthly newsletter. The fee for patron and gold membership includes a subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine; however, Sky and Telescope and Astronomy are also available to regular members, at club rates, through the association treasurer. Activities include: learning to use a telescope, video tape and slide shows, star parties, astronomy day, CCD imaging, observatory operation and special projects. Club members wishing to be certified to operate the observatory and its equipment should apply to the observatory director.)

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 The observatory is open to the public every Saturday evening, the year around, free of any charge, with special events announced as they are scheduled. Organized groups and schools wishing to visit on these and other occasions should make arrangements, in advance, through the observatory director at (954)384-0442.
 

DIRECTIONS AND COMING EVENTS:

  The observatory is at: 160001 West SR-84, Sunrise, FL 33326, just inside the entrance to Markham Park, 12.4 miles west of I-95, on the north side of I-595 and SR-84. For more information, click on (observatory), or call (954)384-0442. Those planning to visit may want to check the weather near the Park before taking to the road--current weather: http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/current/KFLL, with Doppler base reflectivity at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/radar/loop/DS.p19r0/si.kamx.shtml  (To find out more about Fox Observatory and the SFAAA go to: http://sfaaa.org/.)
 

  The members of the association have been granted the use of a dark-sky observing site, just inside of Collier County (visual limiting magnitude 6.5). Groups from the club periodically get together for star parties at the site. For directions and a schedule of events please contact the observatory director, Fox Observatory, Markham Park (954)384-0442. (The association's home page is at http://sfaaa.org/.)
 
 

(The) PURPOSE of the ORGANIZATION is to further education and research, and to advance the knowledge and study of the science of astronomy through its members, and in cooperation with other organizations devoted to the study of astronomy.

   H. G. PERRY--FOUNDER
   November 3, 1965
 
 

 Fox Astronomical Observatory, one of the largest amateur operated installations of its kind in the Southeast, is located at latitude 26° 7' 44" north, longitude 80° 21' 41" west (160001 West SR-84, Sunrise, FL 33326). The observatory is just inside the entrance to Markham Park, 12.4 miles west of I-95, on the north side of I-595 and SR-84. When coming from the east on SR-84, turn right at the traffic light, for the Weston Road turnoff. For those using the Interstate, take I-95 to I-595 west, and get off at the 136th Ave. exit to SR-84. Then, take SR-84 the rest of the way west, 2.0 miles, to the park entrance. (It is best to reduce speed and get in the right hand lane early, when approaching the 136th Ave. exit on I-595, and again, when approaching the entrance to the park on SR-84! The exit and entrance come up very quickly!) From the south, on I-75, get off at the Arvida Parkway exit (8 west) to Weston Road. Then, turn right (north) onto Weston Road, and proceed 2.0 miles to the park entrance, just beyond the underpass and SR-84. For directions to the observatory, once inside the park, there is a park ranger on duty at the entrance on weekends (admission: $1 per person, before 6 p.m., but visitors to the observatory may enter at no charge.) Otherwise, take the first left just after the ranger station, and then the next right. The observatory will be just ahead! Please dim your headlights on approaching the site, and don't forget to bring your binoculars!

 The primary observatory equipment consists of a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, the Brandon refractor, a 1,420 MHz radio telescope, a UHF weather satellite receiver, a 12.5-inch, equatorial, Newtonian reflector, two Dobson reflecting telescopes, one with a 13-inch mirror, the other with a 10-inch mirror. The 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain is fitted with a CCD imager, to offset the effects of light pollution, and the Brandon refractor has a 6-inch objective lens, with an 87.25-inch focal length. The Brandon refractor was donated by Dr. Joseph Dennison Fox, a retired professor from the Univ. of Puerto Rico. Dr. Fox was an early member of the SFAAA, and donated the instrument to the association while the observatory was in the planning stages, in 1973. (The main lens of the Brandon refractor is the only one of its kind in existence.)

In 1994, the CCD imager was installed on the 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, giving the observatory an added dimension. Modern CCD processing technology can subtract unwanted skyglow, and has a potential for setting the clock back to a time when there was less light pollution. Also, some of the inconvenience of dealing with high humidity and insects is offset by being able to view the night sky on the monitor in the association's air conditioned clubroom. The CCD and a computer library offer an important advantage to groups and individuals traveling a considerable distance to visit the observatory. When cloudy or rainy weather threatens, images and computer programs (stellar cartography, and games) previously stored in the computer or on floppy disc provide a library of things to see and do. There is also a hardcover library with historical documents and photo albums. (Installation of the radio telescope and the weather satellite receiver, during 1998, made the SFAAA one of the most complete, entry level, amateur astronomy clubs in the US. In the near future, a 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, donated by the family of Louis W. Huey, a past member, officer and benefactor of the SFAAA, will be housed on the grounds immediately west of the existing observatory building.)  (In September of 2000 the club acquired a 12.5-inch, equatorially mounted, Newtonian reflector.)

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 In the late 1960s, Dr. Joseph Dennison Fox, Professor of Astronomy and History, completed his tenure at the University of Puerto Rico, and with his wife Sylvia, retired to North Miami, near Miami Gardens Drive and US-1. He brought with him an optical tube assembly for a 6-inch f/15 refractor. This telescope, in its updated and restored state, now resides in the Fox Observatory, on the grounds of Markham Park. The lens and original tube assembly were built by Chester Brandon, renowned as a designer of eyepieces and objective lenses. (The lens was ground from special blanks made by Dow-Corning. The uniqueness of the glass and the increased air space and thickness qualified the lens for a new patent.) In the late 1950s, Brandon decided to move to the mainland to conduct business, and wanted to find a home for his creation. Brandon was a neighbor and friend of the Fox'es in the San Juan area, and during a visit to the Fox home, talk of what was to happen to this unique instrument came up.

 On the evening in question, Dr. Fox showed an interest in acquiring the big refractor. Brandon said there had been many offers, but he had not decided what to do. He wanted the refractor to be available for use by the largest possible number of people. He asked what Dr. Fox would do if he had possession of it. Dr. Fox, being a teacher, and consistent with his interest in youth, said the scope would be mounted on the roof for the young people in the area to use. That was apparently what Brandon wanted to hear. The scope changed hands that night for a small sum of money and two sets of Melmac dinnerware. The exact date of the exchange is unknown, but it was sometime in 1958 or early 1959.

 Once in his possession, Dr. Fox attached the tube assembly, with an asbestos covering of his own making (i.e., a heat shield), to an improvised equatorial mount, made from part of a landing gear off a World War-II, P-38 fighter. Then, as promised, and using a diving tank as a pier, the telescope was mounted on the roof of the Fox family home, where it remained until Dr. Fox retired and moved to South Florida.

 (Chester Brandon founded Brandon Instruments in the late 1940s in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, ten miles north of San Juan. After moving to the mainland for work (Maryland/General Precision) in 1959, Brandon sold his tooling and blueprints to VERNONscope and Company in 1963. (VERNONscope, of Candor New York, a telescope and accessory outlet, was founded several years before, in 1958.) The Brandon ocular was designed in 1949, and is still considered one of the better planetary eyepiece designs available. As of August 1996, Chester Brandon was in his 90th year, and living in Wisconsin with his daughter (1904-1998). (The 6-inch objective and the original tube assembly were completed in 1949 or 1950.)

 In 1965, the South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association Inc., was formed. In 1970, Dr. Fox joined, and in June of 1973, he donated the Brandon refractor to the club. The refractor was to be housed in a yet-to-be-built observatory, located west of Fort Lauderdale. The new observatory would be named for Dr. Fox in recognition of his generosity and leadership. (In the 1970s, the second Thursday of each month was reserved for programs by Dr. Fox. On either the 14th or the 21st of June 1973, at a meeting set aside for one of his talks, Dr. Fox donated the Brandon refractor to the club and to the observatory project. It lacked much of the finish and sophistication it bears today, but it was a start.)

 By July of 1974, it had been tentatively decided to name the observatory for Dr. Fox. Initial plans for the grounds, building and roof were drawn up 7-13-74. The County okayed the final architectural drawings on November 10, 1975, and the building permit was issued on Thursday, November 13. The observatory was officially named for Dr. Fox a week later, on the 20th.

 It took along time to raise the funds to complete the project, but the pier was poured, and work on the refractor was completed in the late months of 1976 through mid February of 1977. The height of the pier was calculated by club member, John Martin. With a flat roff-off roof, the measurement had to be exact! The telescope had to fit under the movable part of the roof when it was in the closed position, but the pier still needed be of sufficient height to allow viewing near the horizon. To accomplish both feats, the declination axis would have to be turned to the horizontal position, when the roof was closed. (From the time the Fox family moved to Miami, in the late 1960s, until it was permanently installed in the observatory, in 1977, the Brandon Refractor was stored in the Joe and Sylvia Fox'es spare bedroom.)

 On Sunday, March 20th, 1977, at 4:30 p.m., one year behind schedule, the Fox Astronomical Observatory was dedicated. The Brandon refractor, with its P-38 mount and asbestos covered aluminum tube, was in its present position. (Those who were there, will remember seeing Jack Horkheimer--"The Starhustler.")

 In 1978, a vintage, 1923, Zeiss mount became available for the 6-inch Brandon refractor through Art Smith of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium. When the new mount was installed, the P-38 mount was stored, on the non-movable part of the roof. It remained there, in the open, and without cover, until it was finally and unfortunately lost sometime in the 1980s. Two brass counterweight assemblies, for the optical tube, and a Zeiss rack-and-pinion focuser came with the new mount. (The focuser and counterweights were installed with the upgrade, and the asbestos covering, Dr. Fox put on the tube in 1958 or 1959, was removed at that time.)

 Between August of 1993 and July 1995, the Brandon refractor was restored by Tom Peters, a club member and restorations expert. The club voted to put the job of refurbishing the entire instrument, including the Zeiss equatorial mount, in Tom's skillful hands on August 5, 1993. Everything was dismantled, and the objective was sent to D & G Optical to be refinished. After completion of the task, Barry Greiner, of D & G, mounted the objective in a new aluminum tube, with light baffles. (The surface tested at better than 1/20 wave, measured at the surface.)

 When the lens and the new tube returned home, and everything needed to complete the job was in hand, Tom refurbished the mechanical parts, fabricated a new finder and completed reassembly of the various components. (Machining or replacement of several pieces, within the mount, was necessary, and the new finder was born from Tom's inventory of spare parts. As part of the project, Tom mounted the two Zeiss counterweight assemblies, he removed from the old tube, on the new tube.) With the assistance of observatory director, Herb Knapp, Tom returned the completed instrument to its pier on July 2, 1995--on July 6, it was fully operational.

 An anecdote: On Saturday night, 11-9-96, a group of us were at the observatory, when another club member, Nick Lawrus, showed up with a few of his favorite eyepieces. Of particular note was a 40 mm König, with a 60 degree apparent field of view and 95% light transmission. In the 6-inch refractor, this eyepiece, and its 2-inch format, yields 57X and 1.1 degrees of sky. This combination of telescope and eyepiece made it possible to, with averted vision, just barely make out M 110/NGC 205, visual magnitude 10.8, when it was nearly overhead.

 NGC 205, the third member of the Andromeda trio of galaxies, considered a test for a 4-inch refractor under dark sky conditions, is difficult given the hazy skies near the city and at the park. While this faint, structureless, 10' by 5' oval could be seen in the 6-inch refractor, neither of the other observatory telescopes, a 13-inch Dobson and a C14 "could bring it up from the murk." The turbulence and skyglow, though not significant, were too great an affront to the larger instruments. Of course, under better seeing conditions, the Dobson and the C14 will reveal much fainter objects than the refractor. (Chester Brandon's one-of-a-kind telescope has earned a reputation as being both a semi-apochromat and a flat-field refractor. The Brandon refractor, with its inherent advantage in imagery, contrast and definition, is one of the most remarkable instruments, of its size and kind, currently in operation.)

 With achromats, the characteristic color shift, makes the interpretation of color less accurate, but it may also have a desirable affect on contrast. Whatever the exact reason, the attributes of an f/15achromat can be starkly beneficial on some objects, especially on Jupiter, and the Brandon refractor seems remarkable in this regard. It may be that the "master lens maker" designed his refractor with Jupiter in mind: The Great Red Spot appears almost ruby red at its core, and is engulfed by luminous aquamarine gas clouds. The surrounding multicolored bands of hydrogen, ammonia and methane stand out in almost three-dimensional relief.

 Since the opening of the observatory in 1977, more than 100,000 visitors have observed the heavens through Chester Brandon's refractor--his intentions, and Dr Fox'es dreams, were realized! The Brandon refractor is currently on display at the Fox Astronomical Observatory in Markham Park, 12 miles west of Fort Lauderdale on SR-84, and it is available for public viewing every Saturday evening. Organized groups interested in visiting the observatory on these or other dates are asked to contact the observatory director in advance at (954) 384-0442.