Michael: I've observed at the site since 2001 and it can get rather intersting out there. To the NNE is a live fire range for the attack helicopters. I've only seen them in daylight from the ridgeline but there are a lot of scrap tank bodies for them to practice "locking on" to a target. Also to the north is an Army depot the accounts for the steady flow of highway traffic. I've met an EOD team that was out with M16's chasing jackrabbits in the dirt with their headlights. I always bring a bright flashlight and if I see headlights on the dirt roads to the north I shine it at them so they know that I'm not a jackrabbit. They always turn off when I do. One night I was annoyed by lights to the north thinking it was the Army trying to ruin my dark adaptation, only to figure out it was the start of a rather impressive auroral display. It was as bright as a Walmart but it was throbbing. DT --- On Tue, 7/13/10, Michael Vanopstall <opstall@math.utah.edu> wrote:
From: Michael Vanopstall <opstall@math.utah.edu> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Lakeside To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Date: Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 8:14 AM
Wanted to amplify Jay's Lakeside report. Conditions were great. I caught 33 Herschels (all galaxies, 32 in UMa, 1 in Draco) and 1 non-Herschel galaxy.
Visible to naked eye were: M6, M7, M8, M13, M20, M31, M33, M34, double cluster, NGC 6633, and IC 4756 (why is this not in the NGC?), at least.
Visible light domes were: Dugway, Wendover, Salt Lake, Provo, and a puzzling one to the NNE -- it sat right under the space between the big and little dippers. But these hindered very little, except for the big one to the E.
Right before packing up, Jay pulled down the Helix. Nice sight, but better seeing conditions and a little bit more altitude would improve, I think. I'll go after it with the 6" later this week from the east of town, so as not to compete with the light from the city.
---- Rev. Michael A. van Opstall Department of Mathematics, University of Utah Office: JWB 313 opstall@math.utah.edu
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