Kim, I might want to go there this weekend, rather than during the shower. Could you post a map just in case? Thanks, Joe --- On Wed, 8/4/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote: From: Kim <kimharch@cut.net> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? To: "'Utah Astronomy'" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 12:50 PM Assuming good weather, may I propose a gathering at Skyline Drive off of SR31 (through Fairview Canyon)? It's about 100 miles from downtown SLC - you can get there in about 2 hours. (I can get there in 20 minutes. ;-) The horizon to the north is obscured by the lights of Utah and SL Valleys and there is a little light just above the horizon to the east from Huntington power plant and to the west from Sanpete Valley. Perseus and the rest of the sky are very dark. Horizons are low, maybe 10 degrees for a couple of nearby hills but the rest is probably less. Elevation is around 9500 feet - just right to get out of the heat of the valleys. There haven't been sheep at our old observing site (a.k.a. Sheep Dung Flat) for years so it is very clean. I was just there about a week ago. The road that forks off of Skyline Drive is a bit rough, but passable for passenger cars. For anyone who may wish to camp, there are nice sites and plenty of shade in the nearby trees. There's a developed campground, Gooseberry Campground, a few miles away. I plan to be there on Thursday night through as much of Friday morning as I can stay awake for. If y'all are interested in coming I'll post a map. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 3:09 AM To: utah astronomy utah astronomy listserve Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? Despite tonight's Aurora Watch being so much fun, it was put together awfully quickly and maybe even a bit sloppily. Maybe now is the time to start thinking about a Perseids Watch for next Friday morning (the 13th). Is there any interest here? I understand that the site near Delta SLAS used last year will not be available this year.  So maybe the Lakeside site? Here's what S&T has to say about this year's moonless shower: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/99304684.html patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

I should have mentioned that there are two snowmobiling parking areas right at milepost 14, one on each side of the highway (SR31). Traffic is fairly light at night and I've observed from there when my wife has been with me (there are public restrooms there). Since my wife won't be with me for the Perseids I plan to go to the old observing site north of the highway as described. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Kim Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 6:24 PM To: 'Utah Astronomy' Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? I'll have to put together a map later, but directions are: I-15 south to Spanish Fork; take exit 258 (Price/Manti) US6 south from Spanish Fork, through canyon to Billy's Mountain (site of 1983 slide) and Thistle Junction, about 10 miles from mouth of canyon. Take US89 south at Thistle Junction (the highway sign at the junction gives Manti, Ephraim and I think Mt. Pleasant as destinations on 89) to Fairview, first town of any size that you'll come to, about 23 miles from junction. Take SR31 east out of town through Fairview Canyon toward Huntington. SR31 intersects the southern part of Skyline Drive at about milepost 12 or 13, on the right. DON'T TAKE THAT PART OF SKYLINE DRIVE. At MP14 SR31 intersects the northern part of Skyline Drive, a nicely graded gravel road. Take Skyline Drive north (a left turn) about 1.5 miles to a dirt road on the right (east) that goes east about 1/4 mile to a low, flat ridge that is also visible from the main Skyline Drive road. The open area you'll see just before a small stand of aspen is the observing site. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 3:47 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? Kim, I might want to go there this weekend, rather than during the shower. Could you post a map just in case? Thanks, Joe --- On Wed, 8/4/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote: From: Kim <kimharch@cut.net> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? To: "'Utah Astronomy'" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 12:50 PM Assuming good weather, may I propose a gathering at Skyline Drive off of SR31 (through Fairview Canyon)? It's about 100 miles from downtown SLC - you can get there in about 2 hours. (I can get there in 20 minutes. ;-) The horizon to the north is obscured by the lights of Utah and SL Valleys and there is a little light just above the horizon to the east from Huntington power plant and to the west from Sanpete Valley. Perseus and the rest of the sky are very dark. Horizons are low, maybe 10 degrees for a couple of nearby hills but the rest is probably less. Elevation is around 9500 feet - just right to get out of the heat of the valleys. There haven't been sheep at our old observing site (a.k.a. Sheep Dung Flat) for years so it is very clean. I was just there about a week ago. The road that forks off of Skyline Drive is a bit rough, but passable for passenger cars. For anyone who may wish to camp, there are nice sites and plenty of shade in the nearby trees. There's a developed campground, Gooseberry Campground, a few miles away. I plan to be there on Thursday night through as much of Friday morning as I can stay awake for. If y'all are interested in coming I'll post a map. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2010 3:09 AM To: utah astronomy utah astronomy listserve Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Perseids Watch? Despite tonight's Aurora Watch being so much fun, it was put together awfully quickly and maybe even a bit sloppily. Maybe now is the time to start thinking about a Perseids Watch for next Friday morning (the 13th). Is there any interest here? I understand that the site near Delta SLAS used last year will not be available this year.  So maybe the Lakeside site? Here's what S&T has to say about this year's moonless shower: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/99304684.html patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

Joe (and others), I'm not going to have time to put together a map for the Skyline Drive site, but do this: Go to MapQuest and find map of Fairview, Utah (http://www.mapquest.com/maps?traffic=1&city=Fairview&state=UT). MapQuest will give you a little balloon with info on Fairview; turn that off. At toolbar on the top of the map turn off Traffic and select Aerial Map but leave the labels on. (The Aerial Map view is actually an aerial photo and will show terrain, vegetation and roads that don't show up on Google Maps or most paper maps.) Zoom in four clicks, then pan to the right (east) and follow SR31 until you see its intersection with SR264. Then pan down (due south) past two small lakes (called Fairview Lakes, but not labeled). SR31 will be headed southeast, but directly south of Fairview Lakes it makes a sort of shallow u-turn and briefly heads northeast before it then turns southeast again and continues in that direction toward Huntington Reservoir. Center the map on the bottom of that "u-turn" and zoom in two more clicks. The labels will now appear for Skyline Drive. You'll see where the southern part of Skyline Drive takes off, then somewhat east of that you'll see the junction for the northern part. Apparently the aerial photo was taken before the two snowmobiling parking areas were built, so they don't show up. Now pan north on Skyline Drive until you see an unlabeled road take off to the right (east). This is the road to the observing site, which is visible from Skyline Drive, about 1/4 mile off of the main road. If you zoom in all the way, you can even see three vehicles (probably trailers) parked on the "observing field." I misjudged a couple of distances in the directions I posted earlier. The distance between the junctions for the southern part of Skyline Drive and the northern part is probably only 1/2 mile or so. The distance on Skyline Drive from SR31 to the intersection with the dirt road is probably less than a mile. We (SLAS) used to observe at this site frequently, until Dave Bernson and Dave Bennett shared their discovery of the Wolf Creek Pass site with the club. Wolf Creek Pass is closer to SLC, by about 30 to 45 minutes, in terms of actual driving time. Skyline Drive has less light pollution to the west, since the sky glow from Utah Valley is actually north of the site. During the July 3, 1989 Saturn occultation of 28 Sgr I had the best views of Saturn of my life from this site. I also witnessed one of the best auroral displays that I've ever seen from here. A couple of weeks ago I posted a short report about seeing the zodiacal band from horizon to horizon from this site. It was truly spectacular. In all respects, i.e. darkness, seeing, transparency, this site compares favorably with Wolf Creek Pass. Kim

A couple of forecasts that I saw last night show the same storm pattern through Sunday, with better weather on Monday and Tuesday. I'll forgive the weather gods if we have bad weather this weekend as long as it's clear for the Perseids. Did you try my directions for using MapQuest to find the Skyline Drive site? I'm wondering if they're clear enough and helpful. It really is easy to find. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:13 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Skyline Drive Thanks, Kim, I prefer written directions to maps anyway. What's the weather like there for Sunday and Monday mights, if you happen to know? I'm itching to do a two-nighter if I can find a good dry clear spot. Thanks, Joe --- On Thu, 8/5/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote: From: Kim <kimharch@cut.net> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Skyline Drive To: "'Utah Astronomy'" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Thursday, August 5, 2010, 10:09 AM Joe (and others), I'm not going to have time to put together a map for the Skyline Drive site, but do this: Go to MapQuest and find map of Fairview, Utah (http://www.mapquest.com/maps?traffic=1&city=Fairview&state=UT). MapQuest will give you a little balloon with info on Fairview; turn that off. At toolbar on the top of the map turn off Traffic and select Aerial Map but leave the labels on. (The Aerial Map view is actually an aerial photo and will show terrain, vegetation and roads that don't show up on Google Maps or most paper maps.) Zoom in four clicks, then pan to the right (east) and follow SR31 until you see its intersection with SR264. Then pan down (due south) past two small lakes (called Fairview Lakes, but not labeled). SR31 will be headed southeast, but directly south of Fairview Lakes it makes a sort of shallow u-turn and briefly heads northeast before it then turns southeast again and continues in that direction toward Huntington Reservoir. Center the map on the bottom of that "u-turn" and zoom in two more clicks. The labels will now appear for Skyline Drive. You'll see where the southern part of Skyline Drive takes off, then somewhat east of that you'll see the junction for the northern part. Apparently the aerial photo was taken before the two snowmobiling parking areas were built, so they don't show up. Now pan north on Skyline Drive until you see an unlabeled road take off to the right (east). This is the road to the observing site, which is visible from Skyline Drive, about 1/4 mile off of the main road. If you zoom in all the way, you can even see three vehicles (probably trailers) parked on the "observing field." I misjudged a couple of distances in the directions I posted earlier. The distance between the junctions for the southern part of Skyline Drive and the northern part is probably only 1/2 mile or so.  The distance on Skyline Drive from SR31 to the intersection with the dirt road is probably less than a mile. We (SLAS) used to observe at this site frequently, until Dave Bernson and Dave Bennett shared their discovery of the Wolf Creek Pass site with the club. Wolf Creek Pass is closer to SLC, by about 30 to 45 minutes, in terms of actual driving time. Skyline Drive has less light pollution to the west, since the sky glow from Utah Valley is actually north of the site. During the July 3, 1989 Saturn occultation of 28 Sgr I had the best views of Saturn of my life from this site. I also witnessed one of the best auroral displays that I've ever seen from here. A couple of weeks ago I posted a short report about seeing the zodiacal band from horizon to horizon from this site. It was truly spectacular. In all respects, i.e. darkness, seeing, transparency, this site compares favorably with Wolf Creek Pass. Kim _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

Great - thanks, Troy. I forgot that Google Maps uses "Satellite" for an aerial photo and that's why I couldn't find it. Google's satellite/aerial pic also shows the two new asphalt parking areas at the junction of SR31/Skyline Drive North. Troy, have you been there before or did you find the spot on Google Maps by following directions I gave earlier? Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Troy Davidson Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2010 10:29 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Skyline Drive Latitude/Longitude for the site are: 39.632585,-111.295377 Here is a link to the exact spot on Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=39.632585,-111.295377&spn=0.003099,0. 005279&t=h&z=18 Here's a link in Mapquest: http://www.mapquest.com/mq/6-rKawvezQ ++++++++++++++++++ Troy Davidson www.istroyworking.com On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 10:24 AM, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:

Did you try my directions for using MapQuest to find the Skyline Drive site? I'm wondering if they're clear enough and helpful. It really is easy to find.

Kim

_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com