I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
Chuck, I had a similar thought about gong out to SPOC but was sick last night so couldn't go. Thought about using the Ealing tonight but there is a refresher class. I may head out to the West Desert for a few hours until the moon comes up and force my 16 year old to come along since it is just the two of us this weekend. On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 12:57 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
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Jay, We should be through with the Ealing Refresher tonight by 10:15-10:30. You are welcome to the telescope after that. Wayne
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:48:28 -0600 From: jayleads@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC
Chuck,
I had a similar thought about gong out to SPOC but was sick last night so couldn't go. Thought about using the Ealing tonight but there is a refresher class. I may head out to the West Desert for a few hours until the moon comes up and force my 16 year old to come along since it is just the two of us this weekend.
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 12:57 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
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Thanks Wayne but the Clear Sky Clock is showing clouds til around midnight around SPOC and elsewhere and by then the nice and bright waning gibbous moon is up. Sigh. I am getting sick of clouds. On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 4:21 PM, WAYNE S CLARKE <waynesclarke@msn.com>wrote:
Jay,
We should be through with the Ealing Refresher tonight by 10:15-10:30. You are welcome to the telescope after that.
Wayne
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:48:28 -0600 From: jayleads@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC
Chuck,
I had a similar thought about gong out to SPOC but was sick last night so couldn't go. Thought about using the Ealing tonight but there is a refresher class. I may head out to the West Desert for a few hours until the moon comes up and force my 16 year old to come along since it is just the two of us this weekend.
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 12:57 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
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Jay: This hobby is so demanding that some of us need to have another hobby to take our minds of the frustrations of astronomy. I would sugest bird watching. You can take your trusty 10x50s and your Canon DSLR and head out to one of our state parks. The swallows are back and building nests. The blackbirds are on the nest and singing, and at the end of the day you might catch a nice sunset. A stop at Mavericks for a supply of junk food and stop at Taco Bell on the way home and your day can be very full. I didn't go last night because moonrise came before the onset of full darkness. I'm not looking for astronomy again until at least Thursday. That's when moonrise will be after 1:30am which is the local solar midnight for us these days, and I can have at least half of a dark night. Until then, there are sunsets and birding. DT --- On Sun, 5/30/10, Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Sunday, May 30, 2010, 4:35 PM Thanks Wayne but the Clear Sky Clock is showing clouds til around midnight around SPOC and elsewhere and by then the nice and bright waning gibbous moon is up. Sigh. I am getting sick of clouds.
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 4:21 PM, WAYNE S CLARKE <waynesclarke@msn.com>wrote:
Jay,
We should be through with the Ealing Refresher tonight
by 10:15-10:30. You
are welcome to the telescope after that.
Wayne
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:48:28 -0600 From: jayleads@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC
Chuck,
I had a similar thought about gong out to SPOC but was sick last night so couldn't go. Thought about using the Ealing tonight but there is a refresher class. I may head out to the West Desert for a few hours until the moon comes up and force my 16 year old to come along since it is just the two of us this weekend.
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 12:57 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
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
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Daniels bird-watching advice is good. I've been birding for many years now, although I don't have the same problem of filling my time that Daniel has- I have the opposite problem- too little free time. But the birding idea is a great one. I do 80% of my bird watching in my own yard. Feeders in winter attract many species, and my gardens and birdbath attract more in summer. Right now there are fledglings everywhere, and the hummingbirds have returned. I have a finch colony in the junipers in the front yard, and small sparrow colony in the blue spruce in the backyard. Mourning doves are more numerous this spring that I have ever seen them, although the malard pair that has been frequenting our front lawn for the past several springs has not returned this year. Just this afternoon, what looked like a lesser goldfinch darted across my patio. And of course all the small birds attract the occassional sparrow hawk. My day job out in North Salt Lake is well-situated to spot many wetland species and raptors. A few minutes with the binos at lunch almost always yields some interesting bird observations- even when it's too cloudy to look at the sun.
I would go out to SPOC more often except that I want to operate my own telescope there and I can't depend on its not getting soaked (except for Saturdays). I understand they don't water the lawns on Saturday nights because of star parties, but other days of the week probably they would. If I could figure out a spot on the cement where I can get a good view, and where sprinklers wouldn't hit, I'd be excited about going there a lot. -- Joe --- On Sun, 5/30/10, Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> wrote: From: Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Sunday, May 30, 2010, 5:35 PM Thanks Wayne but the Clear Sky Clock is showing clouds til around midnight around SPOC and elsewhere and by then the nice and bright waning gibbous moon is up. Sigh. I am getting sick of clouds. On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 4:21 PM, WAYNE S CLARKE <waynesclarke@msn.com>wrote:
Jay,
We should be through with the Ealing Refresher tonight by 10:15-10:30. You are welcome to the telescope after that.
Wayne
Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 10:48:28 -0600 From: jayleads@gmail.com To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Deserted SPOC
Chuck,
I had a similar thought about gong out to SPOC but was sick last night so couldn't go. Thought about using the Ealing tonight but there is a refresher class. I may head out to the West Desert for a few hours until the moon comes up and force my 16 year old to come along since it is just the two of us this weekend.
On Sun, May 30, 2010 at 12:57 AM, Chuck Hards <chuck.hards@gmail.com> wrote:
I arrived at SPOC tonight at about 10:30 to find the facility utterly deserted, under a crystal-clear, remarkably dark sky. I was very surprised that no-one was taking advantage of the facility in the time before moonrise. The sky really was fantastic for SPOC, once twilight had subsided.
_______________________________________________ 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
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participants (5)
-
Chuck Hards -
daniel turner -
Jay Eads -
Joe Bauman -
WAYNE S CLARKE