Re: [Utah-astronomy] Observing Report from the Gravel Pit
It just seems that seeing is never good down in Southern Utah once the summer heat begins. The seeing is always better up in the mountains at the higher elevations like Kolob Reservoir or Cedar Breaks area. The air isn't as turbulent as the lower and hotter elevations. Jim and I did observe the secondary at about the 4 o'clock position up at Kolob Reservoir. I hope the new concrete that is being laid this week will not affect the seeing. Grass is always better but I don't think that would be practical. Debbie
Debbie, the bad seeing that summer takes the rap for is usually due to local conditions (which means sometimes extending for miles), such as rock or pavement, architecture, etc., re-radiating heat in your line of sight. This can take all night to settle down and even then sometimes takes more time than darkness provides. In summer it's always best to set-up next to a large greenspace (forest) or water (lake) if at all possible. And the seeing will always be best towards morning, all other things being equal. Too, what is sometimes mistaken for non-turbulent mountain conditions is really a laminar airflow over them. Some of the best observatories depend on this condition, rather than super-still air. The presence of lenticular clouds is a good indicator of laminar airflow over the peaks. Now I'm not saying that your local conditions don't suck in summer, apparently they do, but I don't think the season itself is entirely to blame. Could be geography playing a big part there too. --- UTAHDEB@aol.com wrote:
It just seems that seeing is never good down in Southern Utah once the summer heat begins.
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Chuck Hards -
UTAHDEB＠aol.com