Brent's post reminded me that winter is the best time for solar observing in the Salt Lake area. The ground is cold, so ground currents are almost non-existant all day; the seeing stays sharp much longer than in any other season. This is especially true when there is a lot of snow on the ground. In warmer weather, the seeing deteriorates rapidly once the sun rises and ground heating starts, and high-resolution views are typically not possible much after 10:00 or 11:00 am. But this time of year, especially during an inversion, the air is deathly still due to the cold, cold ground. Excellent for planetary observation at night, as well. In this respect, our area is similar to Yerkes, but at a higher altitude. The presence of a light fog can actually be helpfull for high-powered viewing; people living near coastal Florida experience this. The down side is that there is more extinction when the air is humid and/or full of solid particulates, so deep-sky observing suffers. Also heavy dewing can occur under these conditions, (at night only) unless you take preventative action. Chuck __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/