FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: Forecast for next Tuesday night?

["AJ Crayon" <acrayon@xxxxxxx>]

Can anyone help David with his observing plans for next week?  I'm still 
working on building up stamina for observing sessions.
David, have you signed up to the sac forum and az observing lists?

BTW, Jacksonville State University is in Alabama.  David is a member of SAC 
and, last year, was awarded a telescope plaque for completing the Messier 
Catalog.

Clear skies,
aj

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Hofland 
  To: AJ Crayon 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:21 AM
  Subject: Forecast for next Tuesday night?


  AJ,
      Just a crazy idea here.  I reserved three nights at Star Hill Inn with 
the 22-inch dob for Monday through Wednesday nights next week.  Been looking 
forwrd to it for months, but obviously any astronomy vacation planned several 
weeks in advance depends on luck for the weather.  I'm watching the forecast 
and luck seems to be in short supply for northeast New Mexico for early next 
week.  I've scheduled the week off, and managed to convince my wife to leave 
her business in the hands of an underling for the week so that she can 
accompany me, a rare event.  So I'm committed to taking the week off, and I'm 
struggling with the question of, if not Sapello NM, then where? So one option, 
other than just staying home, is to reroute to Phoenix and perhaps meet up with 
someone from the SAC at one of the observing sites in Arizona for Tuesday 
and/or Wednesday night.  If the weather is good, would any club members be 
thinking of going out one, or both, of those nights?  Right now the forecast 
for Phoenix for Monday night through Wednesday looks a whole lot better than 
the forecast for Sapello NM.  What do you think?  I was confident of New Mexico 
and since I had reserved a  22-inch dob I took the opportunity to send my 16" 
dob's mirrors to Spectrum for re-coating, a 30 day turn-around job.  But I 
still have my 10".  The wife is probably going to try to convince me to stay 
home, ugh, but I was just wondering if we might just make it an adventure and 
divert from I-40 to I-10 and head for Phoenix?  Its only 2-hours longer drive.  
The much better desert skies (assuming the weather is good) will make my 10" 
feel like a 14 compared to my 5.2 mag at best home skies anyway, so  . . . .  
But there is no way the wife is going to buy the idea unless we have someone to 
meet up with for observing.  The idea of heading out to a remote desert place 
1800 miles from home, alone, isn't going to fly with her.   So what do you 
think? 

  David Hofland
  Director, Student Services
  College of Nursing and Health Sciences
  Jacksonville State University
  256.782.5276
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