FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Non-Eclipse from GRCO in Gilbert

[gene lucas <geneluca@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I went down to the GRCO dome in Gilbert for the eclipse... it was partly 
cloudy/sunny all day, then thickened up around sunset... There were two 
cloud layers, one low, one high.... We got a teeny brief glimpse of the 
Moon just as it cleared the hills to the east, then promptly went behind 
the low clouds.... A little glow showed behind the upper layer around 
quarter to 8 pm, just before start of totality... no further sign of 
it.  As we were leaving ca. 10 pm, it started lightning in the 
Northeast, with a heck of a lightning storm with rain following as I 
drove home to FH.

We had a Channel 10 Fox TV news crew with microwave truck out at 5:45 pm 
for a "live" broadcast, then they boogied (no doubt due to the cloud 
cover).... A camera guy came back for some tape later, interviewing EVAC 
President Claude Haynes.  A reporter from the AZ Republic came out, who 
took tons of still photos around and in the dome and wrote an article... 
Also got him lined up on some photo ops... A beautiful, colorful sunset 
with geese flying over the lake in the Riparian Water Park. We had about 
200 people go through the dome, even though it was opaque overhead all 
evening...  I set up my 25x100 binoculars on the deck outside next to 
the dome, but really had no view of anything...

I received a phone message from an amateur astronomer friend in Los 
Angeles, who said he saw a nice view of the eclipse while eating at a 
fast food place... Good colors on the eclipsed Moon.

Cheers,
Gene Lucas
(17250)

--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.