FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Observing at Eagle Eye on Sunday

["Steve Coe" <stevecoe@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bizarre Night at Eagle Eye
by Steve Coe

I had a truly weird night at the Eagle Eye site near the little town of Salome, 
Arizona tonight.  First, I got a reminder that it is HOT in the desert in the 
Summer.  I know this should be obvious to someone who has lived in Phoenix 
Arizona for the past 27 years, but I do need to be reminded occasionally.  We 
usually make our way into the mountains this time of year, but the clouds also 
live there, so I decided to stay on the desert floor and the good news is that 
it provided clear skies.  

The bad news is that after setting up for half an hour I was soaking wet with 
perspiration.  And, every flying bug within a mile viewed me as a source of 
water.  Fortunately, the bug repellent seemed to do a good job of keeping them 
away for a while.

This site is along a dirt road that eventually leads up to an old solar 
observatory on top of a peak in the Harquahala Mountains.  This is a pretty 
primitive road and a couple of the astronomy club members have made their way 
to the top, but it is a long trip on a bumpy road.  I was only a short distance 
off the pavement of Eagle Eye Road, so this did not show up like a problem to 
me.

However, as twilight fell, I saw a truck drive past and start up the dirt road. 
 I thought that there might be a place to camp further along the way and so I 
never considered that the people in that truck might be going to the top of the 
mountain in the dark.  But, I was wrong.

I set up my Nexstar 11 inch scope and got it ready and I had also brought my 
camera tracker and planned to shoot some wide field astrophotos.  You know, 
with film....you remember film.  As I got set up and started to shoot the Big 
Dipper sliding along the northern horizon I saw the headlights of that truck 
bouncing along the road.  I have not had the pictures developed, yet, so I 
don't know if they are in the frame.  I'll let you know.

Anyway, as the night progressed I got some good views of Mars and took some 
more photos.  Over the period of 8 hours that I was at the site, another 4 
vehicles either drove up or down this primitive mountain road in the dark.  Is 
there some bizarre four wheel drive club initiation going on?  Are these people 
looking to be really alone?  Is the top of that mountain a really great "make 
out" spot?  I never found out, none of them stopped to chat.

Speaking of "make out" spots, as I am tearing down at 2 AM, there is a lot of 
noise coming from the bushes about 500 yards (meters) away.  I realize that it 
is two havalina (wild pigs) mating, or fighting.  How do you tell the 
difference?  If they moved too close I was ready to make some loud noise to 
scare them away.  Then I realized that they probably mate very rarely and maybe 
I should let them have their fun.  I mean, with tusks and prickly hair all 
over, wouldn't you make weird sounds while....never mind.

It was certainly a memorable night, Mars showed lots of excellent detail at 
300x with an orange filter.  The Polar Cap, The Eye of Mars (solis lacus) and 
several other dark features were observed.  I also did some objects in Aquila 
and Draco.  Between the headlights of the trucks on the road and a distant 
lightening storm it was difficult to stay dark adapted, but I had fun.  I do 
look forward to some cooler evenings, however.

Clear Skies to us all;
Steve Coe 
Author "Deep Sky Observing--The Astronomical Tourist"
Saguaro Astronomy Club website
www.saguaroastro.org
--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.