FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Pigs/Cats as Obstacles to observing - WAS Re: Jovian event tomorrow AM

["William R Wood" <wmrwood@xxxxxxx>]

Set my scope up last night and left it out, then hopped in bed about 9pm.
Went out on back porch about 3am intending to look at Saturn and Jupiter.
Plenty of time to see the occultation.  As I walked toward my observing pad
I noted that 20 some pigs were rooting a huge hole in our yard.  Could not
get to my telescope without piggly contact.  Threw a basketball at them plus
some rocks.  They moved to a new spot and began digging a bigger hole.  More
basketballs and more rocks.  Eventually I drove the varmints out of our
yard.

Began observing.  Seeing only fair, 5/10, with misty thin clouds partly
obscuring the views.  Saturn was mediocre compared to a few nights back so I
went in to do some work and wait until it was closer to 6am.  I did peek
briefly at Jupiter and the moons were set up just like SMP9 indicated they
would be.  View of Jupiter as only fair, I could just barely make out the
GRS.

Back out at 5:45am.  New herd of pigs in the first hole.  More rocks.  Ran
up to telescope to catch the occultation.  Our cat then escaped out the back
door which I inadvertently left open when I went after the pigs.  I peeked
again at Jupiter before running after the cat.  At 166x Io and Calisto were
positioned like close double stars with black in between and about to merge.
The clouds were thicker than earlier but I could still see the moons pretty
well.  In between sprints for the cat I did see the moons merge but I did
not detect any change in brightness.  By the time the merger was complete
the clouds were so thick that I could hardly see the moons at all.  Clouds
totally obscured the subsequent separation.

It appears to be easier and safer to go out observing in the desert than at
home in FH.

Hope some others had a better look at the event.

Regards,

Bill Wood
Fountain Hills, AZ

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