[AZ-Observing] Re: Midwestern Definition of Clear

 
 
 Bill, that one clear night usually hit the full moon with
perfection too. The Pacific coast area is another place where the
astronomers get handled roughly. The fog is a real kicker, comes
up on a clear night just as you are getting settled in to 
viewing, comes up the valley below, up the road to your site
swirls around your ankles, moves up to your chest, and finally
covers the focuser. Have seen primaries in closed tube Newtonians
dew out in the Bay area. The area is completely lost to light
pollution and tresspass, the only place to get true dark was 
Park lands in the Sierra Nevada range- some 5 hours ride.
 
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Having lived 20-years in Wisconsin before moving to Arizona, I can't imagine 
a Midwesterner not being genuinely impressed by that statistic. Anybody who's 
lived through one winter--let alone 20--east of the Mississippi *knows* that 
one night in thirty is the typical clear ratio during much of the year. And 
that one night is likely to feature below zero temps and gusting winds.
 
 Wanna know why Midwesterners look so young? It's the daily face peels we get 
walking into the teeth of a winter wind.
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  I always felt it was a partial version of cryogenics, as in
what may happen to Ted Williams.
 
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Anyway getting back to Tom's comment, I suspect the Midwesterners who shrug 
their shoulders at "one night in three" are either in denial, taking a stiff 
upper lip attitude, or aren't out with scopes enough to understand how 
significant such numbers are.
******************************************************
  
  Another thing for the Midwesterners (upper) and the
Northeasterners to contend with this time of year is the
onset of twilight later than 10 pm and the morning twilight
at 3 am. Some all-nighter :-( 
 
 RC
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