[sac-forum] Dirt Blvd site on Sunday night report

Howdy all;

 

Well, it was chilly, but I think that this site really has potential.  I did
set up in such a way that the lights of the Palo Verde station were shining
directly onto my setup position, a poor choice.  There is a site on the
south (left) side of the road that uses a distant ridgeline to block off
Palo Verde to the north.  It looks like it would hold 25 vehicles or so.  I
need to look around during the day again with keeping the power station
blocked off as the key idea.

 

The site is quite dark, it is 77 miles from my house at 7th St. and
Thunderbird.  It took about 1 hr 20 min to get there.  Obviously there is a
large Phoenix light dome, same as Flatiron, but a bit more to the northeast.
The prison is a modest orange glow to the ESE.  From underneath the tail of
Canis Major rising all the way south around to Cygnus setting is quite dark.
The glow from the power station is prominent to the north to the altitude of
Polaris.  Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Perseus are in dark skies.

 

I did have a fun time, got some good views in with my "new" 6" f/8
refractor.  I am very pleased with the views, it is somewhat clumsy to use
on the small mount.  But those beautiful Winter clusters certainly looked
good in it.

 

One other thing, if you want to avoid all the Hwy. 85 mess you can get to
the site by taking the Palo Verde Road/Sun Valley Pkwy. Exit and taking Palo
Verde road to the south for 6 miles or so until you see a corner with the
Palo Verde Elementary School, take a right (west) and then you are on Old
U.S. Hwy 80 and the turn onto Aqua Caliente Road is about 8 miles away.

 

Take Care;

Steve Coe

Other related posts: