[sac-forum] Re: Observing tonight

Tim Jones and I are prepped to trek to Cherry Rd II  this evening and would
welcome company.

Quoting Peter Argenziano <pargenz@xxxxxxx>:

> It appears that we will have a decent night for observing tonight... so,
> where are folks heading? Let's get the discussion started.
> 
> Sunset is at 6:33 pm and astronomical twilight ends at 7:57 pm. That leaves
> about 5½ hours of darkness until the Moon rises at 1:38 am Sunday. And, you
> may extend your observing longer, depending on how long you're willing (or
> able) to ignore a waning crescent Moon with 27% disk illumination.
> 
> Given my personal preference for spending more time observing than the
> roundtrip travel time, tonight's dark observing window really allows use of
> any of the sites at our disposal.
> 
> Officially, tonight's event is at the Cherry Road II site. I'm a little
> concerned about the possibility for some light clouds at higher elevations.
> And it will certainly be much cooler up north. In fact, the frost warning is
> down to 6500' tonight. To the east side, the Griffith Ranch site is roughly
> the same elevation as Cherry Road (~4500'), so I would expect similar
> conditions.
> 
> I think tonight's moderate temperatures make using one of the desert floor
> sites a viable option. 
> Picketpost, Vekol Road, Flatiron, Sentinel, Hovatter Road?
> 
> I was impressed with a recent visit to the Hovatter Road site. Good horizons;
> large, flat, dust-free observing field; dark skies; easy to get to (almost
> all freeway); far enough north to be out of the popular 'trade' routes. It's
> downside is that it's a bit of a long drive (exit #53 off I-10). But, I'd be
> willing to go if others are interested in making the trip.
> 
> So... what are your plans?
> 
> Peter

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