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