[Lvas] Desert observing tips / Anybody up for observing this week?

[Fred Rayworth]

All,

 

I'm planning for Saturday night at Redstone, and am hoping that front moves through and is well away from us by then. The forecast keeps changing a bit every day. Today, the predicted winds are lower than yesterday, but the clouds may still be a problem.

 

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

 

Fred


 
> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:32:15 -0400
> From: jonathan.kade at gmail.com
> To: lvas at lvlug.org
> Subject: Re: [Lvas] Desert observing tips / Anybody up for observing this week?
> 
> Hello,
> 
> Thanks to everyone so far! I do have sort of a silly idea, but maybe
> it's doable. Omega Centauri only seems to get about 6 degrees off the
> horizon - is it possible to catch it? Obviously it won't be at its
> best, but even a glimpse would be really valuable.
> 
> Rob,
> 
> > Tomorrow night and Friday night we have a couple of Education Outreach
> > Events we are doing.  Thursday night we are up at Camp Foxtail on Mt
> > Charleston for a 5th Grade Elementary Class and Friday night we are at
> > Sunset Park for the Las Vegas Area Council Scout Expo.  We're expecting
> > around 500 Scouts to visit our scopes Friday night.
> >
> > We may have some folks going out Saturday night to the Redstone Picnic Area
> > on Northshore Road which is north of Lake Mead Blvd. That's about as dark a
> > site as we can get only 30 miles outside of Vegas.
> 
> We may be driving out east Friday afternoon to try to get a glimpse of
> the Grand Canyon Saturday, but we do have to be at the airport around
> 9 AM Sunday, so Saturday night sounds ideal. The sun sets about 6:45
> PM, if I recall correctly. Would showing up at 7 be acceptable?
> 
> >My wife is in the hospital following major surgery this morning, so I probably will not be able
> >to make it to Redstone Saturday night. Some other time I would have loved to take you out
> >to observe.
> 
> I hope your wife's surgery went well and her convalescence is short
> and uneventful.
> 
> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 1:48 PM, David Blanchette <Yahoo at awit.com> wrote:
> > I'll just jump in here with a couple of notes in RED...
> >
> > I think we're good for Camp Foxtail.  I also assume you came to the DESERT
> > (85 degrees) and not the mountains (35 degrees last night), so you can skip
> > the camp.  If you're up for an evening of showing the sky to a bunch of
> > scouts, we could use the help Friday.
> 
> Well, when we left Detroit, I think the outside daytime temperature
> was about 35 deg F... We brought warm clothes, but I'm not sure we
> brought enough to last long. I'd really like to help out with the
> scout program (we work a great deal with the scouts back home), though
> we may be in transit that night. I'll let you know if we can make it.
> 
> > Rob's fingers got away from his brain; the Redstone picnic area is north of
> > Lake Mead, not Lake Mead Blvd.  It is a good site.  The weather is looking
> > iffy, but I still want to go out.  I'll probably post notice for going out
> > there, on Thursday, see if there are any takers.
> 
> Is that picnic area officially open to the public every night? Do you
> think Diane and I might be able to head out there tonight?
> 
> > The bottom line of observing around Vegas is that, because of the (usually)
> > low humidity, the light doesn't scatter much.  So if you go an hour in any
> > direction (40 miles or so) and turn off the highway, three-quarters of the
> > sky (any direction away from Vegas) will be nice for viewing.
> >
> > Two other reminders: TAKE A JACKET with you.  The desert cools rapidly, and
> > you can suddenly find yourself shivering.  TAKE SOME WATER with you.  5%
> > humidity will dry you out.
> 
> Thank you, sir. We are always cognizant of the first, but might have
> gotten careless on the second.
> 
> > In 5 years of going into the desert, I've not encountered anything.
> > However, the weather is trying to warm up.  Once it does, you can have
> > snakes in the early evening, but they should hide away as the evening
> > cools.  Coyotes make noise off in the distance.  I don't know of any
> > particular cats around Las Vegas.  To my knowledge (and experience, so far),
> > anything out there that is dangerous will usually run away from you faster
> > than you can run away from it.
> 
> Fair enough. I'm used to coyotes, and really rather like having them around.
> 
> Do you ever have problem visitors of the two-legged kind? I've found
> that about 95-97% of people are interested and respectful of a
> telescope set up anywhere, but the remaining percentage can be
> worrying at times.
> 
> Thanks again for the assistance!
> 
> Jonathan
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