Stars, wind, and fire at Cone Peak

by Jon Ruyle


Some friends and I headed out to Cone Peak this Saturday with the 25" obsession. It seems that the site has gotten popular with campers, there were multiple campfires going on while we were trying to observe. We had a good time, but the fires detracted from our observing in some directions.

Worse, at 2am the wind got so bad that we had to take the scope down. Probably the best views of the night came just before going to sleep, we when we just sat around and watched the sky for a while. The milky way was bright, and stars in the Big Dipper that were invisible or very difficult at Fremont Peak were visible without strain. Despite the telescopic disappointment, the beautiful surroundings and the dark sky made it a worthwhile trip.