by Paul LeFevre
It sounds like the LSA gang had a good time despite the dew, and Coe was a good spot as well.
I got out Friday night to Little Blair Valley, about 65 miles from my home in Escondido at the edge of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Five TAC-South members showed up Friday, and Saturday there was an OPTAS (Oceanside Photo & Telescope Astronomical Society) star party at the site with over 30 astronomers.
The one thing we didn't have at this location was dew -- it was bone dry. Temps dropped to about 24 deg. F during the night, making it quite cold, but other than my moist eye freezing to my guiding eyepiece at one point, moisture was not an issue :) The site is at the edge of a dry lake bed in a large, open valley in very desert terrain. It's an easy drive for 62 of the 65 miles, with the last 3 miles or so being very slow going over a narrow, rutted, sandy dirt road. Sky conditions were good, with just a few hight clouds that dissipated shortly after dark, and slight sky glow to the South (San Diego), East (Escondido), and North-East. By midnight the majority of the glow was gone, and the seeing went from good to oustanding. I spent most of the night doing CCD and film work, and will post some images later today. Lots of layers of clothes were mandatory, and I thanked Michelle Stone silently again and again during the night for getting me to buy a supply of chemical warmers for Mt. Lassen, the leftovers of which kept my hands and toes toasty in the very cold night. Cell phones work from the location, but you have to keep them warm -- seems their batteries don't like to work well at 24 deg.!
Enjoyable TAC-South company, and my first night out since CalStar (and possibly my last for a while, with a child due "any time now"). The desert has a stark beauty all its own, quite different from the Bay Area sites I was used to and even vastly different from Palomar Mountain just 10 miles or so away, but the dry and steady air made it a very welcome site.
I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend -- I sure did! Images later...