by James Turley
| Location | 1/15/01 Monday 1630 to 2200 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dinosaur Point |
| Present | Denny (Meade 10"), Jay (AP-10), James (C8) |
James' new toy: First light in his "new" dedicated 1989 Blue Ford Aerostar "AstroVan", relegating his Lexus to more mundane and less interesting but more appropriate suburban duty. Being a permanent enclosure for James' gear. No more packing. Some minor bugs to work at with white lighting and fuses.
Arrived at Dino about 1630 to an empty lot. Almost no wind, later developing into light gusts from the West, followed by Dead Calm. No clouds all evening. None. 100% clear sky. Temp hovered between 41-47 degrees, humidity almost steady near 48 per cent. Very dry. Not a sign of wetness near pavement.
Skyward, seeing was soft. Twinkling stars to West, N. Best seeing was SE, toward Orion. Disturbing brighter than usual light domes from San Jose and Los Banos, probably due to high moisture aloft. My guess is limiting mag of 5. Jay may have a better estimate. Not so good.
Ranger dropped by (headlights doused! Good Boy!) to collect $2 from each of us, since there is no "drop box" anymore. So...as a reminder, bring ones.
Target: The usuals in Gemini, Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Lepus. Rigel split after some painful re-collimation with Bob's Knobs.
Drive home at 1030PM was uneventful...
James
Saratoga
PS Don't drink the coffee at Casa de Coffee, it's toxic.