by Albert Highe
Well, I was the only one to make it to Dinosaur Point last night. Being by myself in remote dark areas often gives me the willies, but for some reason I felt safer than usual. Maybe its familiarity. Maybe its the tranquil setting along a peaceful lake. Or maybe its the large open expanse of parking lot that allows me to see approaching predators.
I arrived early to beat the traffic and had a very pleasant, fast drive. I was set up by 4:30PM. In the sun it was still shirt-sleeve weather, but in the shade it was already feeling cold. 51 F and 39%RH. Some high thin clouds appeared during the late afternoon. I have learned not to be concerned about such clouds. They fear the dark and retreat to safe places once the Sun sets. Tonight was no exception.
Two boaters were on the lake and pulled out their boat just at sunset. They drove past me and then circled back. Their curiosity got the better of them. They didn't want to face the drive home while being puzzled by the weird shape in the parking lot. They were very friendly and incredulous that my three strut ultralight was a telescope.
Just after sunset, one of the rangers stopped by. She approached with only her parking lights on. I expressed my gratitude for her thoughtfulness and we chatted for awhile. She also left without collecting any fees - another free night.
Just after the Sun set the sky was wonderfully dark and transparent. However, the temperature quickly dropped below 40 F by 6PM. Thankfully, there was absolutely no wind. It was very dry and there was no hint of dew the entire night. The temperature stabilized at approximately 36 F with 70% RH. It was so dark, Venus was annoyingly bright and took a long time to set.
I spent most of the night looking for faint fuzzies. However, when I did take a break to look at Jupiter and Saturn, seeing was quite good. Just after sunset, seeing permitted great views at 260X and got better as the night progressed. At its best, I was viewing above 300X with periods of great clarity. Without any clouds or dew, and having very good seeing and transparency, hunting faint fuzzies was very enjoyable.
Being a school night, I packed up early. It was tough to leave such great viewing conditions. However, once I got into the warm car I realized how chilled I had become, and I knew I made the right decision.
Wish you had been there.