by Jane E. Smith
| Location | Blue Canyon |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, May 25th |
| Clarity | 0, intermittent patches |
| Transparency | 0, intermittent 1-7 |
| Seeing | 0, intermittent 7 |
| Equipment | Shneor's 22" |
| Eyepieces | 30mm WideScan Type II |
| Present | Jane Smith & Shneor Sherman |
| Temperature | mid 50's |
| Humidity | dry |
I had high hopes for BC last night, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I arrived at 6:30pm to find Shneor all setup. The clouds looked ugly so I held off putting the 18" together. We waited patiently for the clear sky we'd both seen on the satellite. We waited and waited and waited. There were patches here and there, but overall it was dismal.
While we waited, we made good use of the intermittent patches. The observing list is short, but impressive. We saw M81/M82, M65/M66, Jupiter with 4 moons, M109, and the Owl. We wanted to try for M57, but never caught a glimpse of Vega to get our bearings. M13 was almost there, but we weren't quick enough. The clouds were zoomin' through at light speed.
It wasn't the best of nights, but it could have been worse. At least we didn't get skunked. I ran out of patience around 10:30pm and drove down the hill. At Rocklin, I escaped the cloud layer. It was a happy thought to know that if Shneor stuck it out he would soon be rewarded with clear skies.
Even with the yucky sky, I still had a good time. It was fun seeing Shneor's new 22" beauty. It is definitely a horse of a different color... sleek, elegant, minimal, yet solid as a rock. It makes my 18" look like a clunky oaf. And does it give nice views!!! I can't wait to what it offers under a clear sky.
Tonight is stay-at-home for me. As much as I'd like to join Brian and Gregg at BC again, I'll have to wait until new moon next weekend.