by Darren Hutchinson
After driving up from San Jose on Friday I really didn't feel up to going to National Park, so I set up at Shingletown airport instead. Being alone on that huge runway (apart from the dog...) is really a different experience from being there with hundreds of fellow astronomers.
The clarity was brilliant, but the seeing was somewhat soft, though it improved as the night went on. Still, it was great to finally be under a dark sky and while the scope was imaging and I had a great time just looking up - both with the naked eye (I never believed in naked eye objects...) and with a pair of binoculars.
Although the meteor shower isn't supposed to start for a few days, I guess nobody told the meteors. At some points there was one every minute or so - including one of the most spectacular ones I've seen in a long time that left a green trail that glowed for fifteen seconds or so.
I must of been enjoying myself, as I was packing up as the sun rose. Fortunately I was staying at the KOA across the road, so at least the drive back was short.
However what I forgot about campground is that they're full of those crazy early morning types. Still, it was a reminder to get up, have a shower, and hit the road again!
So the dog and I headed over to Lassen. I'm glad I got there early enough to have a good look around the park before the sun went down - it's an awesome area and well worth a day just to wander around!
As the sun was setting I found myself at Bumpass Hell. Most of the non-astronomers left, leaving just another pair of guys (with a really cool new astro trailer....) and myself. Just after sunset a couple came to enjoy the view and another couple came with a 10" dob.
Finally the sunset couple left (the sunset having finished), leaving just the telescopes. I thought Friday night was special, but I wasn't prepared for the sky at Bumpass. Both the clarity and seeing were excellent. After setting up and getting the scope imaging, I spent the rest of the night talking and staring at the stars, seeing even more naked eye objects and enjoying the milky way by binoculars all over again.
Getting back to camp later yet again after a spectacular hour of driving through the forest in the dark (an experience in itself) I just back just in time for the other campers to start moving again. Oh well, I needed a reason to get up, shower and head home.
So I've got a pile of raw images of the Iris Nebula (NGC7023 - see http://www.astrophoto.com/NGC7023.htm for a really great image), a new appreciation for the wonders of the night sky, and explored a wonderful park - not bad for a bit of driving, and a few dollars and a couple of days...
Thanks to the folks on this list, especially Jim Ster for both access to Shingletown airport and the suggestion that Lassen was a great place to go.
Posted on tac-sac Aug 08, 2005 22:27:21 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Mar 07, 2006 17:50:59 PT