CalStar

by Bill Porte

I headed out Friday for CalStar, but the weather conditions were wet and wild, so I kept on driving through King City and Paso Robles, turned on to Highway 41 and headed to Morro Bay where my son lives while he's attending college in San Luis Obispo. Had a great visit with him Friday night, then hiked the rocky shores and explored the coastal areas together the following day. The weather was improving, so I headed back up the road to Lake San Antonio on Saturday, just in time to set up my camp and scope, and get a bite of dinner. Not as many people or familiar faces this year, but Jamie Dillon, Bob Jardine, Rob Hawley, and many other hardy souls were there. The sky looked great in the afternoon, but a dishearteningly big cloud bank rolled in just as the skies were darkening. Fortunately, conditions soon cleared back up except for a few wandering clouds. At their best, the skies got to about a 6.2, and seeing was reasonable. Transparency was variable through the night--sometimes fairly good, and sometimes not so hot due to moisture. I spent my time working on finishing the Deep Sky 600 List, and going after brighter objects. Decent (but not the best) views of a number of objects. Some views were outstanding (the Helix was especially nice), but others were disappointing (especially when I tried to explore the Fornax Cluster "in the fog"). The dew became a real problem over the course of the evening, so I ended up turning in at around 1:30. The fog rolled in and was still present when I awoke around 8:30 this morning. Everything got pretty wet, and my camping and astronomical gear are being dried out even as I write this. It was certainly a different experience this year, but all in all, it was a good trip, and I'm glad I made the trek.

Bill

Observing Reports Observing Sites GSSP 2010, July 10 - 14
Frosty Acres Ranch
Adin, CA

OMG! Its full of stars.
Golden State Star Party
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