Trip Report: GSSP July 2-3, 2008

Albert Highe

Observing/Trip Report for July 2 and 3, 2008 - GSSP

First of all, let me post a big THANK YOU to the GSSP organizers and volunteers. I can only imagine how much work it must be to scout sites, negotiate with the land owner and vendors, set up tents, stakes, generators, etc., and trouble-shoot problems as they arise. Personally, I very much appreciated the accessible porta-potties. I was impressed with the quality and condition (mostly new) of the porta-potties, tent, chairs, etc.

That being said, I didn't have high expectations for the star party. The smoke and weather forecasts looked iffy. Also, a star party occurring near the Summer Solstice minimizes the number of hours available for observing. Available observing time is further curtailed by heading north (I recognize that our friends in Oregon and Washington find longer observing sessions when heading south to northern California). Astronomical dark began at nearly 11PM and ended around 3:30AM. Even for a lengthy stay under ideal conditions, it is difficult to meet the Kingsley criterion (observing hours must be greater than the total travel and set up time). Consequently, I knew observing would not be my primary goal for attending. The highlight of my trip was meeting folks I hadn't met before and seeing some new (to me) telescopes. Of course, it was great to see other TACo's I hadn't seen in almost a year.

Adhering to the speed limit, stopping for gas and comfort breaks, it took me seven hours to get to GSSP from Redwood City, and six and a half to get back. After making the turn onto HWY 505 from HWY 80, the drive was pleasant. There was little traffic.

Site summary:

The site is quite large and easily accommodated the large crowd. When I pulled up at 5:30PM on Wednesday, the first official night, most of the registered attendees had already arrived and claimed their spots. A long row of RV's lined most of the western edge of the property. I particular liked the colorful flags that flew overhead. Kids were flying kites in the stiff breeze that I estimated to be averaging 15 mph. A collection of large scopes, up to 30", dominated the central cluster of observers. Most people seemed to have heeded the organizers' advice. Numerous silver-sided tents and well-staked canopies intermingled among all sorts of scopes.

On a macro scale, the site is nearly level land, appearing to rise gently from the gate to the rear, the top of the hill. From there, the property drops off more sharply. There are some mild undulations spanning tens of yards. However, the ground is not flat. Its height varies by a few inches with a scale the size of a hoof print. Fortunately, I saw no deep gopher holes that invite one to turn an ankle. However, riding a bike is bone-jarring, and riding my power wheelchair at the slowest speed felt like I was on a bucking bronco. I was able to negotiate the chair during the daylight, but didn't feel comfortable venturing out at night. Since one of my primary goals was to visit with old friends and make new ones, and look at and through various scopes, I was a bit disappointed.

The ground isn't covered with grass. There were widely-spaced tufts of grass and weeds standing about 10"-12" high. Mowing wouldn't have helped much. Even mowed, the bases of the tufts would be hard knots and uncomfortable to sleep on. But it was fairly easy to pick a relatively clear spot near the large hospitality tent, although it was remote from the action. I cleared about a dozen 2" -3" size rocks from my area.

Initially, the ground looked firm, but the soft crust of the soil was easily disturbed. Very fine brown-gray dust soon covered my shoes and anything that dropped on the ground. The road had long-ago been turned to fine dust. Each passing car kicked up quite a sizeable plume which the strong breeze blasted across the field. My van, scope, and clothes quickly acquired a fine powdery coating. The dirt and dust looked very much like that at Calstar when it hasn't been wetted down.

Under the powdery surface, the ground was hard and rocky, requiring a hammer or mallet to drive in stakes.

The stiff breeze appeared to hover around 15mph, although some gusts topped 20. Fortunately, the wind died at sunset. There were occasional light puffs of cool air during the night, but not strong enough to disturb observing notes or atlas pages. Winds were calm in the morning. Temperatures increased during the day, causing ever more warm inland air to be driven upward. The westerly winds filling the vacuum began to pick up after lunch and were approaching full-force by 3PM.

In the shade, the temperature was pleasant (80's?), especially with the breeze.

From my location, at night, I could see a string of about 60 lights along the base of the far hills (many miles away). The line spanned about 90 degrees, from approximately due south to due west. Despite the number, they weren't annoying. I judged their brightness to correspond to stars with magnitudes approximately 2-4. I couldn't tell how many lights could be seen from other locations on the field.

However, there is a local road that runs along the property. Occasionally during the night, someone would drive by with their bright lights on. The road must be at least ¼-1/2 mile away, but the headlights were bright enough to illuminate my scope and van and diminished dark-adaptation. Also, each night a few folks arrived after dark, driving up to the gate with their headlights on. Even though they weren't permitted on the site after dark, their headlights prevented any observing for several minutes while they approached.

I had no cell phone coverage (AT&T).

Suggestions to organizers:

Wet down the road to minimize dust.

Stop late-comers at the entrance to the property (at Bassett Rd.).

Host the star party farther away from Summer Solstice and at a site further south (unless observing isn't a key goal).

Consider removing some of the aluminet around the hospitality tent. I sat in it for a few hours one day. The aluminet also reflects heat within the tent, and restricts airflow. I found it warmer sitting under the hospitality tent than sitting inside my van with the doors open.

Also, the hospitality tent wasn't dark enough to view laptop screens. Consider erecting a smaller tent with opaque sides within the large tent.

Suggestions to attendees:

Park as far as possible toward the back of the property or upwind of the road.

Position yourself so that tents, vehicles, other observers, etc. are between you and the gate, between you and the road on the property, and between you and the local road alongside the property. Clearly, these recommendations may create a scramble for most-desired places.

Observing Notes

Scope: 16" f/4.5

Wednesday night, the temperature dropped to the mid-50's with a relative humidity of 50%. Initially, seeing was quite good. Even though Antares was quite low, I could see its faint companion about 75% of the time at 260X. I had clean splits of both pairs in the double-double nu Scorpii. The sky appeared quite dark, but transparency was poor below 30°, and mediocre to fair above it. I had some success hunting faint fuzzies, but it was more difficult than such a site should offer. I was tired after the long drive and stopped at 1AM.

Thursday night the sky started out looking bad and got worse. Occasionally I could tease a split out of Antares, but most of the sky was obscured by smoke and clouds. By 11PM, the sky was completely obliterated. An hour later, a sizeable hole opened overhead, but stars along the horizons were almost invisible. The hole was veiled, and didn't last long. I turned in early.

Friday morning I woke to a hazy sky that blotted out the sun. It made sleeping in late easier, but it didn't encourage me to stick around. I decided to pack up and head for home. The further I drove from the site, the better the skies looked. I hope conditions improved for those brave enough to tough it out.

Albert