Len Philpot
Well-Known Member
Just got home from the Deep South Star Gaze, which is held in a nice rural setting. Being an astronomy gathering, you know there was gonna be mist and clouds, right??
A walk in the mist
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Gary R. Smith
Well-Known Member
At least you got a good shot walking to the site.
Len Philpot
Well-Known Member
There were some clear nighttime hours. We were there for five nights, so it's rare to be totally clouded-out. Lots of high cirrus. Since a significant portion of the attendees have been attending for years, it's also a gathering of old friends which is enjoyable. The site (Feliciana Retreat and Conference Center) is a 200+ acre / 81 hectare facility with cabins / cottages, a lodge with dining and meeting rooms, a small lake, climbing wall, zipline, etc., etc. It's in a slightly rolling pine-covered area of Louisiana about 50 miles north of Baton Rouge. It's a pleasant place, all in all.
Beth Anthony
Well-Known Member
old loosieann, i had a cousin living in covington. i love how you took a beautiful skyless photo during the astro gathering, gorgeous view. were you there during the aurora?
Len Philpot
Well-Known Member
No, the aurora was the previous week. I was apparently unaware of it and slept through the best display at home.
Gary Ayala
Well-Known Member
"Being an astronomy gathering, you know there was gonna be mist and clouds, right?"
LOL ... that's not good. It does seem that your time was not wasted.
(But ... Welcome to Los Angeles. We Angelenos have to scoot out to the desert for a good look at the stars as the local mountains trap the Pacific fog and valley dust creating a semi-transparent lid over the coastal basin, filtering out all but the brightest celestial bodies. Fortunately, the desert is only 90 minutes away. The original native Americans called the LA Basin the "Smokey Valley" because of all the airborne particulates.)
LOL ... that's not good. It does seem that your time was not wasted.
(But ... Welcome to Los Angeles. We Angelenos have to scoot out to the desert for a good look at the stars as the local mountains trap the Pacific fog and valley dust creating a semi-transparent lid over the coastal basin, filtering out all but the brightest celestial bodies. Fortunately, the desert is only 90 minutes away. The original native Americans called the LA Basin the "Smokey Valley" because of all the airborne particulates.)
Len Philpot
Well-Known Member
Los Angeles? I'm in LA but that's Louisiana.
I wish I could drive 90 minutes and have good skies... For astronomically good skies there are certain characteristics the sky should have: High / thin and dry. Down here we're low / thick and moist. Even west Texas at ~5k feet elevation is a huge win over us. For planetary observing (of which I do very little, being a deep sky guy) thick atmosphere can be steady and since they're relatively bright planets punch through it well enough. But faint fuzzies? Nope.
Gary Ayala
Well-Known Member
A popular cosmic viewing playground is Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles. The local mountains are 10,000 feet high which creates a nearly impenetrable wall separating the coast from the desert. The desert is the Mojave, the driest desert in North America. It's about 100+ miles from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. For 'deep sky' stuff, locally we have JPL and Caltech.Los Angeles? I'm in LA but that's Louisiana.
I wish I could drive 90 minutes and have good skies... For astronomically good skies there are certain characteristics the sky should have: High / thin and dry. Down here we're low / thick and moist. Even west Texas at ~5k feet elevation is a huge win over us. For planetary observing (of which I do very little, being a deep sky guy) thick atmosphere can be steady and since they're relatively bright planets punch through it well enough. But faint fuzzies? Nope.
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