Lunar Eclipse

[Guest guest]

To Dave G.

 

Here's what a multi-decade amateur astrologer friend told me:

 

Lunar eclipses are not really worth a trip per se. Most of the night there is

this big bright moon ruining any chance of seeing anything dark skies offer.

Full totality will offer a sight of the moon as orangeish to deep copper red or

even brownish. Totality should be around 45 min..

 

Here are links for this eclipse;

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/eclipse/le207.html

 

http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2007Aug28T.GIF

 

Getting out of the city is fine if you wish. Hotels and motels are not usually

found where dark skies may be found if you think about it.

 

Consider going to Fremont Peak State Park. The peak is high enough and still

reasonibly dark. There us a motel down near San Juan Bautista I think.

 

I would recommend just taking a van or pickup, rent or borrow, and crashing in

the back. Sleeping bags are fine as it should be warm in August. You could even

just take a pad and lay out on the ground.

 

Here is the link for Fremont Peak observatory;

http://fpoa.net/

 

Poke around and follow some of the links. Some nice pics of the observatory.

 

JZ via Pat G.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

>Here's what a multi-decade amateur astrologer friend told me:

 

I hope you mean astronomer.

 

>Lunar eclipses are not really worth a trip per se. Most of the >night there is

this big bright moon ruining any chance of seeing >anything dark skies offer.

 

Yes... but during the total phase even though the moon is still visible there

isn't enough light to ruin the dark sky view.

 

In fact part of the whole point is for people to visually see the stars and

milky way gradually coming into view as the moon eclipses - it is the contrast

between the conditions that should be interesting. The dark sky all night long

from Nevada, miles from anywhere, stopping of course in Reno to gamble... that's

next summer's trip. :-)

 

>Consider going to Fremont Peak State Park. The peak is high enough >and still

reasonibly dark. There us a motel down near San Juan >Bautista I think.

 

Had thought about Fremont Peak but worry it is still too close to lights from

San Jose and Soledad prison. Do you have any sense of that vs. central San

Benito Co.?

 

Not everyone in SFVS is a youngster who doesn't mind just curling up on the

ground in a sleeping bag - even I would not relish the idea. Ugh I would wake up

all sore.

[Guest guest]

>

> In fact part of the whole point is for people to visually see the

> stars and milky way gradually coming into view as the moon eclipses

> - it is the contrast between the conditions that should be

> interesting.

 

 

Concerning contrast, I was stationed in a remote area of Korea in

1969. It was night time and a friend and I were laying on our backs

on a small grassy knoll passing a joint back and forth while enjoying

the stars. There was a sudden power failure and all the lights of the

compound went out simultaneously. What had been a wonderful view of

the night sky now jumped a zillion miles closer in an instant. We

were both screaming and laughing in our bliss and have never been

" right " since :-)

 

Peace

 

Duende

 

 

 

 

______

" If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise

they'll kill you. "

 

Oscar Wilde