[Chaos-l] Observing Friday Night

[Jon]

Hi All.  As Robert pointed out, tonight is the scheduled observing 
session at the CHAOS dark site.  The Sky Clock predicts Very Clear 
skies for tonight up to about midnight, with good seeing and 
transparency.  After midnight, conditions deteriorate over the next two 
hours, and we probably won't be able to observe much past 1:00 if the 
Clock is as accurate as it has been in the past.

The web page says the meeting time at ECHHS BL is 6:00, with departure 
15 minutes later.  Robert proposes we meet at 7:00.  I'll try to be at 
the ECHHS BL by 6:15 in case anybody doesn't have access to the list 
server and comes at the previously published time.

Robert mentioned COLD, and that's what's predicted.  Please remember to 
dress warmly, in layers, with a real hat.  I'll bring a supply of 
chemical hand-warmers if anyone needs some.

All that aside, tonight looks like a Very Good Night for deep-sky 
observing.  If you haven't been to the Dark Site before, i strongly 
encourage you.  Last year we got some amazing views of M42 (the Orion 
Nebula) with intensity of color and vivid details i'd never seen 
before.  We can't guarantee tonight will match up, but all the 
indications are good.

If you don't have any equipment of your own, come anyway.  You'll have 
at least 2 scopes in the 8-10" range we'll be sharing, plus the site 
owners will probably want to show off their new (to them) scope.

J.

-- 
Jon Stewart-Taylor: jcst at tripod.net
Chapel Hill Astronomy: http://www.rtpnet.org/chaos/