[Chaos-l] Blue areas of the map...

[sims roy]

I am also with the Raleigh club. RAC did have a RAC only Starparty one weekend several years ago at a Boy Scout camp just on the Virigina side of the border on Kerr lake.  The skies were as good as I've seen in NC except for the Blue Ridge parkway - Doughton? Park site.  What I remember for that week end was beautiful skies but strong winds at times. I think that Mark South came with a friend and may have some thoughts on that site.  Although it had nothing to do with our mini Starparty, RAC has not used that site again as far as I know because a dispute regarding use of the site came up and has not been resolved. Sims Roy
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: walter fowler<mailto:walterfowler at gmail.com> 
  To: Mark Lerch<mailto:mark.lerch at quest.com> 
  Cc: chaos-l at rtpnet.org<mailto:chaos-l at rtpnet.org> ; Jon Stewart-Taylor<mailto:Joncst at earthlink.net> 
  Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:39 PM
  Subject: Re: [Chaos-l] Blue areas of the map...


  I'll remind those following this discussion that our "dark site" at the Curran's farm is actually very near the western end of Kerr Lake, though not actually on the lake (hence arguably fewer bugs).  Joe Pedit who is now just in the Raleigh club but who may still be on our listserve did most of his spectacular astrophotography on the north shore of Kerr Lake, I'm not sure exactly where.  Also, RAC had talked about using a camp (?Boy Scout) in the same area for star parties, I'm not sure what ever became of that.  Jon, I appreciated your plug for the waterfall/rapids at Cedar Falls Park which is just across the road from Carol Woods (actually across the road from East Chapel Hill High School).  I've been to the park a fair amount but have actually never seen that creek in floodstage.  I didn't make it today either but will be ready next time.  Walter 


  On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 5:50 PM, Mark Lerch <mark.lerch at quest.com<mailto:mark.lerch at quest.com>> wrote:

    I've observed there.  I like it.  It's pretty observing at the end of the boat ramp with the reflections on the lake.  Late one night before I left, a sliver of moon with Venus near it came rising over the lake, both of them casting reflections on the clear water.  Memorable.

    To my recollection, the good nights offered up (to my rough thumbnail guess using the ursa minor benchmarks) 6.5'ish skies.  The north was better than masp, I thought.

    Others will surely offer up massive buckets of information on observing there so I won't spill much more ink over it, other than to say I think it's worth the drive. You can go after they close and not pay anything. In the winter the hours may prohibit this.  That may have changed. There are campgrounds there.


    -----Original Message-----
    From: chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org<mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org> [mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org<mailto:chaos-l-bounces at rtpnet.org>] On Behalf Of Jon Stewart-Taylor
    Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 5:42 PM
    To: chaos-l at rtpnet.org<mailto:chaos-l at rtpnet.org>
    Subject: [Chaos-l] Blue areas of the map...

    Hi all.  I was fooling around with the Clear Sky Clock, clicked the
    "light pollution" map, and got:

       http://cleardarksky.com/lp/ChplHllNClp.html?Mn=telescope%20accessory<http://cleardarksky.com/lp/ChplHllNClp.html?Mn=telescope%20accessory>

    Out of curiosity and ilgeographyacy, i started clicking on the blue
    areas.  Kerr Lake Recreation Area is inside the north-eastern blue,
    and google maps claims that a couple of places with camping are just
    over an hour away.

    I remember hearing people mention Kerr Lake as a place to observe, but
    have never been there.  I tried the obvious searches through google,
    but couldn't find any observing reports or site descriptions.

    Anybody know where some are?  Have you observed from there?  What's it
    like?  Apparently there's something wrong with the place.  Is it
    bugs?  Camping fees?

    Thanks.

    J.
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