212 replies to this topic

[astronomania]

Nice one Ajay!! Hope you have been doing well.

Here was my best take on NEOWISE.

Noisy because my battery died before I could do dark frames and I misplaced the backup.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[bluedandelion]

That is very nice. You could still do dark frames and fix the noise. So long as you are within 10 degrees or so, it should work reasonably. In fact I shot my dark frames the following day on my porch. It was a cool morning and I got a reasonable match.

Edited by bluedandelion, 29 July 2020 - 07:24 PM.

[astronomania]

Thanks Ajay, I'll have to give that a try.

I have darks from the next night that should be pretty close in temp.

[bluedandelion]

Do some biases as well. Those take hardly any time to shoot and will also help reduce noise.

[Stacy]

About a half hour before you hit Goldendale, Brooks Memorial Park (on 97) has a group site. Very dark, no extraneous lights and easy assess, with bathrooms IIRC. 

 

Well, I have stayed there in my Motorhome all by myself a couple times. No power, but I think there are water hook-ups. The ranger there is really cool and if nobody has booked the site, he just let me stay there for free. Once there was another small group doing some astro-photography. 

 

Anyway, great place to observe. I think you could either book it for an official group event, or just check with the ranger any given weekend for a short notice jaunt. Anytime the week before he usually knows what's up. I think his name is Randy.

 

BROOKS MEMORIAL STATE PARK
2465 Highway 97
Goldendale, WA 98620

Phone: (509) 773-4611

Campsite & group accommodations
Phone: (888) 226-7688

 

GROUP ACCOMMODATIONS
The park provides a group camp that accommodates a maximum of six RVs and 20 to 50 people. There are no power outlets for RVs. The camp has a fire ring, picnic tables, two pit toilets, water and a volleyball net.

 

https://www.parks.st...Brooks-Memorial

Edited by Stacy, 10 August 2020 - 07:02 PM.

[LenS]

Hold On !  The Seattle Astronomical Society (SAS) had the group campsite at Brooks Memorial State Park reserved for mid September but was abruptly canceled late last week by the Washington State Parks as they were closing down the group camping until 2021 because of COVID-19.  While the skies at the group campsite are dark there is one very serious issue.  The Greek Orthodox Monastery to the south has a VERY BRIGHT FLOOD LIGHT that casts shadows at the group camp site.  Screening the light or someway of blocking it is very essential.  The only time that I was there I didn't know about the light and so had a very bad observing experience since I was subjected to the full light at the southern end of the camping site.  Needless to say I stopped observing early - also because the smoke from fires in the Northwest/British Columbia made observing impractical.  I do, however, hope to try it again.  I miss Pixieland - great star party experience.

[bluedandelion]

Len, I have camped there with my family and also attended the SAS star party on a couple of occasions many years ago. Trees do limit the view a little, and the light is a small annoyance, but with toilets and coin operated shower (cold only), it can be very convenient.

 

This location could in principle replace Pixieland as a meeting place once we are back to normal.

 

State/city/county are shutting down a number of parks here in South King County because people are generally not following safe meeting guidelines.

 

Ajay

[Stacy]

Hold On !  The Seattle Astronomical Society (SAS) had the group campsite at Brooks Memorial State Park reserved for mid September but was abruptly canceled late last week by the Washington State Parks as they were closing down the group camping until 2021 because of COVID-19.  While the skies at the group campsite are dark there is one very serious issue.  The Greek Orthodox Monastery to the south has a VERY BRIGHT FLOOD LIGHT that casts shadows at the group camp site.  Screening the light or someway of blocking it is very essential.  The only time that I was there I didn't know about the light and so had a very bad observing experience since I was subjected to the full light at the southern end of the camping site.  Needless to say I stopped observing early - also because the smoke from fires in the Northwest/British Columbia made observing impractical.  I do, however, hope to try it again.  I miss Pixieland - great star party experience.

I stayed at the group site three times and there were a couple faint lights visible, but obscured from vegetation to the east. The one to the south may be new? I don't remember an offending light to the south but I do see the buildings down there now....

There are a couple trees but you can usually work around them. 

 

I enjoyed myself down there. 

 

https://www.google.c...!4d-120.6710438

[cliff mygatt]

Because the state has cancelled use of group camps through the rest of the year, the OAS Fall Camp Delany star party is cancelled.  We are disappointed but look forward to holding our Spring 2021 Camp Delany.

[RedshiftRob]

I'm thinking about going up to the Fire Training Center Academy tonight (Saturday)... Anyone else?

 

-Stephen

Edited by RedshiftRob, 16 August 2020 - 03:18 AM.

[Lancelot365]

I would like to go to the Fire training center in the near future for some M31 imaging

[RedshiftRob]

I would like to go to the Fire training center in the near future for some M31 imaging

The Northeast view is blocked pretty high by local trees and a hill (I think Mailbox Peak?) in the not too far distance.   

 

M31 popped up over the hill probably around 10:30 or so tonight, looked good at low magnification, but nothing looked very good at med/high mag tonight...

 

-Stephen

[BradleyB]

I got out Friday night with all my scopes.

 

Aperture rules, a good refractor can be sharper than a mediocre reflector. The 8" home built cook-pot scope was the most convenient though.

 

Brad

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[cliff mygatt]

I am planning a trip in October to Eastern Oregon.  Has anyone camped and observed from Page Springs campground?  it is near Frenchglen and the original site of the Oregon Star party Fish Lake camp ground is near that area and Clear Dark Skies shows it at Bortle one skies.  Appreciate your thoughts.

[bluedandelion]

Was the cooking pot scope your idea? Wonderful build with an SCT fork and all. Looks quite solid and portable.

 

Ajay

[rwiederrich]

Oh man...what memories Pacific NW star parties. Just for ole time sake here are some images of Gold Mt Observing Centers 7/7/2007 Opening day star party.

Too bad I no longer own this property....the clear dark skies in sucha local area made parties fun and often.

I hope everyone gets out and enjoys the night sky.

Rob

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Edited by rwiederrich, 18 August 2020 - 12:55 PM.

[Spaced]

Hi, you guys!  It's great to see people getting out to look for photons!

 

Steve Rosenow said, "A while back, my girlfriend and I stumbled upon a wide spot on the way up to Mowich Lake (was unable to access the lake and its parking area due to a Covid-19 NPS closure), that looks like a great spot to set up a scope. Sometime soon I hope to check it out."

 

That's almost certainly a spot Tom Allyn and Walt (and Walt's shivering dad) and I spent a night in a while back. It's an excellent location I can highly recommend. The site is backed by a very close, steep ridge that does an amazing job of blocking lights from the SeaTacEv megalopolis and the result is a microhabitat of skies that are much darker than one would expect from a look at the CSC. A downside is that northern views are totally obscured. Another is that there are a few miles of Mowich Lake Rd., which has been severe washboard every time I've been on it.  There's room for 3 or 4 setups if people park on the opposite side of the road.

 

My favorite easily reachable dark sky site -- Hurricane Ridge -- is a bit outside the "one hour drive" condition Steve laid down.  Don't be so tough on us, buddy! From Tacoma it's about 2 1/2 hr. to Port Angeles and maybe another 45 minutes up the hill. You northerners would take a ferry, I suppose, and I have no idea about your travel time. There's a fee to enter the park unless you either have a Golden Eagle Pass or wait until the gate guards get off, I think by 7 pm. The road is paved the whole way.

 

The reward is a large, unlit parking lot that looks straight south across the heart of the Olympics. The first light to the unobstructed south -- invisible from there -- is about 50 miles away; and a peak to the north blocks light from Pt. Angeles and Victoria.  The result is a dark, dark site. I might mention too that, unlike Sunrise Pt., the Hurricane Ridge parking lot isn't really on the road to anywhere and traffic is very light. More than once I've heard curious deer clip clopping across the lot to check me out.

 

Anne and I are still undecided about selling G/dale. Regardless, I think the PLSPs will remain a bunch of really good memories.

[BradleyB]

Was the cooking pot scope your idea? Wonderful build with an SCT fork and all. Looks quite solid and portable.

 

Ajay

Yes, my first foray into ATM. The OTA is quite rigid, not so much the forks. Mostly this is an experiment in some designs that I will eventually use for the 12.5 inch scope. I'll write it up in the ATM section when I get a chance.

 

Brad

[bluedandelion]

Yeah, forks can ring unless they are massive. A dob like full support is probably better. Cool adaptation though.

[kreppart]

I got a new telescope last month and I've been looking for this thread! I need to find some spots to observe because I live in the middle of Seattle and have obstructed views from my yard. I'm thinking of driving up to the Fire Training Center this weekend if the smoke clears somewhat.

 

I've never been up to Hurricane Ridge at night, how do the skies compare to the old Table Mountain Star Party site near Ellensburg? I took my kids to Table Mountain a few weeks ago and they loved it, I'm looking for a good place to go with the family for the new moon next weekend.

[RedshiftRob]

Congrats on the new Scope!   I was also thinking of heading up there in the near future, but unsure if it would be worth the drive with the current smoke issue.   

 

Anyone has been up in the area the last couple days?

 

Thanks.

 

-Stephen

[bluedandelion]

According to Cliff Mass of UW, you can avoid smoke by going to higher elevations. Whether Table Mountain is high enough, being closer to the fires, i don't know.

Edited by bluedandelion, 10 September 2020 - 10:18 AM.

[WadeH237]

Right.  I've spent many a night at the OSP site - at 5000 feet - with plenty of thick smoke hanging in the air.

[zerro1]

I'm taking a wait and see position. Weather isn't looking very promising at this point. 

[bluedandelion]

Sun though smoke, Sept 12 2020. Smoke alone, no filters.

 

Technical things aside, this is not a happy picture. This is what we are leaving behind for our children and theirs to follow. These views are becoming more frequent and they shouldn't. Several people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed in these fires. The air has been unhealthy, severely so, so that we have stayed indoors for three days. I wore an N95 mask to go on to the porch to take this picture.

 

I took a similar picture on Sept 6, 2017 and there were some clearly visible sunspots at that time:

 

Ajay

Edited by bluedandelion, 13 September 2020 - 04:27 PM.