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Posts Made By: Floyd Blue

February 8, 2006 12:05 AM Forum: After Dark

My new Anacortes 30mm 2" lens

Posted By Floyd Blue
That is wonderful! The Orion is a good scope. I have a 10" XTi and it works very well. Which 2" 32mm EP did you get from Anacortes?

February 17, 2006 12:58 AM Forum: After Dark

starhopper 12 on Eq platform w (Mods)

Posted By Floyd Blue
Very nice, did you make the EQ Platform?

June 11, 2006 05:23 AM Forum: After Dark

Jupiter Tonight

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Jack,
I am out there too here in California. I just had the 12.5" Collect Dob up to 530x and though there is a little atmosphere, the moments of clarity are definitely a wow! 8)
At 400x the views were more steady and then the GRS and GRS Jr were quite visible. At 530x I was on the virge of too much power for the night, but that is 43x per inch, so what can you expect.
This is first light for the restored scope. I am more than pleased with the performance and movement of the scope.

August 19, 2006 05:54 PM Forum: After Dark

Mt Pinos-what is is like? Crowded, facilities, et

Posted By Floyd Blue
Week days are usually not crowded, but weekends with a New Moon will be very crowded (100 or more at times) and require you to be there Friday or EARLY Saturday morning to insure that you get a decent spot.
There are Porta-Potties there, but no water or garbage cans. There is a campground about 100 yards from the North end of parking lot with fire pits but not sure about BBQs at the camp sites. There are pit toilets at the camp site.

September 30, 2006 02:50 AM Forum: After Dark

Turning off the lights

Posted By Floyd Blue
What would be great would be if they would turn off the lights for each new moon. That is what I would love to see happen in many areas of the world.

June 13, 2007 07:00 PM Forum: After Dark

Last Night At Pinos

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Rod,
Did you take the Antares refractor, if so how did it do?
21.53 huh, not bad! I got a 21.3 at Ballinger last Saturday night, which is about what I got last time a MT Pinos, a 21.33, so the sites are comparable for darkness.
Sounds like the pollen storms are beginning, was it piling up in drifts on the asphalt? wink

July 11, 2007 04:34 PM Forum: After Dark

Gravitational lensing find's oldest galaxies

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hey Darrell,
Good read, but that is 69 Trillion miles! 8O 6 Trillion per light year. grin Or about the distance that you can travel in a month on the Starship Enterprise. wink

August 16, 2007 05:30 AM Forum: After Dark

Night encounters?

Posted By Floyd Blue
I was out one night, lots of small shuffling sounds with some slightly louder thumps. I kept ignoring it until suddenly there was something big right behind me! 8O I almost jumped out of my skin as a rather large cow came right up to me and then just turned around a walked away.
I laughed out loud, but I could hardly hear myself over my heartbeat! 8)

February 5, 2008 06:10 PM Forum: After Dark

Winter Alternatives To Mt Pinos

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Rod,
Walker Pass could be ok, but if it is windy, it is real windy.
Fossil Falls, well when I went there for a few days, it was really dark and clear, but the seeing seems to be rather soft there. Not sure if that is true all the time, but it seems to be from winds over the mountains and the turbulence that this causes. Again, if the wind is up it is real windy there too.
This is Fossil Falls looking East.
I will be going to either Wind Wolves Preserve here at the southern end of the valley or to Ballinger Canyon, near New Cuyama. Not sure which nights yet, Friday looks good and Saturday is partly cloudy about 65°f high and 36°f low for the night. Friday night might be the best bet, partly cloudy you just never know.
I may also go out during the week this week to Wind Wolves as it is suppose to be clear until Friday.

March 1, 2008 09:41 PM Forum: After Dark

Friday Night At Pinos

Posted By Floyd Blue
Hi Rod,
Sorry to hear about your experience, but that is why I no longer go to Mt Pinos. In general I find it hard to do astronomy there, either people driving in at all hours or crowds roaming through the parking lot. This has gotten to me in the last few years and I am very tired of it.
I have join LAAS for the privacy of their site. It is not quite as dark as MT Pinos, but it has a good horizon and no problems with outsiders driving in or any of that stuff.
I just got my Star Membership and private pad with pier, so I am set! grin You are certainly welcome to come as my guest any time you like. Next Saturday is the star party there an if you like, just come on up if the weather is good and you will be my guest.
Here is my spot, so you would know where to find me.
I will be going there more as the weather improves and I will also be going there on, before and after the New Moon, even if it is mid-week. I plan on a few mid-week nights during the warm weather, those where the New Moon falls during the week before the star party weekend.
MT Pinos was once a great place for stargazers, but today it is getting far too crowded for this. I think that my days of going there are almost over, maybe one or two trips in a year, but no more than that.


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