Jim Harper, Stephen Migol and I met up around sunset at the overflow parking lot at Henry Coe state park. I had a pretty bad experience last time I went to Coe, back in January. However, this time around, the … Continue reading →

I had decided to spend the night of Friday, June 19 in Redding, at the Best Western Hilltop Inn, in order to arrive rested in Adin on Saturday. On Friday night, I enjoyed a nice dinner with David Cooper, who … Continue reading →

On Tuesday morning, when I looked at the Clear Sky Clock, I noticed that the observing conditions were going to be ideal for that night: excellent transparency, good to excellent seeing, and no wind. Therefore, after much consideration, I decided … Continue reading →

Although I knew there was a slight chance it might get a bit windy, I decided to observe at the D.A.R.C. observatory because I needed the darkness to observe delicate galaxies from the Herschel 400 list in LMi, Com and … Continue reading →

Deep Sky visual observing requires very dark skies, far away from city lights. I live in San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. One might think I need to drive long distances to find friendlier skies, but fortunately, … Continue reading →

When I left San Jose, I knew there was a decent chance the wind could entirely ruin the evening. After a quick and uneventful drive, I arrived at the D.A.R.C. Observatory. The wind was indeed blowing very hard from the … Continue reading →

I arrived at D.A.R.C. observatory around 7pm. Dr. Lee Hoglan and his father were already there, along with Albert Smith and his wife. Rogelio and his family joined us a bit later. It was a little windy around sunset, but … Continue reading →

I would like to thank Dr. Lee Hoglan, Dr. Bob Caton, and all those who have been involved with the D.A.R.C. Observatory, for their generous invitation. The site of the D.A.R.C. Observatory is a pleasant two hour drive away from … Continue reading →

When I arrived at Dinosaur Point around 6:45pm, the conditions looked bleak to say the least. The sky was almost entirely covered with high clouds, promising very poor transparency. After a quick setup, we were ready to look at the … Continue reading →

As I was driving up the winding road that leads to Henry Coe State Park, I saw a Mountain Lion. It was on the side of the road. It quickly turned around, looked at me for a brief moment, and … Continue reading →