astrobaja - 9-26-2006 at 06:54 AM
Hi all!
Just wondering if anyones been up the road to the observatory lately? I know in conversations with David lang this spring that 3 companies were given
contracts to build the road up to the observatory and 2/3 's done already but I wonder if work has commenced on the last 1/3? I know the company that
did the middle 1/3 did a average job and apparently they took forever to finish, sure hope they don't get the contract for the last bit!
we're going camping in the area soon thougt it might be nice to know
--Astro
David K - 9-26-2006 at 03:46 PM
I am looking forward to seeing more of your photos, when you return! Jupiter and Saturn... are really awesome!
Along with Chile and Hawaii, Baja's superior sky clarity attracts astronomers from around the world... Do you find San Pedro Martir as attractive for
viewing or more so then other sites you have been to?
astrobaja - 9-26-2006 at 05:32 PM
Hi David!
Until I get back from SPM, I'll give you a pic I did about a month ago of the moon. Its the area where Apollo 11 landed, I labelled it with the
craters that were named after the crew. To give an idea of scale the Collins crater is 2.4km wide. I had to shrink the pic a lot to get under the 50k
limit!
As far as how good SPM is for astronomy, its rated as the best in the northern hemisphere! The skies are on average clearer than even the SW USA. The
big thing that makes SPM very attractive is the very stable airflow from the Pacific which creates a laminar pattern. This translates to images in the
scope that are relatively undistorted by the Earths atmosphere. Astronomers call this seeing, and it is not always found in dark skies, for instance
the Florida Keys can have this type of skies too.
In short SPM is an astronomers Nirvana!
Hope I get some good images of Saturn for ya in a month or so!
cheers
Astrobaja
mtgoat666 - 9-27-2006 at 06:35 PM
I was last there around labor day -- pavement ends about 15 miles or so before the park entrance gate. It appears that no paving was done this year.
Pavement they did in the last few years looks fine, was smooth and I didn't see a pothole for over 30 miles.
But I hope they never complete the paving, and I hope the existing pavement rapidly disintegrates, because then the masses will not overrun the park.
The dirt road and lack of services seem to do a good job of keeping out the rif raf and maintaining the solitude.