[MtnGoat]

For anybody interested, I'm heading out for a couple hours tonight to try and spot comet Ikeya -Zhang. If you're interested in coming along for a look see, we plan to meet at the preston park n ride at 6:45 *sharp* tonite and then head out on the spur 10 road to the N Fk Snoq to find an easily accessible dark sky site close to town. The comet sets 45 minutes after darkness falls so time is limited for viewing. post here if you're interested so we know how many to expect at the meeting spot. My wife and daughter will be along too, so make it a family affair if you like! Should be back in town around 9ish. All you need is binos for a decent view. If clouds roll in tonite I'll try again tomorrow, and I'll post the cancellation here tonight as soon as we call it off.

[#19]

Sounds cool MtnGoat. Give us a report on what you see. Love your "6:45 sharp" request. I'm with ya there. Think a thread on waiting others at the meet or pickup point for the drive to, might be entertaining.

[McPilchuck]

I hear if you look towards Mars (westerly above the horizon near dusk it is visible with binos?

[MtnGoat]

Caution: Ramble mode engaged. This is fair warning for those who like brevity..... or dislike thread drift...use that mouse and escape if you are so inclined! I definitely prefer on time folks, but generally I'm pretty laid back and up to 15 minutes usually don't befun' me none. After that, depending on how long it is, and how often that person is late (which has been a factor in the past) that attitude can undergo a bit of modification! In this situation however, the *sharp* was driven by the demands of space, time, the inexorable orbital motion of one body, and the eternal rotation of yet another. (in some states, that comprises a pretty good, and illegal, saturday night!) Seriously though, in this case that's exactly what was up. With the comet a mere 10 degrees above the horizon at darkness, and in the process of following the sun below the horizon (about 40 minutes of visibility) there simply isn't time to wait for anyone. Either you're there at the right time, or you miss out because no one can afford to wait! This factor has resulted in problems at some times in my life. The fact that I am a nut for astro phenomenon and determined to see things with my own eyes, has gotten me in Dutch more than once when someone wants me to do something I really ought to do, but the planets say otherwise if I want to see stuff. The universe calls the shots, and you either go by the schedule engraved in newtonian physics or you miss the bus. Eclipses don't stop, I have no control over how inconvenient it is that meteor showers are inevitably peaking at 2:57 on some worknight, and I can't make comets stay above the horizon! Especially the latter, because comets are usually only visible during the inner 20% of their orbits and this means when they are near the sun. Typically the geometry works out that naked eye comets set at most 3 hours or so after the sun, or rise the same amount before it. I've seen more than one for only a brief period during these times, some for only a few minutes as a faint diamond brush stroke against a twilight background. Bright comets in a pitch dark sky, for a long time any given night, are few and far between. In the last fifty years for example, I can think of maybe 4 or 5. Due to our incredible luck lately, two of those happened in the last five years, Hyakutake and Hale Bopp. Hale Bopp rocked pretty damned good, up a long time and extremely bright, and we had a spell of good weather. Hyakutaki I think was my fav, it was the really rare bird, a really bright one passing us farther out and behind so it was straight overhead at midnight and visible from dawn to dusk. That timing is a 100 year deal if not 200. I feel lucky to have seen it. And *huge*. The tail was visible to the naked eye next to the big dipper and spanning *more* sky than the length of the entire Dipper! In binos you could follow 40 degrees of tail. BS you say, but I tell you the truth. Stupendous hovering in a cold crystal clear night dead above us. Now Ikeya Zhang, a typical garden variety comet. Magnitude tonight was about +3, short 4 degree tail. Against the hazy horizon you could barely make it out as a faint stroke with the naked eye. Was really pretty in binos, a small exclamation stripe of light agaisnt the stars looking just like the pics always do, a little cone shape and all. A mountain of vaporizing ice flying through space heading for it's 380 year rendevous with some serious ablation. I wound up about 1-2 miles past the 2 gates at the 4 way intersection on spur 10. Got there when the first stars were popping out, had my 3.1" refractor up in 5 minutes, and started scanning. Nuttin. Nuttin. Getting darker, and I'm acutely aware the comet is sinking into the horizon muck every second it's not dark enough yet. Finally a bunch of stars appear at once, with a faint band of purple left above the Olys, and suddenly I see a tiny smudge low above the treetops, but not as low as I feared so I had some time. Got the scope on it and called wife and child, and we all ooohed and aahed. As it darkened it became more distinct to the naked eye, still small, but not hard to pick out. I had about 45 minutes before the haze really started hammering in. We also got a great look at saturn, the rings are near full extension in their 12 year cycle right now. Jupiter was also gorgeous, all 4 big moons visible and cloud bands even my 9 year old could see. A cool way to spend a Wed night. We also ran into some other astroheads on the same road, if the weather holds, which isn't likely, they're going out again tomorrow night and I may join them. Open invite!

[MtnGoat]

S'looking good out there tonight, in fact even better than last night. I'll check back here at 6:20 to decide wether to swing by Preston or not on my way out. Slightly different sched, Preston PnR at 7PM.

[MtnGoat]

it's clouding up westerly, I'm not sure I'm going, all bets are off.

[Backpacker Joe]

18:45 SHARP! If you're five minutes early, you're ten minutes LATE! TB

[Malachai Constant]

We had first afterburner hike of season up Little Si and all looked for the comment but could not see it due to haze in West. Nices stars above however.

[Beave]

I took a drive up the NFK anyway.... Right as I crossed the first bridge, I got to see a decent-size cougar that ran 10 yards in front of my truck for a few seconds.... I ended up driving past the third bridge before turning around.... Drove a ways through lots of windfall and some moderately deep snowy-ruts... On the return trip, as I looked down to hit a radio button, I was amazed to look out my windshield only to see a large doe less than 10 feet in front of me, darting across the road, while I'm doing 30mph on gravel... Close call, but we both lived to tell the story

[MtnGoat]

I drove up there for a look too, did we pass each other? There was a truck heading in when I was heading back down at about 8:30 or so, was that you?