(meteorobs) Re: Hale/Bopp and Eclipse

To: meteorobs@latrade.com
Subject: (meteorobs) Re: Hale/Bopp and Eclipse
From: Joseph_Assmus@PACE-POST.ucsddot edu
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 09:27:00 -0800
Reply-To: meteorobs@latrade.com
Sender: owner-meteorobs
---------------------------------- Forwarded ----------------------------------
From: Joseph Assmus at PACE-POST
Date: 3/24/97 9:24AM
To: GeoZay@aol.com at @UCSD
To: LUNRO.IMO.USA@prodigy.com at @UCSD
Subject: Re: Hale/Bopp and Eclipse
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>Hi guys!   Well, I wanted to go to the observatory last night to see the
>  comet from a dark location during the eclipse....but it was cloudy. I
>  headed east and as I rounded Grossmont Summit, I was able to see that along
>  highway 67 was cloudy as well. So, I turned around and headed for Ocean
>  Beach Pier area. I took a few photos there of the comet and looked thru
>  both binoculars...also gave a few tourists peaks thru the binoculars of
>  the comet.. .Didn't see anything much different from what I've been seeing.
>  Hopefully the skys will improve for the next dark night I go up.  later.
> George


Greetings George and everyone,

       Well, I took a group of 13 observers up to Laguna Meadows Campground
  (~60miles E of San Diego and just ~10-15 miles E of the Zay Observatory).
   It was most discouraging to make the 1 hour drive to the mountain meadow
  thru a pea-soup-thick-marine layer of fog and cloud.  "It must blow over" we
  all said, optimistically.  We arrived at campground at 5pm (Pac Stan Time).
  Nearly ZERO VISIBILITY.  The temperature was about 50 deg F and the wind
  was howling. the condensation from the trees was falling... it felt like
  rain.   So.. with fingers crossed, we enjoyed a great campfire dinner and
  lots of good wine.  The site was adjacent to the huge Laguna Meadow, a huge
  beautiful mouintain meadow at 6000 feet elev.

       What happened at 630 Ive never experinced.  In the course ofless than
  5 minutes the marine layer lifted... it went from being nearly ZERO
  visibilty to clear as can be.. the kind of conditions George is used to.
  Hale-Bopp was inspiringly beautiful.  Ive seen it a dozen time from
  near the city with 4.5-5.0 skies.  With the eclipse at around 70% and H-B
  still high enough, I est LM was around 6.0.  The tail was at least 30deg.


   Everyone in the group was so very excited of having the chance to see the
  COMET OF CENTURY, a lunar eclipse and Mars all under pristine mountain
  meadow 6.0 skies.  What a NIGHT!

      Reagards (& back from the dead),

      Joseph D. Assmus
      Office of Sleep and Circadian Studies, UCSD
      San Diego, CA