I just read a report of 3000-5000 showed up for the Foothill Mars Party.
No Mars. Mad dash to the cars. Total gridlock for hours.
Anyone there?
MB was beautiful. The lot 100% full by 8PM as predicted. Overflow going
to
Los Trancos lot across the street. Marek and I (mostly Marek) manned the
gate
all night, keeping it locked. Only those with scopes allowed in.
Lot's of polite, bright, public wandering in by foot.
Good Mars all night, few if any DSO's. About midnight, the sky opened up
to a "starchy" Milky Way, horizon to horizon...lasted only 30 min.
Crilly, Marek and I locked up around 2am. Listened to Art Bell show
(Norry) in interview that Face on Mars crackpot Richard C. Hoagland
trapped in the rain at the StarHill Inn in New Mexico. Serves him right.
At the overlook down the hill from MB, the Santa Clara valley was BLACK.
A classic Black laminar layer shrouding the valley at about 1000 feet,
I suspect fog + ash from the fires, blessing us with classic warm
observing conditions at Montebello.
Into the soup and home by 3am. Looks like the MB gang made the right
choice. A memorable Mars night at MB.
James
See the Hubble Big Mars
http://www.skyimagelab.com/hubble-big-mars.html