----- Original Message -----
From: "James Turley - Sky Image Lab" <jturley@No-Spam>
To: "'The Astronomy Connection'" <sf-bay-tac@No-Spam>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 8:57 AM
Subject: [TAC] OR MB 8/28/3
> 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
>