Chuck,
My backyard is my choice, its easy on gas and my dog does'nt try and put me on a guilt trip for leaving her home. If a meteor storm does happen the darkness of the sky would not detract the experience, for me. A note for Julie: My Sky&Telescope magazines are scattered all over my house, they do pile up. Can't find the article I recall, but ran across an Astronomy article about Apophis "Fatal Attraction" May 2006. I talks about discovery and some uncertainties of tracking orbits. Its not digitized on-line, but, I am fairly sure the public library keeps back issues. Erik I want to stress that even if it's not possible to get to a dark site,
just laying in your backyard on a blanket or sleeping bag can be a satisfying way to watch a meteor shower. I've done this many times from my home in Granger (the light-pollution capitol of the world) and it can be fun- with the comforts of home just a few steps away, even the non-astronomers in your family are more likely to join you for a while. I've even watched some cold-weather showers this way and have been pleasantly surprised at times, bundled-up and reclining on a chaise lounger. Darkness gets much deeper after about midnight, when road traffic tapers-off and many business lighs go off. I've been surprised at times at just how much activity can be seen from a compromised site. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com