Hi Ann and All
This is The Place is a trial for the future, I would direct comments to the SLAS BOD's concerning your likes and dislikes. The wind could be an issue, Immigration Canyon does create morning and afternoon winds, as I recall, they usually die down when the sun sets. With gas prices soaring and if they continue to go up $.75 a gallon in a couple more years gas will be $5-$6/Gallon, with India and China's growing demand, this seems likely. For this years RTMC attendees, California is almost there now, as Leno joked they are living in the future. SPOC will likely be impacted negatively, at least for people coming from the SL Valley. I for one, would like valley locations for Star Parties other than Harmons (not intending to eliminate Harmons star parties. It is my understanding, in cooperation with the U, an observatory might well be built, at TTIP, from which we could host a monthly star party, perhaps. Erik Ann, decades ago in my youth, my friends and I flew our radio-controlled
sailplanes from those very same hills because the wind blew almost all the time. I grew up in the UofU neighborhood and spent a lot of time in the hills east of SLC.
That said, any star-party with a direct view of city lights must be taken for what it is- public outreach. It's not an ideal site by any means, but if you can't bring the public to the star party, you bring the star-party to the public. This is one of the trade-offs.
My wife and I stopped-by the Harmons star-party on Friday night briefly, but as we were both not 100% physically, we didn't stick around. Attendance there was remarkably high, both general public and SLAS members. You couldn't turn around without almost bumping into a telescope.
It's been a long, cold winter! People are glad to get out again, even at mediocre venues.
On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 8:31 AM, Ann Blanchard <a.blanchard@ugs.utah.edu> wrote:
I wondered what impressions any of you had of star gazing from This is the Place? Craig and I went out Saturday and there was a large turn out of folks with scopes. There is a broad view to the west and they let us drive our cars right up to where we were viewing so we didn't have to haul things. I have to say first that I am a wimp about cold, so my view may not fit with others, but the wind blew all the time, and by 10:00 the two flags they had were waving at full tilt with the metal banging desperately into the polls. I was freezing, nose running constantly and my eyes watered from the wind so much I could hardly look through the scopes. I remembered that we had tried viewing once from Research Park and the wind in July made it uncomfortable, so I asked the very friendly volunteer from This is the Place if it was always windy like this and he cheerfully replied that it was. I had fun with the people there, but I really have no desire to go back again. Just curious what others thought.
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