Houston Astronomical Society

Is anyone else working on this program? Started about a month or two ago, and am up to 34 of 100. Unfortunately, my view from apartment balcony is facing West with VERY little view of N/S. Hopefully the urban observing at Bear Creek will start up again so I can get out there and do a little observing with people other than, well, just myself

I'm debating whether to start with this or the Universe Sampler. My big issue either way is that there is a very bright street light in my cul-de-sac that obscures a good portion of the eastern sky. I've got to find a better place to observe.

A Pellet gun will fix that for you

joe-khalaf wrote:I'm debating whether to start with this or the Universe Sampler. My big issue either way is that there is a very bright street light in my cul-de-sac that obscures a good portion of the eastern sky. I've got to find a better place to observe.

I found a way to disable the street light across from my house, but its not very safe and requires good gloves to prevent nervous system issues My pellet gun just wouldn't cut it

This seems simple enough to get the street lights to turn off, I'll have to try this one day.
http://www.wikihow.com/Turn-off-a-Street-Light

Terrific! My neighbor at the beach just installed a security floodlight so thieves can better see what's worth taking. Entergy says they don't install shields on security lights, something about them turning into projectiles during hurricanes. Now I have some other options.

I'm trying to spend more time in the forum and just came across this. I started on this program a little over a year ago and I'm probably 20 or so objects away from finishing it. Between trees and streetlights anything below ~2X airmass is pretty much impossible to see. I'm hoping the skies will clear tonight and I'll catch an Algol minimum - scratch that one off the list.

I keep thinking I should be working on this one, living under such horrid light pollution... but I just love getting out to the dark so much I keep putting it off

I'm back in. Have a whopping total of 28 out of required 100 that I've been logging off and on since 2010! Still, gives my something to observe 3 weeks out of four this part of the year without missing sleep. It's not like I haven't seen these objects in much darker skies. So, I'll just let the objects come to me in the 1.5 hour RA that is my driveway since everything else is blocked by trees or houses. At least the trees block the street light at the cul de sac down the way.

I'm back in...AGAIN. If you're planning to do this one, consider it soon. This club needs to be renamed the Sub-Urban Program because neither in Crystal Beach, Tx nor The Woodlands, Tx can I see the Milky Way without binoculars. The program suggests Bortle 5 as the cutoff. I suppose that's how you define the Bortle scale these days as I've seen some call the Dark Site Bortle 5. Depends on the night, I expect. My SQM meter has shown Bortle 3 a number of times. But I digress.

Pointers: It really does work better to view after midnight, and it really is darkest before the dawn. So if you're a Lark as opposed to a Night Owl, you may be in luck for this one.

Which emoji shall I use (no Like so I use emojis. Need a Like emoji)