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Observing the milky way in southern california
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:05 pm
by wx1985
Hi,
Hope someone can help advise me on something here. I will be in california, thousand oaks till the month of sept. I am considering to go try and see the milky way in some desert (maybe joshua tree national park). But i'm not sure of what is a good timing to go check it out. I only know that i shd go on a moonless night and wondering which part of the year is best to go. Thanks in advance for any advice! =)
Cheers and clear skies,
Wei Xiong
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 4:17 pm
by Gary
Hi WX. You can also try posting the same question in the CN forums. Perhaps a good approach is to hook up with a local astronomy club there.
This might be a useful resource:
http://www.accuweather.com/us/ca/thousa ... ronomy.asp
Good luck and do post a report here about your astro trip!
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 4:34 pm
by cloud_cover
Hello!
If its the Milky way you want to see, any dark place (really dark) will show it when it has risen. I remember on training in NZ where we were miles away from the nearest small town, the milky way was so bright you could almost read by it (maybe an exaggeration or fond memories. Heh)
Download Stellarium, put your location to California (just a rough location will do. LA or San Francisco is fine) and forward to the dates you intend to be there. Then check out the rising tim of the milky way
You might want to bring a binos along to see better but be prepared to be lost in the sea of stars! Suddenly all the "landmark" stars you see in Singapore are swamped by all the other stars you can see in the sky!
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:14 pm
by acc
It is probably not advisable to be in any of those national parks alone at night in case of temp dips or wild animals. I was foolish to try that once and got freaked out by all kinds of weird noises at night. But of course if you have accommodation in the park than its not an issue cos' stepping out of your room will treat you to nice views of the sky.
See if there's any star party that you can attend. I remember there are regular ones at Santa Margarita Lake Country Park off Highway 101 as well as in Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park which is a spectacular observing location high up in the mountains. Remember to bring warm clothing no matter how hot it might be during day time and bring enough water!