Day 4159

I'm back in Dallas. It's been a long and interesting day. The weather wasn't very cooperative Thursday evening. Around sunset there were thunderstorms on the southern horizon and a thick blanket of clouds overhead. We kept checking the forecast, but it didn't look promising. While it was still light outside, our group got a sneak preview of a new telescope prototype from Planewave Instruments. The company wanted to test this scope under McDonald Observatory's famous dark skies. Unfortunitely, the fancy computerized telescope wasn't having any better luck than we were. The only telescope that could penetrate the clouds was a nearby radio telescope that would have made a perfect backdrop for the photos I was planning.

We began to see lightning and as the thunderstorm got closer we retreated to the Astronomer's Lodge to learn more about PixInsight and the intricacies of processing astrophotography images. It was still cloudy around midnight and most of the group decided to call it quits and headed back to their hotels, Airbnb rentals, or campsites for the night. I was the lucky one, since I was already home. I walked to my room, set an alarm for 3 AM and tried to get a few hours sleep. The predawn skies cleared a bit yesterday. Maybe they would do the same thing today.

I dozed off for a few hours and when the alarm on my phone rang, I got up and went outside. It was completely clear. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. I dressed quickly and set my cameras up in in a few choice locations. Since I had the luxury of time this morning, I was more methodical than I was yesterday and tried to take my shots properly. I didn't try to photograph any galaxies or nebula, because I knew I would have difficulty finding them without help from my astronomer friends. The Milky Way was still there though and it looked even more spectacular than it did yesterday.

The picture you see here is straight out of the camera and hasn't been processed yet. I'm standing in front of the Astronomer's Lodge and looking up at the 107 inch Harlan J. Smith Telescope. This should make a nice shot when I have finished processing it. I stayed outside until dawn, photographing the sky from a variety of different angles. It is so beautiful on top of Mount Locke when the sky is clear and the Milky Way is rising. I love this place.

There was no point in going back to bed when the stars began to fade. I fixed a pot of coffee and made myself some breakfast. It is so quiet in the morning at the Astronomer's Lodge. The staff doesn't arrive until later in the morning and I essentially had the place to myself. After breakfast, I packed my bags and got ready for the long drive home. I stopped at the observatory fire station to pump up my tire again since it had lost five pounds of pressure overnight. By 8 AM I was on the road.

As I made the 50 mile drive North through the Davis Mountain to head East on I-10 I didn't see a single car. I almost hit a deer though. The deer are everywhere up here. Luckily, even though my rental car had a bad tire, it had good brakes. No deer were harmed. 

It probably wasn't a great idea to make a 550 mile drive with no sleep, but I made it back to Dallas in one piece. I arrived in town during rush hour but the traffic wasn't as bad as I expected. I don't think anyone works on Friday anymore. It was still a shock to see so many cars though. I really prefer the solitude of the Davis Mountains. I'm sure I'll be back again, even though I hate the drive. The Davis Mountains have become my happy place.

Lady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day