Okay......

       

My view outside

        I checked my logs and the last time I made it out to scope was the night of December 1. I dressed for the occasion, but I forgot the hand and foot warmers. I think I was out for around two hours before I wussed out and called it a night. 

        That was it for December. January has been about the same with a routine which goes thus: 

• Several nights of murky weather. An endless low cloud deck for weeks, with clear days and cloudy nights peppered in there. 
• WAIT! A clear night is forecast! Then the particular night comes and that deck of clouds moves in anyway. 
• WAIT! A clear night is forecast! Sorry, you have a prior commitment
• You have a clear night with no commitments but it's a full moon. 

        I tell myself I came into this climate with open eyes, knowing what would be in store. I also remind myself those clear skies back west were ruined for weeks or more by the summer monsoons. 

        . Still.....

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        Something I looked forward to when coming back was the involvement with the local astronomy club. I have not made a serious connection there, and I am finding that I am very much a lone wolf for this. I enjoy bringing a friend along or a family member, but I feel very much like an outsider when participating in club activities. 

        I get along with most everyone in the club. I think it's a matter of me coming into this relatively late in life, whereas most of them have been steeped in it for much much longer. I'm not able to compute f-stops in my head and I am still memorizing constellations. I also have more modest equipment compared to most of the other members. Watching one of them setup reminded me of the weapons guys in "Die Hard" mount the bazookas. 

        I still want that See-Star, though. 

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January 17, 2025 UPDATE

        I finally made it outside a few nights back.  It had been so long since my last outing I was crazy. 16 degrees out, but I have foot and hand warmers so I was very comfortable considering the cold. Exhaling out of my baclava kept fogging my glasses, though. No road trip, I did everything in the driveway. 

        The big event was Mars occulted by a full moon. I was able to get a shot a few minutes before the event, and then Google updated my phone and killed the battery for the night. Bastards! I did continue to watch and since Mars is at opposition it's close enough to make out some details. I need a darker night and slightly warmer temps so I can go to my marsh site and log a few items. Neptune is the last of my planets. But it is sinking in the west quickly. 

Mars is the dot just above the moon here. 

        I can't shake this feeling that time is getting by me too quickly. It isn't his fault, but I deeply resent the weatherman for keeping me inside so long.