Down at the statues

Session name: 20061126.1730

This session I chose to observe down at the south end of the park by the statues because of the weather. The air was moist and Moon wore the veil of cirrus clouds. I intended to get some more practice time on setting up and using the camera. The statues is convenient but it is not Top of the Lawn. I realized last night that one of the best attributes of TotL is that it is clean. Down at the statues it smells - smells of the horses and homelessness. In one part, east of the entrance road, there is a nasty stench which kitty human litter is absolutely required. On the west side of the road, the smell is absent and the sidewalk is less crowded and much cleaner.

Steve and Eva stopped when they saw the camera attached to the scope. Apparently they were versed in photography and offered some tips. Wat struck me was that Steve said try different things but log them some where. Knowing where you and what worked will help for the next time. He mentioned Art Wolfe and suggested I look into his methods. It was nice having them by contrasted with the "Top of the Rock" hawkers who asked if I was looking in the girlfriend's window.

It wasn't a long observing session since the ecliptic is low and Moon is lower. It can't cear the buildings down here so the window of opportunity is to watch it cross the street. By 7:30 Moon had set into the building and I had packed up. Most of the time, I spend a few moments to appreciate the night sky and the nature about me, but this evening I didn't hesitate to pickup my bags and carry on.