Was hoping my fast 10” f/3.9 Newtonian would pull out more faint detail in the tail, but it was swamped by pre-dawn light. #cometNEOWISE is getting very close to the sun now. Hope this thing lights up on its way out next week. I’ll go wide field next time. 🔭💫
Was treated to this spectacular pre-dawn view of #DTLA and the LA basin on my way back down Angeles Crest
btw, I had no intention of getting out there until I read @jccwrt’s enthusiastic reports from the east coast in the middle of the night (pdt). Thanks Justin, and nice photos!
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There are currently zero air assets over #BobcatFire, although it looks like this guy might be waiting for smoke to clear or looking for an entry point west of Santa Anita Cyn. Anyone on the ground in #SierraMadre or #Pasadena have eyes on this one?
via @flightradar24
Looks like they aborted, I’m guessing due to poor visibility. Haven’t heard any mention of it on the radio yet.
@LACoFireAirOps copter 17 just flew over me, heading toward #BobcatFire, I think on a mission to refill a water tank for ground crews, per radio. Still no air attack.
I built a makeshift air purifier with an HVAC filter & fan. It’s making a big difference, reducing smoke smell & irritation. I’m measuring 50% reduction in particulates after 30 mins, reducing indoor AQI from “very unhealthy” classification to “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.
Running ~1hr on/off cycles to compare air quality with/without. Just started 2nd on cycle. I’ll post legit plots later & a writeup on @hackaday.io, but for now, here’s a screenshot of my live preview, showing 2.5um particle counts in ug/m3, with ~50% dip during first on-period.
Feels like 50/50 odds you’ll see a horrific accident if you head up Angeles Crest on any given Sat or Sun in the summer. So many car/moto clubs & daredevils getting their kicks.
2 wks ago, I saved a motorcyclist’s life after a reckless BMW coupe ran him off the road. (thread)
I myself came around a blind corner a little fast and had to jam my breaks to avoid hitting the motorcyclist as he was picking his bike up from my lane. I reversed out of the blind curve and put my flashers on to block traffic at the start of the curve.
Just then another speed racer comes down the straight without slowing down. I honk to warn him & the motorcyclist, he honks at me for blocking traffic & speeds around me, full speed in the oncoming lane in a blind curve. Missed the motorcyclist by inches & would’ve killed him.😡
Went out to shoot Mars again last night but it turned into a full-blown Grand Tour. Imaged every planet except Mercury! Plus a few moons I didn’t expect to find.
Starting in the outer solar system, we find gas giants Jupiter, Saturn + Tethys, Uranus, & Neptune + Triton.
Moving inward, here’s an animated view of Mars, rotating about 7 degrees over a span of 30 minutes. By the way, Earth and Mars rotate at similar rates, with Earth spinning about 3% faster.
Purely by coincidence, this view captured Gale Crater, current home of @MarsCuriosity, & Jezero Crater, future home of @NASAPersevere! This view also features landing sites of Viking 2, Beagle 2, & Spirit.