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From: rander3127
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Subject: Mt. St. Helen's to screw up transparency?
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Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 18:38:46 -0400
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R I remember what a volcano in the Philippines did one year.
R Thing blows, then large telescopes can't seem to "focus"
R for a year thanks to particulate matter in the stratosphere.
R Nice sunsets though.

Pinatubo! I had the dubious pleasure of seeing that volcano, with
assurances that it was dormant, while on an eclipse trip near Manila
in the 1980s.
I then had similar honor of actually seeing the arrival
of the Punatuvo dustdeck on Long Island. It came from the EAST, from
the Arlantic Ocean, because it travelled all around the world thru
Asia and Europe!
I with other astronomers were on the far east end of the Island
for a weekend visit under clear skies. Then in late afternoon there
arose out of the east a white filmy cloud, more like a veil or gauze
cloud. It slowly rose up and over us and eventually covered the Sun in
the west. It was actually pretty thick, with ripples, like a loose
towel or blanket!
It stayed over New York City (and most of the US, I recall) for
about a full year or more! There was eseentially no good starviewing
for that whole time.


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