Tom Randy wrote:
: On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 19:22:46 -0500, Lawrence Troxler wrote:
:
: I'm curious to find out whether my timing or my vision was
: to blame.

: It may have been timing and or light pollution. Read on...

By "vision", I meant my physical vision potential, which is entirely
different from the issue of light pollution!

Where I am, it's fairly quiet light-wise, except to the south
(where it matters most - argg) where there's the glow from an industrial
complex. Of course it's not like what you'd see camping out in the
Adirondaks, but really it's not that bad. Let me put it this way: if
you're suggesting that light pollution was my problem, then tell me where
you're observing from in po-town, and let me know if there's a spot around
there that I can set up!

I haven't yet got to figuring out what my limiting magnitude is, but I
certainly that night, for example, could see that trail of dim stars that
go southward from Cassiopeia toward Andromeda.

: I posted a few photos to the astro binary newsgroup, they came out o.k.

: Tom

Yep, the one over the housetop that showed Auriga is somewhat consistent
with what I was, at least in azimuth. Except in my case, I perceived the
peak of the redness as a bit farther up in altitude. So who know, maybe I
have more light pollution then I like to admit which obscures my view
close to the horizon. Also I was not able to perceive any sort of
structure in the glow that I saw.

Larry