Porter Ranch Site? Los Angeles

Hi
New to amateur astronomy but I'm hooked already after catching my first
glimpses of Saturn, Jupiter and her moons, Pleiades, the Orion Nebula
through my Orion 90mm refractor. Unfortunately the weather has not been
cooperating here in LA but it has given me the opportunity to read
everything I can get my hands on including Terrence Dickinson's
Nigh****ch and Richard Berry's Discover the Stars. I actually feel like
I know my way around, in a very basic way out there now
My question is this... in my quest for dark skies (without having to
drive forever) a friend was telling me that there is a nice dark park
in Porter Ranch that many people head to for viewing. I haven't been
able to dig up anymore info on it than that so if anybody has any info
I would really appreciate it.
I also can't wait to go to my first star party to check out some of the
bigger telescopes. Sorry for the length but I'm stoked so if anybody
has any info for a newbie that would be great

Andy Rawson

Hi Andy,

It's hard for me to believe anyone would go to Porter Ranch for a dark sky
site. It's on the north side of the San Fernando Valley. You might get a
very nice view of the city lights from the million-plus inhabitants of the
valley but the skies are not dark there. If you live in that valley you'll
be better off heading out of it. North into the Tehachapi Mts. via I-5,
northeast into the San Gabriel Mts. via Hwy. 2 (when the roads are cleared
of snow) or if you're in the west end of the valley over a canyon road to
the beach. Malibu Cyn. (Las Virgenes off-ramp from the 101) or Kanan-Dume
will get you over there, then head north to clear the lights of Malibu.
Under good conditions it can get pretty dark along the beach and in the
Santa Monica Mts. above (which is where I live, on the valley side).
You'll still have light pollution but much less than right on the edge of
the valley in Porter Ranch.

Mt. Pinos north of LA is a very popular observing site. Too popular these
days, perhaps, because it gets really crowded. Crowds will be down this
time of year, though, due to nighttime temperatures approaching zero. For
this time of year the deserts will have more hospitable observing
conditions when you're willing to drive for darker skies.

But you can get a huge improvement in the local hills without getting too
far from the comforts of home if you know where to go.

You might want to contact the Los Angeles Astronomical Society
(http://www.laas.org) and attend a meeting or two to see what it's about.
LAAS has an observing site in a valley south of Mt. Pinos where star
parties are held regularly.

On 9 Jan 2005 14:25:46 -0800, arawson wrote:

Hi
New to amateur astronomy but I'm hooked already after catching my first
glimpses of Saturn, Jupiter and her moons, Pleiades, the Orion Nebula
through my Orion 90mm refractor. Unfortunately the weather has not been
cooperating here in LA but it has given me the opportunity to read
everything I can get my hands on including Terrence Dickinson's
Nigh****ch and Richard Berry's Discover the Stars. I actually feel like
I know my way around, in a very basic way out there now
My question is this... in my quest for dark skies (without having to
drive forever) a friend was telling me that there is a nice dark park
in Porter Ranch that many people head to for viewing. I haven't been
able to dig up anymore info on it than that so if anybody has any info
I would really appreciate it.
I also can't wait to go to my first star party to check out some of the
bigger telescopes. Sorry for the length but I'm stoked so if anybody
has any info for a newbie that would be great

Andy Rawson

Thanks for your reply Mike. I do live in the West Valley and I was
hoping that the Porter Ranch site might be for real but you pretty much
cleared up what I feared was the case. I work about 70 hours a week so
I just don't have time to take 1-2 hour drives out of town. I like your
idea about heading over the mountains via Kanan or Las Virgenes and
going north on the beach as thats pretty easy for me to get to.
I also plan to start participating in LAAS activities, there's a
public star party next Sat 15 that I'm going to try to check out.
Although now that Griffith Observatory is down and the parties are
being held in the zoo parking lot I'm not sure how much more
advantageous this is going to be, except hopefully I'll be able to
check out some pretty cool scopes.
Thanks for your reply Mike!
Andy

If Orange and Riverside Counties are not too far for you I would suggest
OCA Anza

Matthew Ota
www.ocastronomers.org

arawson wrote:
Hi
New to amateur astronomy but I'm hooked already after catching my first
glimpses of Saturn, Jupiter and her moons, Pleiades, the Orion Nebula
through my Orion 90mm refractor. Unfortunately the weather has not been
cooperating here in LA but it has given me the opportunity to read
everything I can get my hands on including Terrence Dickinson's
Nigh****ch and Richard Berry's Discover the Stars. I actually feel like
I know my way around, in a very basic way out there now
My question is this... in my quest for dark skies (without having to
drive forever) a friend was telling me that there is a nice dark park
in Porter Ranch that many people head to for viewing. I haven't been
able to dig up anymore info on it than that so if anybody has any info
I would really appreciate it.
I also can't wait to go to my first star party to check out some of the
bigger telescopes. Sorry for the length but I'm stoked so if anybody
has any info for a newbie that would be great

Andy Rawson

Hi Andy,

From the west valley the beach will take you 30 minutes or so (that's what
I had from West Hills to Pepperdine). Just go a little north of Malibu
center to get that little bit of light behind one of the hills along the
beach. If it's foggy or hazy drive, or to get away from the lights on PCH,
drive a little ways up one of the canyons. If the air is really clear like
it should be once these rains of biblical proportions end later this week
then there will be little backscatter and the sky can get *really* dark.

You'll likely to get something from meeting the LAAS folks (I'm one of them
but don't show up to meetings much these days). They won't have the big
guns out there for public viewing but there could be a few interesting
scopes. And when the weather clears in Lockwood Valley you'll enjoy going
there for a dark sky star party if/when you have time.

Clear, dark skies.

Mike Simmons