http://outside.away.com/magazine/0696/9606clifi.html
Scott
Fascinating.
I had to really "zoom out" to get the feel of the story.
Too much of it was "normal" otherwise!
I think I have lived in Alaska waaaay toooo long.
If any Anchorite is curious about what it is like in Barrow, all they have to do is spend a weekend in Whittier during the winter and Whittier is only about an hour from Anchorage by road.
-Christopher Erickson
Great story, thanks. It reminds me of Nome.
You don't really need rubber boots; I think you can stay on the gravel roads, there won't be any berries, and won't need to walk on the tundra. Having said that, I plan on bringing rubber boots, because my pants legs will stay cleaner. There will be rain and snow squalls and muddy potholes, and your feet will get muddy if not actually wet. Sorels are okay, if you can wear them all day long. Also expect 80 degree temperatures in your hotel and restaurant.
(Special note for new Alaskans. Sooner or later you will want a pair of tres-fashionable Xtra-tuff brown neoprene knee boots. These are the "Bush Alaska Reeboks", also known as "break-up boots." They will keep the cuffs of your pants dry when you hike in wet grass. I prefer the uninsulated kind, because I use bunny boots when it gets cold. Other people prefer the insulated ones. You can find them at 6th Avenue outfitters, the Army Navy store, and AIH Hardware, as well as a few other places. Their best attribute is that they are more comfortable than most rubber boots are, plus you can roll the tops down indoors or in warmer weather. There are lots of newer design neoprene boots now, and some may be better, but for years these were the best available. They cost about $65. The link shows some steel-toed ones, mine are plain-toed.)
http://www.army-navy-store.com/b_SERVUS%20XTUF%20KNEEBOOT.htm
Be sure to bring bug dope and a face mask. My face mask has little metal hoops in it so the bugs can't bite you where the mask cloth touches your face.
I'll just wear a simple rain jacket, long underwear, a wool shirt and a fleece jacket. Lotsa layers, comfy from 50 to 20 degrees. And Carhartt pants, not the full jumpsuit.
Special assignment:
We'll have lots of waiting around time, which I propose to use in finalizing the ERNC program schedule for Fall 04. Bring your ideas, and nobody gets to leave Barrow until we have the Fall schedule worked out! -Rich
Richard Pellessier wrote:
Also expect 80 degree temperatures in your hotel and restaurant.
Do the hotel windows open?
(Special note for new Alaskans. Sooner or later you will want a pair of tres-fashionable Xtra-tuff brown neoprene knee boots. These are the "Bush Alaska Reeboks", also known as "break-up boots."
Thanks! Much appreciated.
Be sure to bring bug dope and a face mask.
Does "face mask" mean a mosquito net that you put over your head to keep the bugs away? If not, what is it?
We'll have lots of waiting around time, which I propose to use in finalizing the ERNC program schedule for Fall 04. Bring your ideas,
Does anyone have a crib sheet of what is going to be happening in the sky or in space science around that time? It might be useful to consult. If nobody has a punch list, I will *try* to come up with one for winter 04-05, and bring it along, if unpacking schedules permit.
I was thinking of bringing post-transit dinner, in the form of some really good (I promise) backpacking meals that we can boil and eat afterwards, in the dead of morning. Anyone have a handy way to boil water?
--
Jeff Medkeff
Eagle River, Alaska
http://www.roboticobservatory.com/jeff/
I don't know about the windows. But the indoor temperatures are frequently uncomfortably warm. I don't know why.
You need a cheesecloth or screen type mask to keep insects off of your face. Bug dope may keep them from biting you, but you will inhale them or go batty with a cloud of bugs 1/2 inch from your face.
I'll bring Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar for schedule assistance.
-Rich
Bugs will only be an issue if the wind isn't blowing and the odds are that the wind will be blowing. It is also a bit early in the bug season so they may not be as bad as they should be about a month from now.
Most Northern villages run the inside temps about 80 to 90 degrees during the winter for some reason. In the dead of winter you will periodically see people fling open their front doors for a while and them slam them shut again. I guess the front doors are being used as thermostats. My theory is that with the typical super-low humidity and extra-dry skin in the winter up North, those are the kinds of temperature swings required to feel comfortable when coming in from the cold.
IIRC, the restaurants and hotel in Barrow were NOT set to 80 degrees the last time I was there in the summer. I don't remember if the windows opened up or not.
I believe the astro-action will start about 9pm so we should be set up by 8:30pm (or maybe at the airport if we decide to charter a plane).
Starry Night Pro p311c-EW says for Barrow, contact begins at 9:14:21pm ADST, 6/7/04. The Black Drop might start a little before 9pm that that is only a wild guess on my part.
Last contact in Barrow will be about 3:20am. The Black Drop affect may continue for another 15 to 45 minutes (another wild guess).
We will have about six hours of transit time.
Maybe someone else can give some details on the expected times for the Black Drop effect.
I have also received a very large sheet of Baader solar film (visual type) for anyone who might be interested in getting some.
If we end up chartering a plane I plan to loan my handheld h-alpha scope to whoever goes up in the plane while I will be on the ground before or after my turn above the clouds.
-Christopher Erickson
Maybe someone else can give some details on the expected times for the Black Drop effect.
Yeah, I can. I just have to unearth it, but I've got it here. I had some predictions generated for an observing site at the airport in Barrow and for Point Barrow by a high-priced actual expert. I had to sell my soul to get this stuff.
I've got projections for both chromospheric and photospheric observers (that's h-alpha and white-light observers, for us blue-collar amateurs). There is a difference of some significance in the projections since the apparent diameter of the sun is larger at the chromosphere. For that matter, the transit will begin earlier and end later in h-alpha, and I've got those predictions as well, I think.
Speaking of h-alpha, Scott and I did a mock up last night to confirm that my wife's Coronado 40mm filter fits on his Pronto. It does. We'll be bringing the lot.
I have also received a very large sheet of Baader solar film (visual type) for anyone who might be interested in getting some.
Dave Healy is allegedly bringing me some of the small sheets, plus I've got three small sheets that should be here on the brown truck tomorrow. I intend to bring the lot, along with some tape and some rubber bands, to deal with filter emergencies, shortfalls, etc. I don't think we can have too much of this stuff, so I hope you will supplement my emergency cache.
The thought does occur to me that five white guys hanging out at the airport looking at the sun at midnight may attract some attention from Barrowites. Do we have a public-interface plan? Anyone have any eclipse glasses to hand out?
Barrow is about 1/2 non-native IIRC so I wouldn't worry too much about standing out. That plus Barrow is sort of a weird tourist destination in the summer so they are used to "stupid tourists" doing "stupid things". More than once over the years, stories has trickled down from up North about tourists wanting to go down and pose with polar bears.
Also IIRC, the North beach is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel and a good potential for scope setup if the weather is cooperating. One thing to watch out for is a whale slaughtering on or near the North beach (a favorite native activity). Last time I was there they had killed two whales real close to town and the stench was awesome when the wind was blowing from the North. If that is the case, we might want to move East along the beach road to set up in one of the many gravel parking lots adjacent to many of the construction related businesses located on that road.
I figured we should have enough scopes and binoculars floating around that we should be able to accommodate any visitors. Maybe some astro literature and/or some photocopies of some transit trivia to hand out would be of interest.
I don't have any eclipse glasses.
-Christopher Erickson
I was going to order 100 eclipse glasses, but it slipped my mind. Sorry. I have three pairs we can loan out.
I'll review the TOV presentation, and bring a copy on jumpdrive and cd-rom, just in case we are asked to present it.
I'll call the Flight Service Station this week, and see if I can get Earl Finkler's phone number. He is an amateur and science journalist who works for the weather service. I'll let him know what we plan.
-Rich
I plan to photograph the eclipse, er, transit with a 35mm camera using a 300mm lens, Ektachrome 1600 ASA film, and a homemade lens hood with Baader solar film (also visual type) duct-taped to it. (Jeff, I have your sheets of Baader film). This setup worked well for the partial phases of the 1994 eclipse in Bolivia. The high-speed film will help cut wind shake and/or plane vibration. Test I've run overexpose the sun at f/4 and 1/8000 of a second shutter speed, and I'm going to test a slower, finer-grain film. I'm also bringing image -stabilized binoculars with a pair of mylar filters.
Dave Healy
Yes, I have a small MSR stove which is perfect for boiling water but it uses white gas (gasoline). The TSA won't like to see a cylinder of gasoline in my luggage. But I'm sure we could buy some in Barrow. What do you think Rich?
Scott
I have a pair of rubber boots known as "fitted ankle boots" made by Lacrosse also available at Army Navy. I prefer them to regular rubber boots because the "fitted" characteristic makes them more comfortable for walking (your foot doesn't slide and slam around like it can in some rubber boots.
Scott
Rich,
What is the availability of charter aircraft in the most likely event we are clouded out? Are we ok there?
Scott
We have another sucker!
Michael, we will see you at the airport when you arrive unless
something drastic happens.
Have you been to Barrow before?
How are you prepared for the weather?
-Christopher Erickson
Dear Mssrs. Earl Finkler, Craig George, Michael Orlove:
Most of us will be at the Top of the World. Leave a message for us there or at the FAA's Flight Service Station.
-Richard Pellessier
I have CC'd my five compatriots on this email. Scott Girard, Richard Pellessier, Dave Healy, Jeff Medkeff and Michael Orelove.
Please include them on future correspondence about the Barrow transit trip.
If the weather lets us down we will still most likely get a glimpse of the transit via chartered plane but that will certainly kill our ability to make any contribution to yours or Daniel's experiments. Either way we will forward pictures of our expedition to the top of the world.
-Christopher Erickson
I called the Barrow Flight Service Station today. The Flight Service Specialist said, "We'll put a pot of coffee on for you, be sure to come visit."
They gave me the number of the Weather Bureau, who said, "Be sure to come visit."
The Weather Bureau gave me the number for KBRW, the local radio station. It seems that Earl Finkler is on vacation, but his boss, Bob Summer, said, "Please come and visit, we'd love to have someone give an interview."
I'm guessing that Jeff will get an offer to heat his soup on someone's stove.
-Rich
Sounds like Richard has been filling our Barrow social calendar. I'm starting to look forward to this trip!
To supplement the ephemeris I e-mailed yesterday, I have produced a PDF format document containing both the ephemeris (neatly formatted) and, on page two, a plot of the ingress circumstance for Barrow with north up and the cardinal directions indicated by a rose. This should make it easier to catch first contact. It is on the web for your consumption at:
http://www.roboticobservatory.com/tv.pdf
I will have hard copies for everyone when we get there.
So position angle increases counterclockwise from up? Or from north?
Also Venus comes in from the east and goes out on the east after crossing the face of the sun, right? This top of the world stuff is fun!
-Rich
Richard Pellessier wrote:
So position angle increases counterclockwise from up? Or from north?
The position angle zero point is the northernmost point on the solar limb; the point of reference is the mean apparent center of the sun. Position angle is reckoned as increasing through celestial east, so something due east of the center of the disk has a PA of 90, and something due west has a PA of 270, etc. Personally, I've only rarely been able to sort this out at the eyepiece without a micrometer to help me. And I've never been able to explain PA in simple terms without a picture, which frustrates me enormously.
Also Venus comes in from the east and goes out on the east after crossing the face of the sun, right?
When we are observing the transit - since the pole is directly overhead to within the vertical precision of a drunk to attain - "to the left" will always be "roughly to celestial east," so Venus enters on the celestial east side of the limb and exits the celestial west side of the limb no matter what. It does enter the celestial east side and exits the solar apparent east side of the disk, though. I think.
This top of the world stuff is fun!
Its giving me a headache.... :-) -- Jeff Medkeff Eagle River, Alaska http://www.roboticobservatory.com/jeff/