Weather Updates,
IDA Protect the Night fundraising
Posted: 31 July 2019
Sunday, 21 July 2019, was cloudy as expected as our Monsoon Season finally got going. After sunset on Monday, 22 July, a nice Monsoon thunderstorm come through with 0.56" rain and lots of lightning as seen in these webcam images:
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Had another thunderstorm Wednesday evening, 24 July, with 0.28" rain. Saturday, 27 July, had a nice sunset:
Tuesday, 30 July, had visitors that usually show up during Monsoon Season but haven't been seen for a few years. Scarab Beetles:
Had 0.98" rain in less than an hour Wednesday afternoon, 31 July, from a strong Monsoon thunderstorm. Cloudy skies with occasional precipitation are expected to continue for several more days.
I replaced an older thermometer in the observatory with a ThermoPro TP55 Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer. This one (left in photo below) has a larger temperature range (-58°F to +158°F) and a larger screen than the previous one (right) I had used. There is definitely a lot to like about the new thermometer: the greater temperature range, the larger display, 24hr and all-time max/min, and backlighting. However, there is one thing that is definitely a minus. As is well known now, blue light is harmful to human health (and other things as well). The backlight is blue. Fortunately, the use of the backlight is not required and exposure will be short. But given the dangerous effects of blue light, perhaps a future model will switch to red backlighting.
Some photos from our trip to Utah have been posted.
25 July 2019 was the 10th anniversary of setting up my SkyShed POD observatory. Hard to believe it has been ten years!
As I've mentioned before, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) is doing a "Protect the Night" Matching Gifts Challenge fundraising where every gift is doubled. Go the IDA "Protect the Night" page, click my name, and then click on the Donate button. Although my goal has been crushed thanks to the incredible support of many supporters, you can still donate until 5 August to help IDA meet their overall goal and continue my page as the top fundraiser. Many thanks. Here are the top four donation pages as of 31 July:
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