Thanks for cluing me in to Meeus, Tony. Yeah, I'm familiar with Mt. Pinos - particularly the X-country skiing area (though I've traveled the ridge east to Pinyon Pines, Frazier Lake and I-5 a few times). Many folk are surprised to hear that you can get from coastal central Ca to a ski area in fewer than 2 hours! So whatdya think about the proposed new, humongous solar energy installations likely to come your way in the Carriza Plains?

In the reviews for Meeus' book, one person opined that the tome was suitable for the "novice", and another stated it was highly technical. I suspect the latter is closer to the truth.

Your statement that that the Plains are better for astronomical observation surprises me. Being "low and in a valley" would seem the last thing you'd want. Typically that means more atmosphere to peer through, the densest part of the atmosphere at that, and valleys tend to accumulate more moisture than do mountain tops to boot. I suspect the Carriza Plains has good observational conditions due to its relatively high altitude (for a plain or a valley), and the lower air layers there are particularly dry for a valley, too. Mt. Pinos sticks up into unsheltered, turbulent air, and has no coast range to keep the moisture out.

Mike Williams