MDM Observatory 2.4m Telescope Observer's Report for 2003 Apr 26

Observer(s): Paust, Bjork
Institution(s): Dartmouth

Instrument: Echelle

Worked for 2 hours (part of the night)
Conditions were Overcast most of the night.
Problems were encountered, see the separate trouble report for details.

Seeing and Weather:
   Clouds all night.
   Beg: Seeing .9 arcsec, Cirrus, Winds Calm
   Mid: Overcast, Winds Calm
   End: Overcast, Winds Calm

Observing Summary:

We had problems with the mirror covers again, see the trouble report for details.

The afternoon started out looking like it was going to be a great night for observing.  However, as sunset approached, we noticed several clouds to the south.  We were able to take flats, focus, and start observing our targets when we noticed the guide star dimming.  A quick look around outside revealed a fairly thick layer of cirrus.  Frustratingly, however, the clouds never got thick enough to block all of the starlight, it's still possible to see maybe 5 stars and there were occasional hints of the clouds thinning.  However, after about 5:30 UT, the clouds were simply too thick to observe through.  

------------------------------

Submitted on 2003 Apr 27 [4:25:45]