I just returned from a 2 1/2 week trip to Bolivia. I spent a week of it camped in a valley at 4600 meters with perfectly clear skies and no light pollution whatsoever (unless you count the zodiacal light
). These were absolutely the best observing conditions I've experienced. The Milky Way was stunning; the contrast between the bright parts of the galaxy and the Coal Sack near the Southern Cross was especially striking. On the days I went climbing, I woke up around 3 am so that I'd be off the glaciers by the time the snow softened and made travel more difficult. The other good thing about rising so early was that I was awake when Venus rose around 5 am, glaring so brightly that I at first thought it was an airplane. I checked the glacier to see if it was casting shadows, but the moon had risen by that time and erased any trace of possible secondary shadows from Venus.
As great as the naked eye observing was, I wish I'd had a small telescope or binoculars along with me. If I'd known that we would have llamas available to carry extra gear to base camp, I'd have brought something along.
--Chris
