While we had over 9" of rain over August 11 & 12, and the yard and street flooded, we were spared any damage to the house or observatory. The worst of the rain was North of Lake Pontchartrain and West of I-55. Many thousands of people have been impacted, many without flood insurance. If you are able to help, please contribute to one of the many charities and volunteer organizations that are providing aide.
Unfortunately the weather of late has not allowed any viewing but I hope to get back out under the stars in the very near future. I have been able to complete a few small jobs in the observatory; installing foam insulation strips around the doors and building shelves in the office.
I recently learned from veteran video astronomer Ken James about a site that shows sky darkness around the globe based on satellite video infrared imaging. The site is http://www.lightpollutionmap.info/ and I really like the maps. The color coding for levels of light pollution, at least in my area, appear reasonably accurate. There is also the option to display light pollution based on user submitted Sky Quality Meter readings, although this option didn't offer any data in my area.
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