1 night down, 6 to go...

This is the view from the mountain this morning. See how cloudy it is? We couldn't measure any of our galaxies with that kind of atmospheric humidity... 12 hours work night, and some cereal, and then I was ready to sleep. 

I managed to get 6.5 hours, which is MUCH better than last time I was here! I am very pleased. Despite the cold, I had no height trouble this time either, which was a relief. I felt so well, that I'd walk up the stairs at JCMT in normal speed, and then I'd speechless for 5 minutes, trying to calm down the heart and catch the breath.

Yesterday was also election day - it was kind of interesting to be inside the US to observe that. People at the astronomer's facility were rather normal about it though, although I could sense perhaps even more smiles than usual. The media coverage outside of the US was insane. Which perhaps might be the one indication of accuracy in a certain sentence I heard on the radio on the way down the mountain, in which the current president addressed the US as "the greatest country in the world". I don't aim to be contentious, but I'd like to have at least a few statistics backing up this idea, before I can agree that that is something that should be said and broadcast over the rest of the world. As far as I have seen, the US is pretty far down in most world statistics on characteristics that countries like to have. Indeed, I see Canada much higher up on the list, and the top is usually taken by a Scandinavian country, hemhem... But, thinking of it (which I haven't had too much time to do as yet, I'll admit), I've found two areas in which it can claim greatness: Amount of media coverage and petrol consumption. It also has the largest mountain in the world! Mauna Kea from base to top is actually 10 000 m, even though the part below the surface usually isn't counted. There is no snow on the summit this time, so my photos aren't as amazing as in January, but the views are still breathtaking.