Love Under the Stars!

Well...it finally happened. After two years of offering a free star tour adventure to anyone who proposed on one, Pinhus Dashevsky from Teaneck, New Jersey finally took us up on our offer. On Monday, February 13 Pinhus proposed on a star tour to his bashert, Lara Porter. They were in Israel on a school break holiday. Pinhus had sent me email in advance to arrange the details. I had their special songs and played one on my iPad as I walked I walked away to give them some privacy. I still managed to hear Pinhus excitedly ask, "Will you marry me?" (I always wondered how that was done, and No, I wasn't eavesdropping; he said it very loudly, so excited was he.) I didn't hear her answer but it must have been Yes, as I was soon called back, and we celebrated with a champagne L'chaim under the desert sky.

Pinhus Dashevsky and Lara Porter are engaged under the starry skies of Mitzpe Ramon.

Did I say we had a star tour? Actually, it was more like a moon, Jupiter and cloud tour, since those were the only celestial sights visible on this unusually cloudy night. But the clouds were unusual and quite beautiful, as we got to enjoy another ring, besides the engagement ring - a ring or halo around the moon caused by ice crystals in the cirrus clouds high above us.

A lunar halo around the moon, caused by ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. Toward the bottom left, inside the halo, a bright dot which is Jupiter, just barely shinning through the clouds. This was the first ring we got to see.

Pinhus presented Lara a beautiful triple stone, diamond engagement ring. It was truly stellar! The second ring we got to see that night.

The "stellar" engagement ring Pinhus offered Lara.

After the star tour we returned to the Green Backpacker where we continued our L'chaim with a chocolate engagement party cake. We made Lara and Pinhus blow out the two candles together.

The engagement cake. "Couple for life!"

Writer Abigail Klein Leichman picked up the event and provided a nice write up in Israel21c.com.

I guess this now makes us officially the most romantic thing to do in Israel for Valentines Day and Tu b'Av. 

The offer still stands. A free star tour if you propose to your beloved on one!! Come on down and take us up on our offer.

B'Ahava,
Ira "Star Man" Machefsky

Sunset, January 12, 2011

Image via WikipediaHigh, thin cirrus clouds dominate the desert this time of year. The wind sometimes blows them into Mares' Tails. At night they can create what's called a Mackerel Sky, where the clouds cover the sky like scales on a fish. They are made of ice crystals. At sunset they create very beautiful effects, like this sunset today.

A winter sunset in Mitzpe Ramon with our signature water tower.

Keep on looking up!

Our Winter Clouds

Fair weather winter clouds in the Negev are almost always thin cirrus. These thin clouds are white to light grey ice crystal clouds that cross but do not cover the sky. These clouds form when there is moisture at high levels and the temperature there is colder than freezing.

Thin cirrus over Mitzpe Ramon

In the evening these clouds, however thin, can always be noted by the circular rainbow they create around the moon, the result of the ice crystals refracting the moon's light. These clouds can also be quite deceptive, since they leave large portions of the sky uncovered and when very thin are invisible at night except for the dimming of the stars they cause. But once you get into a dark zone, you can immediately see they are trouble. A number of times I have gone out to my dark sky location, only to notice high, thin cirrus after arriving. But it's a small price to pay for the mostly clear, clean skies we have here in general.

Thin cirrus over the Club Ramon Hotel

Wishing you clear skies and fair viewing.

Interesting Atmospheric Phenomena Continue in the Desert

We continue to have interesting skies in the day time around Mitzpe Ramon. On Thankgiving day we had beautiful mares' tail cirrus in the sky for most of the day.

Mares' tail cirrus above the Visitor Center in Mitzpe Ramon. (Click for full size image.)

Detail of mares' tail cirrus clouds

Earlier in the week we had mackerel skies at dusk. Both of these cloud formations, mares' tail clouds and mackerel skies, are indicative of unstable weather and storms ahead, hence the folk saying: "Mackerel scales and mares' tails make lofty ships carry low sails", in anticipation of the great clippers of yore having to lower their sails in a storm.

Mackerel skies above Mitzpe Ramon. (Vega is the bright star at top center.)

But all of Israel continues in a drought, with no storms following in the wake of these clouds.