See slide show below

MLs may appear anywhere in Mitchell Flat and appearance locations rarely repeat. The two main things visitors need to know are (1) Vehicle headlights are visible nightly from Highway 67 located southwest from the view park. Highway 67 is a winding mountain road that causes the lights to turn on and off and vary in brightness. They do look mysterious but they are headlights. (2) ML appearances are rare. Your odds of seeing them on any randomly selected night may be as low as one or two percent. If you pick a night when phase of the moon is between full and new, your odds are likely to be about 2.5 times better (see science page for more information). The first week following the new moon may be the best time to look for MLs. It makes no difference if the moon is up or how high in the sky it may be.

The first image below is an orientation map showing computed and estimated locations for some previous MLs as red dots. "Ctn Telescope" refers to one of the state furnished telescopes at the view park. The green dot represents the location of a fixed mercury vapor ranch light that shows in some of my ML photographs and videos. At the time of this writing, it is no longer illuminating. All of the ML locations have elliptical uncertainties so map coordinates are not sufficient to locate actual ML sites. All the property in Mitchell Flat is privately owned and "No Trespassing" signs are enforced. This orientation map is intended to provide useful information for people who might like to know which way to look when they are at the view park. Additional information can be found below the map in the pictures provided.

There are many dirt roads in Mitchell Flat and most of these are little more than trails rarely used at night. However, they are sometimes used and the primary ranch access roads typically have some night traffic. Vehicles in Mitchell Flat can be easily mistaken for MLs. Optical aids and experience are usually necessary to do a reasonable job of discrimination between vehicle lights, ranch lights and the MLs that everyone is hoping to see.

If you do decide to visit the view park, you will probably find the night sky beautiful and the experience great fun even when MLs fail to make an appearance. 

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