First Days on the Summit 2012-08-10 11:28:23.000 - Eric Kelsey,  Director of Research Building Cumulonimbus Cloud What better way to learn about the summit operation ins-and-outs than to dive right in with a three-day stay at the top. The talented and energetic summit crew has fully immersed me in everything about mountain living from instruments to summit entertainment to Marty. As a brand new employee, I am excited to be able to advance the Observatory's mission and lead scientific research into the future.My first full day on the summit as an official employee of the MWO was spectacular. Thursday morning,

Thoughts from the new director 2012-08-09 23:52:46.000 - Cyrena-Marie Briede,  Director of Summit Operations Tower at Sunset I have to admit, it's hard for me to wipe the smile off my face after spending my first 36-hours at the Summit. Mount Washington is world famous for its wind and wild weather, which I can't wait to experience, but these beautiful days can't be taken for granted, and they haven't. Yesterday was a busy day full of presentations from most of the Summit Observatory staff and was a great learning experience. As the incoming Director of Summit Operations, there is a

Changes at MWO 2012-08-08 23:57:13.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Cold Front: A harbinger of change Change is the only constant.This statement has never rung more true during my nearly four years at the Mt. Washington Observatory than the present hour. Today's shift change day was quite a hectic one, and that was due to one of the biggest changes this organization has seen in some time-the introduction of our new Director of Summit Operations, Cyrena-Marie Briede, to the entire summit crew. We spent the day detailing each of our job descriptions, in addition to the nitty-gritty ins-and-outs of summit

A few words from Marty 2012-08-07 18:43:40.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Courtisy of my good friend Chris Gregg I don't get to write an Observer Comment very often even though I do more observing on the Summit than any of the "Official" Weather Observers. I observe the Interns giving tours, I observe the Weather Observers observing the weather, I observe the sunrises and sunsets, I observe the tourists coming and going - That's a lot of observing, no wonder I'm exhausted all the time and have to find a nice spot to sleep.I hear some of the Observers talking and

I Observer Weather, Not Space 2012-08-06 23:05:28.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist I like to look at this but I don't 'observe' it. It always seems that when the topic of space hits the news, my friends and parts of my family along with a small percentage of the general public, forget or mix up what I have a degree in and start asking me space related questions. And with space news hitting the headlines once again this week with NASA's Mars rover 'Curiosity' landing and the Perseids meteor shower peaking this Saturday (August 11th), the questions have already begun.

Temperature Differences 2012-08-06 00:09:08.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL On a personal note, I've been off the mountain until today because on Friday, I underwent LASIK eye surgery. I'm happy to say that everything went very well, and today I came up the mountain to finish off the rest of this shift.Now, this is my sixth summer spent working on Mount Washington. Although summer is not my favorite season, both here on the mountain and in the valley, I have always enjoyed the noticeable and significant difference between the temperatures at the base of the road and at

Final comments from an Intern 2012-08-04 19:07:02.000 - Christopher Gregg,  Summit Intern A mosaic of images from over the summer. Sitting here on a fine Saturday evening, it's time to write my final observer comment as an intern of the Mount Washington Observatory. Another great day on top of the summit, the temperatures were high (actually tied the day's record at 67 degrees) the sun was shining, and Marty was meowing. Speaking of Marty, lately I've been brushing him to help him shed his thick coat, I swear I've already collected 3 small cats worth of hair from that guy.

Reflections from a Departing Intern 2012-08-03 22:29:32.000 - Adam Brainard,  Summit Intern Among my favorite sunsets from the summit While I am not one to tread the well beaten path with my observer comments (i.e. 'Life and Death of a Snowman', 'Twas the Night before Seek', et cetera), allow me to follow tradition and write a succinct reflection on this, my final week as an observatory intern. I have had a blast working at the observatory this summer. I have dipped my hands in a world of new sights and experiences, many of which I would not have encountered anywhere

And Now, For the Rest of the Story... 2012-08-02 18:34:15.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Star Trails and the Story Behind Them. When I started working here, I saw a picture downstairs taken at night of our weather tower with Polaris above it and slight star streaks around it. I liked it and wanted to try it out on my own; and not just duplicate it but improve upon it. So, over the years, I started doing my homework and learning how to replicate the image on my own. When I set out on looking into how to do this,

Its shift change day!!! 2012-08-01 21:08:27.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Adams and Madison in the sun As many of you probably already know Wednesday's are Shift Change day for the Observers, Museum Attendant, Interns and Volunteers here on the Summit. There were all of the usual Shift Change meetings along with Fall Intern interviews today. We got to take to five of the six finalist today with the last interview to be completed tomorrow so that offers can be extended to the lucky candidates.Our Summer Interns finish up this week with us and I have to say Chriss