In a message dated 97-06-03 10:29:39 EDT, you write:

<< I've lived in big cities - as long as the air pollution and humidity are
 low, you *CAN* see the stars. Just not anywhere near as many as you can
 see away from the city. The difference is that the fainter stars and the
 Milky Way are not particularly visible in a city. And nearby lights are
 usually more important than lights even a kilometer or two away (again,
 depending on air pollution and humidity). You have to remember that most
 of the atmosphere is crammed into the first 10000 meters of altitude. So,
 as long as the air is not clogged with a lot of light scattering
 particles, even a short distance from nearby light sources will provide
 quite a bit of sky darkening as far as naked eye viewing is concerned.
 
 Of course, the BEST viewing remains on a cloudless, moonless night many
 kilometers from any city in high dry mountains.  >>

Sounds like a good time to climb Fuji-san.

SlayerNext@aol.com