why do we bother???

[graham.hobart]

Last night was forecast clear on three different forecasting sights, first time in ages that work and study and kids etc have allowed me a chance to try and get that proper first light on my FS 106N I bought yonks ago and have not produced anything worth a damn since.
Well, come 7pm, after setting up, focusing and calibrating guiding, I got one 5min exposure and went inside to help with bath/bed time etc.
Looked out the window ten mins later and was 100% cloud. Admittedly I live in a bit of a Mount Wellington microclimate but seriously!!
Anyway, decide time to take some fresh darks.So off we go again.
At 11pm I look out and see beautiful clear skies , go down to the scope and find the sequence is"waiting" and hasn't started! no ******* darks!
I give in, I really do.
Went back to bed.
:shrug::sadeyes:
Graz

[RickS]

Doesn't it make the nights where everything just works so much sweeter :lol:

[speach]

Got to have one of those yet!!

[xelasnave]

I often wonder if one was to take up cloud photography would you ever get to see one☺

These things are sent to build character.

I was lucky and managed 3 nights of perfect imaging and happy even though equipment issues tried to take all that away.

Now I see the clouds as a blessing as if they had not rolled in I would now be suffering extreme sleep deprivation.

Alex

[pjphilli]

Clouds and equipment problems aside astronomy helps to keep us sane. The other night after watching the evening "news" (ugh!)I went out to my back deck and set up to image Carina. Had the "go to" go to it and there it was! The night sky is so reliable and helps to ground me on this increasingly crazy planet being wrecked by human beings.

[LewisM]

Meanwhile last night I got 2 targets done in pretty remarkable seeing. But - and there is always a but - I forgot to set up my dewstraps... checked scope at 1am...dew on scope and laptop. Look down the front to see a light haze on the objectives of the scope and guide scope. Just packed up :lol:

[multiweb]

That's what I was thinking. When it's clear and the gear behaves it's like a planet alignment...

[RickS]

And for the other nights there's cheese, biccies and red wine :lol:

[billdan]

Well I'm going to build a multiple artificial star system with fluffy clouds of cotton wool to image, for those days when its cloudy. :lol:

[pmrid]

I seem to have developed a bit of a cheese, biccies and red wine habit ever since I rediscovered astrophotography. Is there a causal connection I wonder!

Peter

[RickS]

Could be that astrophotography appeals to classy people, though I can think of several counterexamples :lol:

[multiweb]

Oi! :P

[RickS]

The Astrofest crowd are all class, Marc :cool:

[multiweb]

Good save Ricardo... I was frantically photoshoping a classy side by side cane toad vs. frog. :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2brDNo23ic

[The Mekon]

We bother because every now and then, you hit the jackpot. On the 17th I was down staying in our Cooma house. Had the 106mm refractor with me. Drove about 5km north to a clear spot with an elevation of around 900m, and spent three glorious hours under pristine skies. Thankfully, the smoke had not reached that far south and the transparency and seeing were both excellent. I found I could see a number of NGC galaxies that I would never see in the 106mm from my home skies in Bowral. A great night.

[RickS]

Whew, lucky escape :prey: I'd forgotten Daz 'n Baz...



:thumbsup:

[el_draco]

Well, if you stuck a hyperstar on that mount of yours.... 5 minutes could mean some serious light.... Supernova, comet, asteroid, DSO.... That rock in front of your dome is definitely an issue ol' son. I've had 3 corkers in the last few weeks. Still trying to whack a roof on my ROR though :sadeyes:

[Kunama]

Last night we held our first ANU Public Viewing Night for 2018, probably close to a 1000 people came up to take a peek through several different type and sized scopes.

The excited, appreciative reactions of an overwhelming majority at seeing even the easiest of targets like the Moon and Jupiter is why I bother.

Yes, there were clouds that threatened to prevent viewing but after an hour things started to clear and we were able to watch Io and its shadow transit as well as the GRS, lots go NGCs, ICs, OCs & GCs.....

[The Mekon]

A great reason to "bother" - Thanks for this Matt.