Hi Steve & All,
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveG
As far as on/off weather we had a pretty spectacular lightning storm roll through on Sunday night (the 7th), but around 1:00 AM it started to clear and we ran out to the back field and uncovered the scopes. I was in shock with our apparent good luck to see clear skies, but by the time the Argo was initialized and the scope pointed at one object the whole sky shut down -- it was just one big sucker hole.
When you have the time, I hope you'll post some of your Eridanus observations.
Steve
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I remember seeing that storm from time to time on the northern horizon -- we just got the occasional distant flash and a lot of high cloud. While the Sunday night was cloudy until 11.30pm, it cleared pretty quick after that. Concerned it was a sucker-hole, I waited for a half hour to pass before I dragged the 'scope out of John's shed, collimated and aligned the Argo. After a while out in the dark I could see M33 naked eye without undue difficulty so I figured this looked good and took a reading with the SQM. To take a reading, I actualy take four of the same spot: I discard the first and then average the following three.
The individual readings were 21.93 (discarded) 21.90, 21.91, 21.91. I pick non-milky way spots as close to zenith as possible. Good nights at Mudgee are normally about 21.70-75, top nights 21.85 and my best ever reading (usual method) in April 2009 was 21.92. You know you're going to be happy when it beeps 10, or 11 or 12 times before readout ! I was so excited when 21.93 came up, I went to show my observing buddy Gary Mitchell, but the SQM powered off before I got there. He then saw the 21.90, 21.91 & 21.91 sequence. It never dropped below 21.85 until the high-cloud started creeping in about 3am and the false-dawn about 4am. Seeing was quite to very good initially and fell away slightly as the morning progressed.
I wound up that night just before 3am re-observing (haven't done them in this aperture) all six of the Fornax Dwarf G.C's that are for the most part tiny but pretty simple, reasonable to good S.B objects in those conditions with that aperture. The high-cirrus started to gradually creep in after that and with a long drive the next day and a plane flight to Hawaii the day after that again, I hit the hay just after 4am after packing up. Yeah, 4am I know I'm a sissy.
The conditions on the Saturday night were pretty good and I remember (haven't transcribed the notes yet) the SQM-L hit a peak around 1am in the high 21.8's. Considering the very best (sky-darkness) conditions in Oz (like on top of Siding Spring Mountain, Mt Kaputar, Flinders Ranges etc etc) are a fraction over or under 22.0 mag/sq arc-sec, I'd call my spot at Mudgee pretty good, reasonaly convenient and I've got either a a caravan or a small house there to use at my leisure.
If I get a chance soon to do some "recreational writing" I'll transcribe the notes on Eridanus soon and post.
Hawi'i was sensational. Already making some preliminary plans to return there, maybe even next year if the pacific peso maintains its form against the greenback. Hopefully my daughter can come which will leave me more time to go to the Big Island (they can go shopping together) by myself and do a few nights at the visitor centre or perhaps go to Molokai where I'm told it is a superb deep-sky amateur site.
Best,
Les D