#21  
Old 13-05-2015, 11:34 AM
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Haha that picture sums it up perfectly. The weather is all over the place for us. If we have cloudy days then the nights seem to be clear and vice versa. It's extremely hard to predict what each night will be like!
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  #22  
Old 13-05-2015, 01:06 PM
noeyedeer (Matt)
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Skippy Sky is useful if you're not already familiar with it
http://www.skippysky.com.au/Compact/...ompact_Oz.html

I use the compact version because it's easier to use on the phone, but there is the traditional link up top to increase the forecast to 120 hours.

matt
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  #23  
Old 24-05-2015, 05:19 AM
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Did you remember to look at Saturn yesterday?
It was really pretty! I found it in 5 secs with my 25mm ep, then tried the 8mm Starguider and it was super clear. Unfortunately I don't think the photos I took in afocal mode turned out very well (it is rare to take good pics of Saturn in afocal mode with our scope, although last year I managed to take a couple of pics), and I could not use the Neximage as I was in an awkward position on the balcony. (This is the beauty of the SW by the way; you can really put in virtually anywhere, which unfortunately is not always the case with my refractor for example.) However, what I saw is still right in my mind and it was beautiful!
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  #24  
Old 24-05-2015, 06:50 AM
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Originally Posted by OzStarGazer View Post
Did you remember to look at Saturn yesterday?
It was really pretty! I found it in 5 secs with my 25mm ep, then tried the 8mm Starguider and it was super clear. Unfortunately I don't think the photos I took in afocal mode turned out very well (it is rare to take good pics of Saturn in afocal mode with our scope, although last year I managed to take a couple of pics), and I could not use the Neximage as I was in an awkward position on the balcony. (This is the beauty of the SW by the way; you can really put in virtually anywhere, which unfortunately is not always the case with my refractor for example.) However, what I saw is still right in my mind and it was beautiful!
No I totally forgot. We had such a busy day yesterday and my bed was screaming at me haha.
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Old 26-05-2015, 03:24 PM
Rob_K
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Stars twinkling and planets not should not be taken as an immutable law of the Universe, and depends a lot on local seeing conditions. From my location, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (and of course Venus and Mercury) are often seen twinkling, and not just at low altitudes. Fortunately the horrendous seeing is more often than not compensated for by brilliant transparency!

Cheers -
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Old 26-05-2015, 11:25 PM
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Stars twinkling and planets not should not be taken as an immutable law of the Universe, and depends a lot on local seeing conditions. From my location, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (and of course Venus and Mercury) are often seen twinkling, and not just at low altitudes. Fortunately the horrendous seeing is more often than not compensated for by brilliant transparency!

Cheers -
I am glad I'm not the only one to see this! I see Venus twinkle every night currently after sundown. Says it all about Melbourne seeing (which has been pure crap this year) Subtle, but it does actually twinkle. If seeing is poor and the planets are close to the horizon, they do twinkle. This whole planets "not twinkling" thing is a myth.
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  #27  
Old 27-05-2015, 09:44 AM
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Being in a rural area, the theory of planets not twinkling holds true. I guess it has a lot to do with the amount of air pollution in Melbourne, as opposed to the Riverland. It it wasn't for that, then I would probably still be trying to find Saturn
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Old 27-05-2015, 09:56 AM
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Being in a rural area, the theory of planets not twinkling holds true. I guess it has a lot to do with the amount of air pollution in Melbourne, as opposed to the Riverland. It it wasn't for that, then I would probably still be trying to find Saturn
It's actually nothing to do with being in a rural area, but rather the steadiness of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of multiple layers of air moving in different directions, speeds and are different temperatures. The local conditions affect seeing aswell, i.e. downwind of a structure or natural features such as hills or trees, which disturb the airflow. When these layers interact, seeing becomes poor to varying degrees, sometimes the turbulence is bad enough that the planets do twinkle. It is a very subtle effect however, nowhere near as obvious as stellar twinkling.
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Old 27-05-2015, 03:21 PM
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Viewed Saturn from Brisbane city 2 nights ago around 7.00pm.
Very disappointing low in the East. But still a beautiful site, no better planet to view in my option.
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Old 27-05-2015, 03:31 PM
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Viewed Saturn from Brisbane city 2 nights ago around 7.00pm.
Very disappointing low in the East. But still a beautiful site, no better planet to view in my option.
Try it again closer to midnight, when it is at its highest point in the sky (about 80 degrees altitude; 10 degrees from the zenith in Brisbane), or maybe an hour or two earlier. Saturn is just past opposition right now, so it is looking great at the moment, but you want to see it when it is well above the horizon for best viewing.
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  #31  
Old 27-05-2015, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by BilliGoatsGruff View Post
Being in a rural area, the theory of planets not twinkling holds true. I guess it has a lot to do with the amount of air pollution in Melbourne, as opposed to the Riverland. It it wasn't for that, then I would probably still be trying to find Saturn
When I looked at Saturn the other day it was twinkling alright. But I was still pleased. A pity it looks so tiny in the photos I took. It was much bigger when looking through the 8mm eyepiece. Not like the photos we see here or elsewhere of course, but our scope is too small for those images of course.
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  #32  
Old 27-05-2015, 04:50 PM
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When I looked at Saturn the other day it was twinkling alright. But I was still pleased. A pity it looks so tiny in the photos I took. It was much bigger when looking through the 8mm eyepiece. Not like the photos we see here or elsewhere of course, but our scope is too small for those images of course.
I'm definitely not disappointed with what we have. I haven't experienced anything bigger, so it keeps me satisfied. I'll be getting a set of new eyepieces in a fortnight so that's something to look forward to. Of course that means the weather will be horrible!
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