I'm not going to sleep tonight...

[§AB]

instead I decided to make use of the last clear sky, moon or not, in what will probably be another few freaking bloody months in this cloudy hole.

Hope the seeing is good, but knowing this cold and above all pathetic climate, it'll prolly be ****e.

wish me luck!

[erick (Eric)]

I wish you luck! Good luck even!!

[§AB]

well surprise surfrigginprise, it started clouding over as AFTER I dragged that heavy beast out.

TYPICAL

[Starkler (Geoff)]

The evening started with high thin cloud which dissipated a bit later on.

Transparency was poor, seeing was rotten. There was no splitting Antares with the 15". I spent an hour touring bright open clusters at low mags with bright moonlight lighting the sky.

[goober (Doug)]

Seeing was quite good at my place. Terrific detail in Jupiter's belts (6-8), 3 craterlets in Plato.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I must live in a pocket of almost continual rotten seeing. Often I hear of other Melbournites reporting good seeing when its bad at my place

[§AB]

^^ Your theory is right. Seeing sucks here all the time, unless it's a 30C night in summer.

[Alchemy (Clive)]

well i did go out last night, rolled the roof off had a refreshing look at the moon, ummed and ahhed about whether the seeing was good enough to drag up the computer gear, plus jupiter wasnt going to be highest until midnight...... decided against it.... why does it have to be a clear night when the moon is out and ive got to work the next day?

i think that makes 3 clear nights in about as many months.

never mind , ive got the garden looking good, vege patch turned over and winter crop in, put in a couple more friut trees, toying with going surf fishing this weekend

[§AB]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

i think that makes 3 clear nights in about as many months.

Correction: that's 3 partly cloudy nights

This is exactly what the weather is like in places like Macquarie Island, the Shetlands, Faroe's, Falklands Scotland etc.

This is how I would sum up this climate:
Melbourne has a maritime (latin for toilet) climate, with short but warm summers and long, dull winters not unlike the British Isles. Winter gloom can last up to 5 months with very little sunshine and full clear days are very rare, perhaps only occuring once a month. Temperatures are low in winter and are compounded by often gusty winds from the south. IN summer, hot days are usually punctuated by up to a week of cool and sometimes cloudy weather and most days are accompanied by a cold and gusty afternoon seabreeze.

[Ric]

Theres been nothing but cloud up here as well SAB.

The cloud usually waits until I'm going to bed, then I lie there and watch the skies clear.

Very frustrating to say the least

[erick (Eric)]

Saw some cloud cover just before bedtime last night. Woke up 3am to see bright moonlight streaming through window. Stuck my head outside to see clear skies - horizon to horizon. Didn't feel too cold as well! Stars twinkling however. Went to loo, went back to bed Be patient.

[§AB]

Originally Posted by erick

Be patient.

naaahhh, I've been patient for 4 overcast months