Roll on winter

[LewisM]

Just cannot cop a break here in SE QLD - if it's not afternoon cumulus build up, it's smoke thanks to Noosa council burning off (I thought control burns were supposed to be winter/spring?). There would have been 3 usuable nights the last 7 days, but all no-shows thanks to the smoke!

Now the wind has changed direction slightly, but the cumulus is building...

I guess the scopes go in moth balls till June at this rate. We all know the monsoonal rains will hit us Jan/Feb, so may as well be a pessimist!

Last time out over a week ago I got exactly 3 subs of 5 mins in before it rolled in off the ocean.

Astronomy is just ONE of the many reasons I love winter :)

[MattT]

Come live in Melbourne Lewis. You can have winter just about any day of the year....was Autumn this morning and now it's becoming Summer with a forecast change for.....
:P Matt

[LewisM]

Yeah Matt, but at least a lot of you Viccos seem to be getting in imaging /visual time!

I got a look at the moon the other night - nice red-brown moon thanks to grass burn off...

[stevous67]

I love the winter too, as there is nothing like 14hours of imaging time in one night!

Steve

[supernova1965]

+one for me too summer has only just started and already I have had enough of it

[pgc hunter]

Lol ain't that the truth! Melbourne is wintry cold with that insipid slate-grey stratus cloud and gusty sour-weterly winds about 75% of the year, and "summer" sees more of these days than anything resembling summer. It's a vicious cycle of 1-2 warm-hot days, followed by a week or more of cold cloudy maritime anti-cyclonic gloom. If it's not that, then you are guaranteed high cloud, usually arriving right on sunset - this has ruined almost every observing opportunity this manky year :rolleyes: Plus we get the burnoffs on any and every clear day in autumn, just like clockwork. And naturally, we are expecting a cold overcast drizzly Christmas while everywhere else in this country will get warmth of some description. Melbourne SUCKS :mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2:

Atleast the seeing is good most of the time, 200x is routine on planets, despite being fatally located in the basement of Australia.

[andyc]

Must be a different Melbourne... 6 clear nights in the last ten (over New Moon too) lots of sunny days (some fresh, a few hot), forecast's got a nice weekend coming up...

[LewisM]

Typically, last night here was useable (though some cumulus, but it was CLEAR seeing), but we had the family Christmas get-together at my sister's house. By the time that was over, there was a littlle more cumulus, and again after the drive home and thinking about setting up at 2230, the cloud really rolled in.

It's now 7am, and the day is 6/8th's at 3000' or so, so unless that burns off - likely BUILDS - tonight will be a write off too.

[xstream]

I agree Andy, different Melbourne on a different planet maybe!

[Kunama]

After 4 days away from home with clear skies, I get back to telescopes and get this:

We are right in the middle :mad2::mad2: