Bretti Reserve Star Parties 2015

[Allan_L]

Tennis, now there's an idea for a daytime activity.
Maybe we can string a makeshift net between two tent poles.
If you got the balls :)
[note to self to pack tennis racket]. (or is that racquet ?)

[GTB_an_Owl]

yes - with a Q Al

might be an idea to keep the cows away :evil2: :D


geoff

[Arthur Alchin]

Won't be there this time.

Will be venturing further a field to Bendameer this time. Enjoy

[GTB_an_Owl]

what you doing at Bendameer Arthur?

i used to work with a bloke that managed the Pub

geoff

[glend]

The extended forecast for Gloucester (on Accuweather's extended forecast) is looking really good for all of next week from Monday, with sunny daytime temps around 18-20C and nights around 6-7C. Dare we dream of actually getting an extended period of clear dark skies? Now I have to decide what equipment to bring and what to leave behind. :shrug:

[Allan_L]

But Arthur, ... we miss you...
And your anecdotes { ... gruesome more !!! ;) }

What's this teaser about Bendameer ?
and no invitations to join you ? :shrug:
You don't really want to break up "the old gang" do you.?

I am sorry if you think Bretti is getting too regular,
But with the Pony Club the way it is,
Bretti is now first choice each month for me.
But I am always open to alternatives.
{Remember, it was you and me who discovered Bretti in the first place!}

[GTB_an_Owl]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! MONDAY ? anyone :question:

geoff

[Allan_L]

I am still planning on Monday.
Jonh (Fizics) has hinted that way also.
Forecast looks OK from Monday onwards.
Cold nights generally mean stable viewing conditions.

[glend]

I am aiming for Monday as well.

[jakob]

Not sure about Monday .
Just testing latest Astro acquisition !
:P

[GTB_an_Owl]

i think geoffro has one too Jakob

we can have Pig races :D

geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

which reminds me - what day you coming geoffro?

geoff

[Allan]

That looks like a nice alt/az mount.

[Fizics]

Looking doubtful that I can make this one :(. Wednesday and Thursday nights would be best for me so hope to get there.

[Rick Petrie]

I am leaving Wednesday morning if any one wants to travel convoy.
All those getting there early, could you save me a caravan spot....nice and level with a view,thanks.:)

[Rick Petrie]

Is that a pregnant tripod Jakob?:P

[glend]

So who is going up tomorrow besides me? Allan_l, Geoff? Hoping to get there around 1pm if I can get away resonably early.

[GTB_an_Owl]

i'm all packed bar pillow and clothes (and the inevitable last minute stuff)

geoff

[Allan]

Looking at the synoptic chart with that low pressure system going through on Wednesday, my guess is Monday and Tuesday will be the only clear nights at Bretti this week. Just saying, for those planning to head up mid week.

[glend]

The Accuweather extended forecast agrees with you Allan - about Monday and Tuesday, but also says Wednesday is sunny and clear but Thursday will be partly cloudy and then sunny again on Friday. There should be some clear nights for every one up to Saturday morning but if doesn't look good for the nights after that.

So yes the safe pick is Monday and Tuesday, maybe Wednesday depending on when and what goes through. Best to watch the Wednesday forecast for those coming up mid-week, as Allan has said.

What does 7Timer have to say?

[OffGrid]

Allan_L had extended an invitation to Deb and myself but we would not be able to get to Bretti until Saturday. With the weather looking 2 bob each way, I will make a call on Sat morning if we are going for an overnighter.
We used to canoe the Barnard river in the mid to late seventies and have camped at Bretti on and off over the years.
Very nice spot but Buckets Way from the 12 mile to Gloucester would have to be the worst paved road I have ever travelled over.
Came back from Qld on that road last Wednesday, not good and I would be reluctant to carriage a scope over that section of road.
From Gloucester to Walcha, not to bad even with a van.

[Allan_L]

Steve, No scare mongering please.
Plenty of us have travelled the Bucketts Way for the last six years, all with expensive telescopes. There have not been any reports of any problems.
The quality of the road comes and goes but it is by no means the worst.
Of course it depends on how you transport your "precious".
I wouldn't chuck it in the back of a trailer and hope for the best.
But mine travels nicely on the passenger seat.

I hope to arrive mid afternoon today.
Weather looks great Mon-Thurs from what I can see on line.

[OffGrid]

Apologies to Allan_L and others. From that reminder and hindsight I aught to have keep my personal opinion of that section of paved road off web.

[GTB_an_Owl]

well what a great 5 days away (well 4 out of 5)
just what i needed
thanks guys

geoff

[glend]

September is just around the corner and the new New Moon is on the 12th this year. NSW School holidays are not a factor as they don't start until the week after the New Moon, which means Bretti should be mostly vacant as it was in August.

The week leading up to the New Moon, from the 5th onward provide good long periods of darkness with the waning moon, with the moon not rising until after midnight that weekend and then rising later as the week progresses.

For those that hibernate during the winter cold, it's time to dust off the equipment and get out and enjoy the night sky.

:welcome:

[glend]

Just two weeks to the next New Moon period at Bretti. Winter cold is fading away and spring starts next week, so get motivated and organised now to enjoy the dark skies of Bretti. It doesn't matter if you have not been there before, all are welcome.
The Gosford Caravan and Camping Show is on this coming weekend at the Gosford Racecourse, for central coast folks this is a good chance to pick up anything you need for dark site camping. :question:

http://www.caravancampingoutdoorliving.com .au/gosford-show/about-the-godford-show

[skullmurphy]

Hi Glen,

Looking at the possibility of going to Bretti on Thursday 10th September to possibly 15th or 16th and hope the cows keep well away.

Have not had my scope out since the May Bretti camp due to a number of reasons with flood damage and work done on the house contributing.

Will be able to test out my Cub Camper and test a possible faulty Televue eyepiece and get away from the crap at home and have some fun with some stargazing mates.

See ya

Skull :thumbsup:

[glend]

That's great Scott. The New Moon is two weeks from tonight with good dark nights the entire week prior - from say the 7th onward there will be increasingly long nights with the residual moon only appearing in the very early AM hours rising progressively later.
No school holidays during this new moon period! Who else can come along?

[Rick Petrie]

Sorry can't make this one Glen.
Looking to maybe October for me.
Hope all that go, get some dark stuff.

[Fizics]

Calendar is clear week of the 7th so if the sky is clear I will not miss this one.
By the way did you get much rain last trip?

[glend]

The extended forecast for Gloucester doesn't look great for next week, fingers crossed it improves as the days go by.

[Allan]

It's a no brainer to post this here, as it's directed to the people on IIS I like so much, and especially Glen who runs this thread and shares PM's with me often.

I'm in the middle of a significant investment in astronomy, and one I am very happy to share with the Bretti/Pony Club regulars.

Going forward I need a more permanent observing spot, and I've found that this year out at Coolah. On average it rains every second day at Bretti, but less than once a week at Coolah. So it makes sense for me to have my permanent setup out there where it can get used every new moon.

I plan to meet with the Coolah council next week and propose a long term plan for a permanent setup in the form of a shipping container to house my gear. I will let you know how that goes.

I have learned to like Coolah very quickly. You can observe to a flat horizon in every direction and I have had SQM readings up to 21.91. So I am torn. I enjoy the company of everyone at Bretti, but I am going to focus on Coolah from now on. So I guess this post is a bit like an apology for skipping out on Bretti trips.

I have already got people from all over the world lined up to come out and look through my new dob next year. If we couldn't at least get the occasional trip organised by everyone to Coolah I would be disappointed.

And yes, next week might not be so good at Bretti. I am going to Coolah on Thursday the 10th. If anyone would like to come along and check it out please PM me and I can give you all the details.

Finally, to Al, Rick, Glen, Rob, Geoff, Geoff, Arthur, I really enjoy your company and I hope you take this post in the spirit I give it. I really hope we get to do heaps of observing together in the future.

[Fizics]

Sounds very positive Allan. A location that almost guarantees clear skies is most appealing. The other important concerns for tent campers in particular are facilities such as water, toilets and maybe showers.
Those with vans are probably less concerned about these things but tent camping in lousy weather ain't much fun...regardless of company.

Allan at your meeting with council appeal to their sense of business could this be of some benefit to the community. Hey one day they could promote it as the place of the Big Telescope:rofl:...excuse my sad sense of humour.

[Allan]

John, this spot does not hold much appeal for the campers, it's definitely an astronomy first location. It doesn't have the ambience of Bretti for example. But it's hard to imagine a better observing spot anywhere, and I've spent a bit of time this year trying to find them.

One advantage I can see immediately is year round observing, particularly through the summer which is too hot for camping. I plan to stay in Coolah under the air conditioner through the day and drive out to the spot before sunset. That's where hopefully the shipping container will come into its own, as I will open it up and wheel the assembled dob out and be ready to go in minutes.

I don't plan to spruik this spot at all, and would prefer to keep it on the low down. That's why I posted it only here for just the Bretti followers to see. I would be concerned if the wrong people started using the site without permission and ruined it for us. The first time I camped there I had a visit by the police wanting to know what I was up to. So it was a good thing I had gone through all the right channels with council and had the contacts to back it up.

Plus there's my thought of the gear that will be out there, and I don't want too many people knowing about that. But like I said I am happy to give the details out in a PM if you are interested.

[glend]

Allan, since you asked about them, here are some photos of the new snow boots, with a headlight in the shot to provide some scale. I stuck them in this thread because I can't attach photos to PMs.

They are XTM brand, and I got them from Snow Central online. Get your sizing right, mine just fit. Some of these snow boots come in limited sizes but these seem to have awide range of sizes.

Good luck.
Glen

[GTB_an_Owl]

they look good Glen
how stiff is the sole?

geoff

[Allan]

When you say, get the size right, do you mean they are a little tight, so perhaps up size by one?

[glend]

No Allan, they use Euro sizing so just understand that scale and how it compares to your usual US or UK sizes. My normal shoe size is US 10, or UK 9.5, so that is a Euro 44 - which is what I bought. They feel a little big with normal cotton Bonds socks but with the thick Exlorers they are just right.

Geoff to your question, the sole is flexible. Velcro side panel closure, allows pants to be tucked inside if desired.

[glend]

Latest extended forecast looks good from Thursday the 10th onward through that weekend. Stay posted.

[glend]

Update on the extended forecast: Tuesday -Wednesday look to be clear but Thur-Fri cloudy and possible rain. Clear again on Sat- Mon. So it would appear (at this point) to be a broken week with no more than two good nights in a row.

Spoke to Skull yesterday and he's planning on going up on Thursday. Have not heard anything further from Fizics (who was planning on Tuesday originally) or anyone else. Well yes actually Allan is going to Coolah.

I am waiting for early next week before I make a decision about when I might head up there. I had thought Thursday but if that is in the cloud period I might wait till the weekend.

[glend]

Weather forecast seems to be improving and charts and Sat photos don't show any major cloud coming our way. I am packing the camper today. Can we get a show of hands for those planning on heading to Bretti sometime this week?

[GTB_an_Owl]

probably not me

i have the van emptied out and planning renovations to accommodate the overly large fridge i purchased a while ago

geoff

[Allan_L]

Jo and I have just recently returned from our 16 day, mainly freedom-camping, expedition covering three southern states (and a territory).
Now back home, a few jobs have been allocated by SWMBO.
Sorry! Probably not going anywhere this week.
Waiting to see about maybe next week.

[glend]

Ok Allan understand. I think Fizics might be trying to go to Coolah later this week. I might just stay home this time, save some money, and image from the observatory (no power management issues or generator neded at home), and I am expecting a call from the guy that bought my 16" dob who is driving up from Victoria to pick it up. :shrug:

BTW Sky Quality Metre reading from my observatory last night at 2am (when I was packing up) was 20.86 - good enough for my purposes, and not too far off a real dark site.

[Shano592]

Sorry to sidetrack @glend (I can't make it as I have to be on a plane to Perth in the morning) - Allan, without knowing the exact positioning of the site, do you get any sky glow from Dunedoo, or even Dubbo?

My general ignorance at play, but Coolah looks relatively close to both places on the map.

EDIT: In saying that, you mentioned high 21's on SQM. That is not shabby at all!

[Shano592]

That's a really good figure. I doubt you would get much better than that at Mangrove Mt.

I'm not far from you to the south, and we get fairly good light blockage as well, but I don't know if it is to that extent.

You must be in an excellent location, or have shot out / covered up all of the street lights!

[Allan]

G'day Shane. There's no hint of a light dome in any direction. Coolah is probably 15km away, but it's population is less than 1000, so not much lighting from there. Dunedoo is about 50km away, so no problem from there either.

When I was in Dunedoo earlier in the year I could see light domes in the south from the mines. At Merriwa same thing coming from the East. That's what prompted me to keep trying further north and I had success at Coolah. It's the closest place I could find that has essentially perfect conditions. 3 hours is probably a little further than I was hoping for, but anything less and you end with the light domes. Plus I really wanted to get to the western side of the Great Dividing Range to get away from the coastal weather influence.

[skullmurphy]

Hi Allan,

Have you got room for another at Coolah during this new moon period....

I saw you at Lostock this year and last year when that massive storm hit....

Anyway now that Bretti attendee numbers for this new moon are dwindling I was contemplating Coolah but just didn't want to invade your space without permission....

I have a recently acquired CUB hard floor Camper and was looking to trying it out as well as getting some decent views of Comet Catalina and generally some fun for a few days.....

Does the ground at the Coolah site allow for tent pegging, how level is it and is the sky canopy clear of trees.

Please let me know either by the forum or via a pm if its ok to go so I can pack the Colorado....

Thanks Skull :):):)

[Allan]

Hey mate. Sent you a PM.

[Allan]

John and Skull, I've been called away to Dallas leaving in 5 minutes. So I'm sorry but Coolah is off this weekend. I'll get in touch when I've got time to spare.

[glend]

I have posted up a new thread "Central Coast Morning Tea" on this forum and sent a some PMs about it out to most of the 2014/15 Bretti attendees. Please have a read of this thread and consider coming along if you can (say between 8:30 - 10am at Westfield Tuggerah). I know its short notice but its local and the Aldi camping equipment sale is on at the same location.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1203199#post120319 9

[glend]

The October New Moon period is only just over two weeks away now, so consider coming out to Bretti to enjoy the dark sky, good camping, friendly people, and lack of crowds.

Good dark nights can be had from the 8th of October onward with the waning Moon rise after 2am from then on to the New Moon on the 13th. The kids will be back to school on the 6th so there will be minimal other campers at Bretti during this period.

Given that I had to miss out on September I am itching to get back there and enjoy the warmer weather, and the spring night sky.

Hope to see you there.:thumbsup:

[Allan_L]

Without wishing to diminish Bretti as a brilliant Astro Camping site,
I am proposing to try out a new spot at Glen Riddle Free Camping Reserve (Split Rock Dam) near Barraba north of Tamworth.

Rick has sent a glowing inspection report.

I have started a new thread to seek interest,
here http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=138941

[glend]

Just going on notice here folk to advise at this point I don't know where, or if I am going to either Bretti or Glen Riddle or Coolah or staying at home for the October New Moon. Weather forecasts and my health will be factors in my decision. By trying to organise/encourage Bretti on a month to month basis I always feel obligated to that location, but I am letting go of trying to get people interested - in anything.

I will decide in the coming week what I may do.:shrug:

[glend]

I am out action as far as dark site trips are concerned for the rest of this year. Going forward to 2016 interested attendees will need to get a new thread running for the coming year, as the old thread will probably get archived when there is no activity over the summer months (which has happened in the past).

Have a happy summer and holiday season, and wishing clear dark night skies to everyone.

Glen

[uwahl]

Just back from my wanderings around Central and Western Australia. I too will probably not be going to any dark sites until next year so here's wishing you all a merry Christmas. :xmas:

I look forward to getting together again next year.:astron: