God damn weather

[strongmanmike]

and now the Moon....

...that's all, just wanted to vent :mad2:

:hi:

Mike

[LewisM]

Stop yer whining Michael! Come live in Tropical South East Queensland, where a monsoon and nocturnal cloud cover is guaranteed for 2.999 months of summer...

[rustigsmed]

:sadeyes: agreed Mike

its been a really bad run. :mad2:

[RickS]

The whole summer has been crap up here in Brisvegas :sadeyes:

[codemonkey]

Yep, I haven't imaged since November due to terrible whether and the few clear spots coinciding with being away for work or various other things. The problem is now I have an EQ8 and nothing to put it in just yet, and it's too damned heavy to set up and take down all the time. Hopefully I can build most of its new home on the weekend and I can finally take it for a real drive.

[rustigsmed]

yep its a heavy one alright. unfortunately the other day I had to move mine in one go (tripod and mount) I couldn't find the hex key to separate and rain was on the way. 35 metres some stairs/thongs my plan was to do about 10 metres at a time, but that went out the window realising I wouldn't be able to lift it again if I put it down :sadeyes:
good luck with the build!

[strongmanmike]

Yeah but you're used to it, ya don't know any different :lol:

Besides, the winter there is the opposite...so you can gloat then ;)

Mike

[julianh72]

What's really annoying is how often in the past couple of months I have looked out the window at about 8:00 pm to see 70% cloud-free skies,and think "Great!"

15 minutes later, I have my scope set-up, and the cloud cover has increased to 90% - it's amazing how fast it can cloud-over when it's 70%+ humidity and mid-twenties temperature!
:(

[codemonkey]

lol! That would have been a sight. I couldn't carry it in one piece if I tried, that'd weigh as much as I do, even without an OTA or counterweights.

My slab is about 350m away from the house which makes it more difficult as well. Last time I left one set up near the house my OTA got invaded by ants that built a nest in it... so many ants up near the house.



Not for me! Winter where I am means the fog comes in :(

[LewisM]

Go climb a mountain like Nettie :)

[Howard]

Sorry everyone ... it's my fault! My new scope was delivered and it's been cloudy and raining ever since. So much so I haven't had a chance to use it. So as daughter just started a teaching position in central Qld and it's been c**p weather here in Brissie I drove up to visit her and took the scope up with me ... that's when cyclone Marcia started. Can't win.

[el_draco]

Maaatee....... Try Hobart!!!

[Robert9]

Melbourne's no better !@#$%^&**

Robert

[pgc hunter]

Absolute pus heap of a crummer here. Both in terms of temps and cloud. I remember LOTS of cold wintry days/nights/mornings with our infamous maritime low cloud infecting the sky. Actually planning to move to Mildura within this year once I finish my course.

As is traditional this season, May has come early. http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/melbourne.shtml

Herp de derp :mad2:

[Baddad]

HOWARD,:mad2:
You thoughtless person. Buying a new scope when Monsoons threaten SE Qld. I wondered who was responsible.
Consider yourself to have your toes pulled and the target of many nasty names. LOL

Just as well you 'fessed up. I would have let loose a real tirade of name calling.

What scope did you get? I hope the conditions improve for you.

Cheers:)

[marc4darkskies]

LUXURY!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAtSw3daGoo) (link) It's so bad here at night I need scuba gear to get through the humidity and into the observatory. It's cloudy 32 days a month and 25 hours a day and the clouds are so thick I can reach up and touch them! And when it's clear (once every 11 years) the sky is so transparent and the moon is so bright that you'll start tanning in 10 minutes. ...

... Gosh darn it!!! :lol:

[xelasnave]

I thank the weather.
It has driven my astronomy from photography bias to observation.
I grasp the small window to observe rather than to take many frames.
And so I am happy to observe rather than capture.
I mean really what can you do given the weather...
I find even if it's clear the moisture is still there keeping gear dry is a major problem...so grab the binnos and get out there for a moment..
But one must be patient..I have had runs of 5 nights imaging ..all night each night..but not for a while now...so I rationalise.. 5 minutes with binnos at least gets you out there.

And getting out there is the ultimate experience..in my view.
Be happy with what you can get..getting out there is indeed the ultimate priceless..never take it for granted.

[speach]

I've noticed here that as the moon get full the clouds go! Or is it just my impression?

[creeksky]

I think you are correct.
Maybe China has placed a telescope on the moon or in it's orbit to observe the Earth?

[pmrid]

Although nothing quite beats a good venting, the grim reality is that of recent years, this has been the pattern of the summer months and there seems to be a strong likelihood that this will continue and perhaps worsen. Late Autumn through late Spring is, however, generally alright to good over most of Australia with the exception perhaps of Tasmania (I will defer to local knowledge on that one).

It makes the idea of remote telescopes in the places like Sierra Nevada or the high Atacama desert start to look appealing - even sensible. I've spent the past 5 months tinkering with equipment - fixing some, breaking others, inventing wild and wooly solutions to non-existent problems. If I were to add up the $$ I've wasted in that sort of pursuit, I could probably have bought a Tak106.

Next summer, I think I'll just mothball all the equipment in the obs, lock the door and ignore it entirely until about the end of March. Heaven knows what I'll do with all that spare time and disposable income. Hah!!!

Peter

[pjphilli]

Hi

As a Sydney sider I agree with all the previous posts about the lousy weather.
The past "dark" Moon period was a complete wipeout. The Sydney night
weather has seemed to be going this way for at least a couple of years now.

I am just back from a week at Norfolk Island. No street lights there and
from an absolutely dark site I could revel in the sight of the Milky Way in all its glory - unfortunately by eyeball only!

On a very good night in Thornleigh - Sydney I can just make out a very dim
outline of the Milky way.

Cheers Peter

[Camelopardalis]

Dunno what you lot are complaining about, I grew up in Blighty (don't hold it against me, it wasn't my fault) and cloud cover is the norm, and getting a clear night is a once in a blue Moon event :P in summer you don't get any astronomical darkness, and in winter any clear nights are crisply below freezing.

Trust me, Sydney is an upgrade :D last winter I got more clear nights than I would have got in years back there...

[Regulus]

I empathise Mike, but can tell you that since the start of summer we have had 7 cloudless nights her in beautiful Devonport, Tasmania. All but two have been too windy to set up.
Just thought I'd share that so you know your not alone.

Trev

[pmrid]

So, the message I get from that is I needn't bother bringing a scope with me next month when the bride and I are doing a "Tassie in 10 days"drive-around with tents and hiking shoes.

Peter

[louie_the_fly]

I can generally only get out on a Friday or Saturday night. Lately they've been pretty overcast. Sunday night always seems to be good. But I gotta get up early for work

[sn1987a]

lookin' good for WA tonight :sadeyes:

[pgc hunter]

Looked half decent here for a while this arvo, but the jetstream is pumping and it ended up cloudy anyway. Glad I hit the beer instead. Unfortunately, my cats also decided to hit my 8" dob's mount with their urine aswell. FFS :mad2:

Autumn is generally pretty nice here, but it's also peak burnoff season. In the past, all those lovely warm clear nostalgic autumn days have been mangled by said burnoffs :mad2:

Yup, thinking of moving to the mildura area, dark skies galore and pancake flat land to aid laminar airflow and more clear skies than you can point an aggravated Melburnian at. Seen the sky from a houseboat outside nearby Renmark multiple times now... lets just say the moon has its own twilight :jawdrop:

[gregbradley]

Its been the worst run of weather for imaging I can remember.

Very few clear nights over the last several months.

Greg.

[RickS]

Only one minor flaw in that thinking, Peter... the weather at SRO is currently terrible also :mad2:

Looks like I'll be sharing a scope in New Mexico as well this year. What are the odds of bad weather in the three locations at the same time?

Cheers,
Rick.

[Amaranthus]

Got set up to do some equipment testing last night - there were only scattered clouds around and the forecast on SkippySky looked decent. All the kit was set up, and I'd just finished polar aligning, when a great cloud rolled over. "No problem" I thought, I'll wait 15 min for it to pass (and went back in the house). I finally gave up 4 hours later, and packed up. :mad2: It's been the story of this season!

[lazjen]

I've been watching skippysky over the summer months as like many others I've not been able to do anything since November. It seems rural NSW is the place to be - it seems to be clear most of the time.

There have been a few nights where the clouds cleared for a some hours, but of course without a permanent setup I wasn't able to take advantage of the situation.

[Slawomir]

Summer in Queensland might be a good time for hibernation for aspiring astrophotographers :)

[Jen]

Oh can you guys send some clouds this way please it's been so clear here for weeks now :D I need to catch up on some sleep :lol: well now the moons getting brighter I might be able to get some rest hehehe
Just saying....... Ummmmm ok I will sneak out quietly back to my clear skies before one of you kill me hehehehe
:scared3:

[Baddad]

Cloud Voodoo Curse for Swan Hill. (Just over Jen's place. All the rest remains clear)
Clear skies everywhere else. Boonga boong-awa.

It has been done:lol:
We can all now enjoy the clear skies at Jen's expense. All clouds will now be congregated over Swan Hill.:lol:

Heeh heeh heeh (evil laugh)

[pgc hunter]

Clear here tonight, but insanity Jetstream. See pics for proof of insanity jetstream.

[speach]

For the last 2 night really good no cloud, but the MOON!!

[Amaranthus]

Happened again - 30 min to set up + 15 min drift align in preparation for some NB imaging, and then the clouds roll in, despite the assurances from Skippy Sky that it would be clear until 2am. Arrrgggghhhhhhh! Thank the heavens above that I'm now about to build an observatory!

[strongmanmike]

Doh!

[SimmoW]

Weather down here in Melbourne has generally been very good for astro :-) probably crap seeing though.

But it certainly makes you nervous when 3 of my weather sites say good weather and the other say iffy! Of course the golden rule is to always believe the better forecast.

As a relative newbie (I only started last May, what a journey), I've realised that the more expert you are, the more obsessed with the weather and moon phases you become!

[photosinferno]

Same reasoning could apply to NSW…tbh.

[Regulus]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Trev

[andyc]

Awkward clouds and missed chances are the order of the day here in south Sydney. I got a photography rig last October and have had properly clear skies on only (at best) four or five occasions since then. I have a lot more lightning photos than astrophotos recently! It's made me appreciate the requirement for extended clear skies for photography (clouds move a long way in a 5-minute sub), and how long it takes to set up only for it to cloud over an hour later :(. Visual is a fair bit easier that way, but even so the Dob hasn't been out much. Of course if I'm away from home or have friends around for dinner, you can be assured of clear skies!

[Jen]

:lol::lol: hahaha sorry buddy it didn't work ;) it's still crystal clear here :D :P178481

[Jen]

Hehehe ooops sorry pic posted sideways lol see that's what happens when your sleep deprived from enjoying beautiful clear skies everyday hehe :)

[Dboots]

Finally!!! Clear skies in SE QLD. I have had an explore scientific coma corrector sitting in its box since Christmas. Might not worry about sleep tonight.....

[Rob_K]

DELWAP (yep, you guessed it, DEPI are history! ;) ) are already on the job here and the valley is full of choking smoke. Summer weather hasn't been too bad overall here - some big rainfall events but some good long runs of clear skies too.

Cheers -

[Baddad]

:lol::lol: hahaha sorry buddy it didn't work ;) it's still crystal clear here :D :P

It will happen. Double curse Boonga Boonga Boongawa Boongawa Clewds to Svan Heell. Heeh heehheeeh (evil laugh)

Now ya' in for it Jen. Rain too.

LOL:lol::lol:

[LewisM]

Perfect last night, apart from that DAMNED BIG GLOWING ROCK!

GRRRR. Wait til new moon... it'll be cloudy

[Baddad]

Hey Lewis,:)
Don't blame the rock. Its sunshine glowing off the rock. Blame the Sun. :lol:

[strongmanmike]

Oh OF COURSE! :rolleyes: 100% Moon and last night was clear as will tonight most likely and again tomorrow night according to the reports....oh yeah great, I am so happy :face:...I mean, fair suck :shrug: :scared:

Grumble...

[Paul Haese]

I have had a pretty good run myself. In the last two months I have had about 35 nights where I have collected data. Some nights only an hour or two but mostly 5 hours a night. Looks good again tonight. Tight band pass on my NB filters means I utilise the full moon nights too. I make sure that the targets are well enough away from moon in such conditions. Well over 98 hours collected but only 76 hours published. :D No problems with the weather here, though it could always be clear every night. :P :rofl:

[strongmanmike]

Yep gunna be a clear night, so don't care...it is 100% clear out so I'm going out, Moon or not! I'll show that Moon who's boss :mad2: :lol:

:nerd:

[multiweb]

Damn right. All set up too. Will shoot anything.

[omegacrux]

I think I have a telescope , it might be that tube thing collecting cobwebs , hasn't been used for that long.

David

[strongmanmike]

Yaaaaay we got an image :cool:

:lol:

[Baddad]

it might be that tube thing collecting cobwebs

:lol::lol::)
Nearly Fell Off Chair Laughing (NFOCL)

[sn1987a]

lookin' good in Perth tonight, I'm ready to OD on Jupiter and maybe Saturn.:D

[kinetic]

A week on from TC Pam hitting Vanuatu, I can't believe the strength that
that low still has, now far below NZ.
Still showing 100km/h winds and below 40S latitude now.
The low associated with the TC off WA a week ago is now well south
of the bight.
Surprisingly, whenever there is mega cyclonic grief hitting QLD we seem
to get very calm, clear air here down in S.A.

Steve

[Baddad]

Surprisingly, whenever there is mega cyclonic grief hitting QLD we seem
to get very calm
Hi Steve, :)
It may be the associated high pressure system. They are quite often calm. I have observed the same several times. A cyclone up north and extreme calm to the south. (Can calm be described as extreme? LOL):)

[kinetic]

Yep I agree Marty, the highs we get when there are intense lows up your way are highs with very widely spaced isobars. The other day, nearly the entire state of SA was the same barometric pressure! Slow moving highs, we love them down here, but it is always at the expense of you poor buggers.

[Baddad]

That's nature Steve.:)
I am just under an hour north of Brisbane. The local storms sometimes pack more punch than a dying cyclone. If a cyclone does reach as far as Brisbane it has become a tropical low. Lots of rain and a bit of wind.

I have spent a number of years in far north Qld. A cyclone is not an experience that I like. At night it blows so hard the house shakes. Scary stuff. No electricity. Streets empty and all is so black you can not see any outline of your hand in front of your face. During the day you can see heavy rain drops, not falling but traveling horizontally. They also sting when they hit.
2000 Klms away all is calm sunny and warm.:)

[pgc hunter]

Stupid burnoffs in full swing yet again to ruin another Autumn.

They weren't content to spread only a light smoke haze, this time you can actually see smoke plumes along the horizon. Wanted to observe the planets tonight but I don't want dewed-on soot on my mirrors - yes this is thick enough that it could happen :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: