Worth setting up tonight? - Melbs

[rustigsmed]

Getting some serious cabin fever feels like ages since I've been out under the stars, and that was a single night. been blanketed in all this time.

attached is weatherzone forcast tonight. hmmm potentially some ok time tonight and tomorrow night (can leave scope out). however if going off weatherzone it is generally cloudy if its over 10-15% (skyskippy hasn't been refreshed since sunday). i'd also be having to pull the pin at midnight due to work.

open to suggestions of targets. i'd like to nab corona oz but that really needs a lot of integration time? and I would need a couple of targets to quench this thirst!

clear skies :sadeyes:

edit: the column before wind speed is cloud cover %

edit 2: since posting this less than an hour ago the forecast has gone up 6% extra for 9pm to 19% ehhhhhhh and somewhat tomorrow night.

[Atmos]

Not sure what it is currently like down Mornington way by in Melb NE suburbs it is currently cloudy.. Again :-(
Recently bought myself fourth hand EQ6 and a CCD camera. That was a month ago and I still haven't used them outside of my lounge room! So I feel your cloudy pain :/

[rustigsmed]

That is the worst with new gear!! Feel your pain, well I've decided not to setup so it will probably be crystal clear ... Taking one for the team!

[MattT]

Worth setting up? In a word....no :)

Had the scope out twice this year due to the two W's...that is work and weather. Now the Gaunt is finished I have it set up permanetly in the backyard as it's too heavy to bother with moving all the time :lol:

Was up in Beechworth over the weekend and clouds rule there too :rolleyes:

Matt

[inertia8]

Turned out clear over n.e suburbs for a couple hours. That's when having a grab and go scope at the ready proves it's use :)

[Atmos]

I did look out the window at 10pm and consider setting up but as I needed to go to sleep in like 45 minutes there just wasn't enough time :/ Building an observatory, next step!

[pgc hunter]

Looking outside my window, drinking would be a better use of time. Living in Failbourne, I have taken my advice and have consumed more beer than there are plank lengths in the universe.

Those weather forecasts are not to be trusted. They are based on very generic computer models which often reverse polarity at the next update, and every update thereafter. Look at the offical forecasts on the BOM page. Still wrong most of the time, but gives you an idea of how many slabs of beer you will need to purchase to survive the next week of our winter.

[LewisM]

Not Melbourne, but I did get half a night with my new rig up here in Not-So-Sunny QLD. Then the power supply went PFZZZZZZZZ, so very happy it's been cloudy for 2 nights now as I sort the issues :)

Good luck.... we tend to get the remnants of your weather, so hope it peters out over NSW at least :)

[Nikolas]

I'm over this Melbourne weather, even on a clear night the seeing is appalling. Over it completely!!!!!!

[pgc hunter]

I know right! On the handful of nights I've been out this year, none had seeing better than 5/10.

[rustigsmed]

Surely it is game on tonight! Been ages

[GrampianStars]

Just shut down & have come in 4 breakfast still -1.5C
Brrr :cold:
Was clear from 12.00pm & super steady from 3.00am
temp got down to-2.2C
Love it like this
:2thumbs:

[pgc hunter]

Stars looked like they were going to explode last night. I can't really set up anyway as all my stuff is in the garage and it would be too much of a PITA.

[Atmos]

Of course the only clear night in Melbourne in over a month is when I am interstate visiting family!

[inertia8]

I too had a quick look, judged it was too twinkly for the cold and sooked back into the shed to work on my car instead!

[Mamba]

Outer North Melbourne.
Bought used G11 seven weeks ago and the forecast said that I was good for my first use tonight. Set up for the first time, polar aligned, almost, go for something easy, Southern Pleides. God the bloody thing works, SP in centre of eyepiece. In to make a cuppa and take with me to scope, this is going to be good learning to use this mount. Back to the eyepiece to watch cloud drifting across oh so slowly. Back in house by 21.30 with another cuppa, this time with whiskey diluting the tea.
Mamba

[traveller]

Just finalising my drifting routine and now the clouds are here :mad2:

[barx1963]

Smashing here in Colac, cold and clear!!
And the seeing is steady!!

:D

Malcolm

[inertia8]

Got home from dinner approx 9:40pm. Looked up and considered getting the scope out. Thought about my car in the shed needing work. Put in an hour or so, finished at a logical point.. shut up the shed, look up, no stars... ok, wait for the eyes to adjust.. still no stars, then outlines of clouds became clear.. time for bed.

[traveller]

Good luck Malcolm, should be a cracker of a night. It was very crisp and still in Melbourne before the clouds came in.
Bo

[barx1963]

Well it's 1:10 am and the cold has won! Only managed a couple of hours in the end but very nice. Even at the end I had a quick look at Alpha Crucis and the double was steady and clear despite getting quite low.
Nabbed a bunch of galaxies in Grus, done nearly all the galaxies there brighter than mag 12.5 now I think and a few fainter. Also some bits and pieces in Pavo as well as some old favourites. M17 was awesome along with M20 and NGC 7006 and NGC 7009.

Anyway of to bed to try to get some feeling back in my extremities!!

Malcolm

[AussieTrooper]

The last two nights have been pretty good. From my house (inner eastern melbourne) if you can seek Mag 3.8-4.0, it's a good night.

[rustigsmed]

good to hear some people managing to get the gear out. wowee, Saturday night I pushed through the cold till 4.30am packing my bag away I noticed it was frozen. yep it was cold. crisp, and still transparency was good however the stars were still jumping around.

the forecast was good so I kept the scope out all setup, last night cold again and managed to nab a couple of targets after the cloud left then rolled back in again. transparency not as good and stars still jumping around will hopefully get a a few hours tonight after work fingers crossed its not too windy. if I only had an obsy!

the big bonus is that the DSLR is loving the cold :lol: no Peltier's required!