Weather getting worse?

[garymck]

Hi,

like many I am experiencing frustration at the level of cloud cover in Melbourne/Geelong. My impression is that the number of cloud free nights has become less and less over the years.

When I first started imaging with a home made Cookbook 245 in the mid 90's I often was able to get out 3 nights a week and take pics. Over the years this seems to have progressively got less and less.

I have had 2 clear nights in the last 6 weeks (in Geelong) - a few others with sucker holes that lasted until I was set up!! Both of these were on or close to a full moon!!!

Each year seems to be getting worse...is this real or just a false impression? Climate change? I feel like I have thousands of dollars tied up up in equipment that is not getting used. Sometimes I feel like chucking it in - but when I do get the chance to image I love it, even though I rarely get a pic that is worth showing to others :-)

In frustration I took up flying RC planes 2 months ago (after retiring) and have to admit that in the 2 months I've been doing it I've spent less than you would on a 31mm Nagler and used the stuff more times than I've had clear skies in the last 2 years....much better return on investment. If I was in business I would be selling off the astro division in search of better EBITDA...

Has anyone else in the greater Melbourne area thought about chucking it in because of the weather? Has the cloud level really increased or is this impression just a symptom of frustration?

cheers
Gary

[pgc hunter]

Just thinking about Melbourne and its hyper-crap pus heap climate gives me hypertension. Lived there until recently and aside from the permanent cloud cover, I used to just love the waterlogged ground June-Sept and the lovely skin penetrating gales.

I used to abhore the Failburnian crummers aswell, the incessant cold fronts and seabreezes that ruin warm days/evenings and bring a week of cool oceanic stratus pus. If you at the daily obs, Melbourne summers are Heathrow with a few token hot days thrown in.

This winter here was nothing short of Melbourne, cold and cloud galore, can't imagine how bad it was down there, perhaps even worse than the manky diahhrea that was last year.

[croweater]

I'm 450 k's west of Melb. and it hasn't been any better here. I bought a Baader zoom and Nagler 13mm 3 months ago and had my first look through them a couple of days ago. Was clear but got struck down by heavy dew after a couple of hours :( :mad2: Now more rain on the way. Cheers Richard

[Slawomir]

Maybe it has something to do with cloud seeding in Tassie?

[pfitzgerald]

I haven't thought about chucking it all in - but it has been a very depressing winter here in Melbourne wrt AP and even visual observing. The one or two 'clear' nights have usually been midweek - no good because of work in the morning, or the clear skies weren't until after midnight - same problem.

I haven't been able to use my gear usefully since SVAC back in March!

In truth the weather has reminded me of what it was like to live in the UK for a year - the only difference between Melbourne and Cambridge that I've seen is that Melbourne's cloud base was few thousand feet and not a few hundred.

Hopefully spring will be better.

Paul

PS I'm not exactly holding my breath though!

[raymo]

We've had our coldest Winter in 30yrs, and rain, rain, and did I
mention the rain. Last night the wind removed a tile and moved several
others. Had the wonderful boys and girls from the S.E.S here for 2 hrs
from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m, and then a roof inspection and drying out of the
electrics this morning.
raymo

[Atmos]

Your wind was certainly stronger than the breeze we had in Melbourne then. Melbourne has actually been having "cold" winters. The misnomer here is that it is maximum temperatures which have been low and not the fact that it has a actually been cold (frosts). The irony is that what we want is the chilly winters (frosts) which we're not getting because of the constant cloud cover which is what is causing the lower maximum temperatures.

[skysurfer]

Move to Alice Springs (or any other location within Australia).
MEL has the most average cloud cover (except Tasmania) of the whole AU.

But you are still lucky: I live in one of the worst parts of the world: the northwestern EU (Netherlands) with far more cloud cover and much light pollution as a bonus. And due to the high latitude (52 degrees) very short nights with long twilight when the weather is best (summer) and less sky coverage.

[RobF]

Interesting reading on average cloud cover, along with map:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63987/mapping-13-years-clouds-earth

[Shano592]

We went through the same thing until recently.

I didn't even touch my gear for 18 months.

Since May though, it has been a bit better. Still not as frequent as when I first bought the scope, but it is getting better (seemingly).

[el_draco]

Nope, I have had a dozen +++ nights this winter. :D About 3 days ago, so clear i could just about see sigma Octanis naked eye..

Rom