Frost! What time did it arrive at your location

[KG8]

I spent the weekend up on the tablelands near Toowoomba in SE Qld and I am a little disappointed by the experience. Friday was the usual write-off of testing new gear and fighting with goto inaccuracies, no dramas there as that is time well spent, it got windy anyway, and there was a lot of socializing to do. Saturday night was going to be the big one for observing and it started out well when the wind dropped off at lunch time and an afternoon sleep primed me for an all night vigil in my freezer suit. By 11:30 the seeing was still good and I had the dew heaters running full bore, "just in case". Then at about 12:30 I got up to look at the charts and noticed ice had formed on my OTA, the tripod and everything else that was in sight. Dew running off things doesn't concern me but ice has a nasty habit of getting into places it shouldn't and then melting into places it definately shouldn't. I promptly took the electric blanket from where it had been curled around my feet and slid it under the sleeping bag, then proceeded to cover up the scope.

I was wondering who else experienced frost early in the night, and specifically, if the frost came later or not at all at lower altitudes than on the ranges where I was.

[Outbackmanyep]

Normally here in Walcha (alt 1087, at my house) we can get frost as early as 9pm, i know i had my 8" set up last wednesday night and i took 1 x 1-hr exposure at around 8pm and then my toes froze, the birdbath usually turns to ice and my scope covered in a light frost.....thats normally between 9 and 10pm, this morning we had -6...

[Terry B]

I was out at 8pm last night and it was -1 then with ice on my scopes cap left on a table. By 11pm when I gave up it was -3 with ice all over the scope.

[GrahamL]

Its sure been a cool winter up north this year.. I'm a few kms from the coast with a bit of altitude each morning
and there hasn't been many days
since early june we havn't had frosts...it comes in around after midnight though.

[CoombellKid]

It was darn chily this morning around 3:30-400am. I was out for an hour or
two before I couldn't handle it anymore lol. Mainly my fingers freezing up.

The seeing was crap anyway.

regards,CS

[ballaratdragons]

Last night, with poor seeing, I was attempting to image my 1st Planetary Nebulas, and by 9pm it was -3. By 10pm everything had ice on it. Then about midnight the temp rose up to Zero and the ice started to melt.

Then about 2am I noticed everything had frozen again. I had to give up at 2:30am because the fog took over and visibility was only about 10m.

[glenc]

It was -0.9 in Casino this morning. The coldest morning last year was +0.6.

[matt]

Hey Ken!

Now that you are on the PN trail, how about you have a crack at the Ring Neb. Will be a challenging target in the coming days/weeks:)

[ballaratdragons]

I tried last night Matt, but my mounts hand contoller said it was below the horizon :sadeyes:

[iceman]

It sure was cold in Dubbo this morning! -3 apparently. Frost on everything.

[matt]

Hmmm.

Ken. According to Starry Night it should be transiting tonight at about 11.20pm

[ballaratdragons]

:shrug: I didn't double check, I just believed the Hand Controller.

Maybe I put the wrong NGC number in. Wouldn't be the first time :lol:
And it was too cold to go out and check the sky :whistle:

[KG8]

looks like it was a cold snap across the whole country! I am wondering though if the frost pattern in SE qld is any different between the top of the ranges and the bottom, like in areas such as Aratula, or beaudesert, esk or out that way. There is still a lot of winter left and it would be nice to find a location that has an immunity to early frost.

I know you get ice more at higher altitudes, you also get it in low lieing areas, but perhaps there a region in between these extremes?

[GTB_an_Owl]

we had ice on the car windows here at terrigal this morning and the wife said the roof of the house over the road was white when she went for her morning walk

geoff

[matt]

Got down to below -6 here overnight!!!!

[Outbackmanyep]

Hey guys, -9 in Walcha this morning!!
Glad i was in bed! lol
Looks like a beaut night tonight, not a cloud in the sky!
But unfortunately i have a bowling presentation tonight! Woohoo! High Game scratch award waiting for me....256!

[CoombellKid]

Not so bad up here today, just a lil bit frosty. Didn't need to put the fire
on this morning But I think that was because it clouded over early here
last night, clear this moring but not as icy cold as the last few brrrrr.

But we've had a nice clear sunny day, so it'll be freezing again tomorrow.

regards,CS