NSW Northern Rivers

[glenc]

The next three viewing nights are scheduled for:
8/9 at Alex's place. (South of Tabulum)
13/10 at my place. (North Casino)
10/11 at Rob's place. (Coombell)
Is that OK with you guys?

[xelasnave]

No worries
alex

[Rodstar]

Guys, I am staying at Byron Bay for the first three weeks of September. If the inspiration grabs me and I want to join you at Alex's, where do I go?

We are without a trailer at the moment, so unfortunately I will be scopeless. But maybe I can bring a nice bottle of port in lieu of same?

[glenc]

Alex, I will camp Fri or Sat night (7/9 or 8/9) depending on the cloud, if that is OK.

[GrahamL]

I'd like to try to make this one if thats ok alex
Still have the tent in the boot from duckadang:P

be great to catch up rod ,alex is a long drive from byron though
overnight a chance for you ?.. if not I have access to a hundred acres above byron so maybe we could catch up there one evening.

take care

[Rodstar]

Thanks Graham for the heads up. My family will kill me if I stay away overnight on the family holiday given I am already away alot due to work!....so it appears a night at Alex is not going to be do-able.

I like the sound of the 100 acres above Byron! Glen has also offered me a visit at his place. I will PM you. I would love to catch up if I can manage it.

[CoombellKid]

Sounds good to me, should be able to access the property by then :eyepop:

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

oh no.. rob the avon lady hasn't fallen into one of the holes in your driveway again has she ? :rofl:

[CoombellKid]

Cool! need some filler :D:whistle: but might need more than one avon lady

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

All are most welcome..stay as long as you like.

There is plenty of room for tents and anyone without gear can use mine (12inch) but maybe bring your fav EP's. If you want to do any astro photos all I can offer is an eq6 which should be available (I may be doing some work on it and the imaging set up which may not be finished by the night)

Glen maybe we could set up at the top ..I hope to clear a spot by then ... its a couple of feet closer to everything.. maybe 150 feet higher?

If you wish to bring loved ones thats ok... a day trip down the rain forrest could be organised if anyone likes gem hunting... however it is very primative at my place so warn them... I dont know if I will have the hot water working by then ... but I will do my best.

alex

[xelasnave]

I am sorry after saying all was OK as I can not keep the date.
Something has come up as they say.
alex

[glenc]

It's OK Alex, we can have it at my place.

[Rodstar]

...which may make it possible for me to join you!

Glenn, I will call you closer to the time to confirm.

Rod:thumbsup:

[GrahamL]

I think glens about an hour or so from ballina rod .. byron a little further of course .. I usually get home about half 10 /11 .. easy drive.. keep in touch :)

[glenc]

Come at about 6:30 or 7pm next Friday the 7th.
If Friday is cloudy come at the same time on Sat the 8th.
If you need directions pm me.

[CoombellKid]

Glen

hopefully I should be there : )

regards,CS

[glenc]

Looks like cloud this weekend but we can postpone it for a week if we need to.

[CoombellKid]

That works for me as I may not have a car this weekend.

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

Drove down the coast yesterday and its wet all over... once we seemed to get the rain around full Moon...
alex

[glenc]

The road into Rover Park has excellent views of the sky.
It is 95km west of Casino and the elevation is 650m. (lat -28.90, long 152.27)
http://www.roverpark.com/default.htm

[xelasnave]

Glen you are welcome to go up home you have met Terry... he could call by to look in as it were... but I have the dogs with me so you would not have to worry about them... make yourself at home. There is a gas stove now so cuppas dont need a real fire anymore... 12 inch is as we left it last time.
But you are more than welcome.
alex

[glenc]

Thanks Alex, will let you know before I go up there.

[CoombellKid]

the flying fox sounds like a hoot!! they were my all time favorite childhood
play things. Been trying to talk the landlord into buying some steel wire
to build one out here over the Quary next to my place

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

I have been thinking of a trip to Mt Pleasant ..my guns are there..but Rod has a good collection of small arms so what about a weekend of viewing and shooting beer cans with the biggest hand gun in the world???

Glen call first by all means if that make syou feel better but you dont need to call...

Rob my mate on the opposite ridge has been at me for years to go in with him and put one in... so do you want to..do ya?

You can get old lift cables that they throw out past a use by date that would do it..I had miles of the stuff once but gave it away.. but it was easy to get hold of back then.. we need about 1.5 klms and some fool to take the first run.

alex

[CoombellKid]

Alex,

SWR can be rather expensive new, especially 1.5kms. and old stuff not
sure if you want to risk your life with it. Being a certified rigger I can
certainly help you put it together (safely) any distance you want : )
A good test is a big bag of spuds weighing heavier than any person
intending on using it. Sure sounds like fun to me : ))))

regards,CS

[glenc]

Think I might go to Leyburn tonight, the forecast here is uncertain.

[CoombellKid]

It's looking good here I hope it stays that way, but it is being predicted
to deteriorate later today. I'll stay in town either way, WCR is on : )))))

But if you do hang around, and it stays good. I'll come over for a few
hours and be home for Australia v Japan. Did you see the upset Argentina
beat France!! the o'l French weren't too happy about that lol. But then
again Argentina are a very solid side and are certainly getting up there.
I reckon as I have for a long time they should be brought into the Tri-
Nations.

regards,CS


regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I'll check in a little later , still rain out to sea here clearing inland by the looks

[CoombellKid]

Graham,

If Glen does head up to Leyburn, and it stays good out here, your more
than welcome to come out.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

yeah I'd like to rob ,I'll see what this weather is doing later
still pretty weird here wants to rain , clear up etc
chat you later

[astro_south]

Glen

Leyburn has been postponed to next weekend - very wet out there from the rain.

cheers

Andrew

[glenc]

Thanks Andrew.

[CoombellKid]

Well the weather is getting worst, looks like rain coming in from the SW.
So I think I'll grab some beer and stay in for the night and watch the
Rugby. Perhaps we'll try for next weekend.

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

I hope to be back by then but will keep in touch.
I think I will take up something using a microscope..........
alex

[xelasnave]

It could happen my mate is as keen as....
We can send him over first I have not got any spuds.
alex

[glenc]

It's raining here now.

[CoombellKid]

Not real sure what would be harder, finding the oppropriate size bag of spuds :D
or draging 1.5kms of SWR through the bush :help:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Still waiting for it here.... must of gone around lol

regards,CS

[Rodstar]

Hey fellas! Just checking in to say hello from the Beach Hotel at Byron Bay.

After several days of rain, we have finally had some decent beach weather today, so some nice time spent down at Tyagarah.

I have a schooner of Tooheys Old in hand, and am soaking up the ambiance (and pleasant views at this place....the Barmaid Cluster is one worth a good look).

Sounds like tonight is off.....the weather has turned foul here this afternoon too.

Hopefully I will see you guys next weekend. I will check in on Friday (during the day) to see what's cooking.

PS I have packed the Paracorr, hope it's of use with the dobs you guys use.

[glenc]

OK Rod, hope next weekend is clear.

[GrahamL]

bit of clear air around home , I'll take my scope out and see if i can
make it rain :whistle:

yep lots to see over the bay rod ;).. might go and have lunch over
there tommorow .. the hari krishnas have a little restaraunt up an arcade
I've been wanting to try .

next week it is

[CoombellKid]

Looking pretty good here too!!! except I have the o'l beer filters on now : (

reg-g-gards,CS

[GrahamL]

that worked well its pouring down nicely now:P

[xelasnave]

I think we should all meet, throw in buy a new scope and burn it as an offerring to the rain gods

alex

[CoombellKid]

Still fairly clear here, i know I just went out and chopped some firewood
it's a tad nippy... ooop's game is about to start Aussie v japs

regards,CS

[glenc]

It is super clear here now. I observed PN with my 12" Dob before I went to bed early, then got up again after midnight and observed with 20x80s. The LMC, SMC, M31 and M45 are fantastic in 20x80s. :) :D
NGC 7552 was easy in the 20x80s and NGC 7590 was just visible.

[CoombellKid]

I was out for few hours last night, very nice it was too. was having a nice
play with your OIII filter : ) I can see twice as much Veil with it than my
UHC filter. Mainly looking at nebula and carbon stars, along with the 20x80's
the SMC. I going to build a parrallagram mount for them shortly.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Was out this morning with the 20x80's it was nice and clear. I couldn't do
much as I have a crook back. still nice to see M42 nice and high in the
early morning sky.

regards,CS

[glenc]

The weather looks good for this weekend, you are welcome to come here Fri and/or Sat night. I looked at galaxies with the 12" for 3 hours this morning.

[CoombellKid]

My car goes away today to finally get the head gasket fixed. Hopefully it
will done by Friday. So pencil me in as tentative at this stage. If not I'll be
there in spirit, I'll be that dark patch of sky to the south lol

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

just spoke to rod glen .. tommorow still ok ?
If so ..I'll drive us out and will probably leave my scope at home
the base board is still giving me some grief with sticking and such .

cheers graham

[glenc]

Tomorrow is fine. CU.

[CoombellKid]

Still not sure if I can make it this weekend yet. I haven't heard how the cars
going, should be back tomorrow but could be over the weekend.

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

I got a truck and priced ply for the obser/camper for the great journey West:lol::lol::lol: do you wanttat buy a truck???:whistle: its for the cable:eyepop::lol::lol::lol:
I cant see getting back dramas:mad2:
alex

[glenc]

Forecast says Possible thunderstorm tonight and Sunny tomorrow.
I'll post a weather report at 4pm today.

[CoombellKid]

alex,

no thanks, I have one of those you beaut money pit Fords : )

not to clear down here at present, a little bit of star light to
the east.

regards,CS

[Rodstar]

Hi guys, just checking in about this weekend.

As Graham has indicated, he kindly called me last night, and we tentatively discussed coming to Glen's tonight. It has been blowing quite a gale here in Byron today. We retreated from the beach at 11am: just too unpleasant to put up with all that sand blasting. I will call Graham a little later on when the weather situation is a bit clearer. I am good for tomorrow night instead if that is going to be better.

True to my promise, I had better go and get some decent port to bring along....

[GrahamL]

storm cell swinging in from the SW when I left work.. maybe a little clearer to the west but can't be sure ..
will check in later .

[sailormoon]

wpuld love to get up in there. light pollution is really bad here

[glenc]

100% cloudy here now, can't see it being clear tonight but the forecast for tomorrow night looks good.

[GrahamL]

we will try again tommorow glen ..rod called a little while back .
just dropped the wife at work and it seems to be clearing in the south .

[CoombellKid]

clearing to the SW here, still it doesn't look the best. it'll probably clear
over night.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

It's cleared up pretty good out here. I probably wont be out tomorrow
at your place Glen, still have no car. If you like we can catch up in town
next week so I can give you back your OIII.

regards,CS

[glenc]

It cleared up here during the night, I was up from 10:30 to 2:30 looking at Dunlop's galaxies.
Rob we will probably go to town on Wednesday, CU then if you can make it.

[glenc]

Observing is on here tonight, provided it is clear of course. We will be out this afternoon but should be back by 5pm.
Astro twilight ends at 7pm so come before that if you can.

[CoombellKid]

Will have to get back to you about Wednesday dont think I'll be in town
that day.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Looks good for you guy's tonight, I dont see any sneaky storms developing
to the SW. There is a bit of jet stream around 110knts, might just use the
20x80's tonight out here.

Have good one guy's, sorry I cant be there. I get my car back on Monday waaaaahoooo!!!!!!

regards,CS

[glenc]

Its 95% clear here, should clear up 100% soon.

[CoombellKid]

That's the last of it over your way now, cant seeing anything behind from
out this way. Lovely and clear here now except for the cloud of mozzies

regards,CS

[glenc]

The sky wasn't great (hazy then fog) but the 4 of us had a good time last night. Thanks Graham. Rod and Steve for coming.

[CoombellKid]

It bucketed down here around 1am with lightening, thunder and very
heavy rain, I thought we were going to lose power and before the
All Blacks took to the field, luckily it didn't : )

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

thanks for having us glen , a most enjoyable evening:)

[xelasnave]

I drove all Friday and it was clear and after the Moon left it was fabulous.

I tried imaging Orion at 30 seconds both at 1600 and 800 iso but the center burnt out.. heaps of detail but no center..last night all set up but was woke by thunder at 1 am (alarm was set for 2am) and put everything away..freaking out cause the observatory shed is about 8 feet from where I was hit by lightening some time ago..the lightning seemed to be all around me .. I was spooked and taking a leak was a real worry... so I did not get a center for my Orion yet..maybe tonight.
alex

[Rodstar]

Thanks to Graham for chauffering, and to Glen for hosting! It was great to put some faces to names, and share some northern river skies with you guys!

I am bewildered by how good Glen's knowledge of the sky is....certainly something to aspire to over the years. Thanks for sharing your skies and equipment (and coffee and biscuits!), Glen. I had to laugh meeting your wife, how much she reminds me of my wife, and the way in which she puts up with our Noble Hobby intruding into daily life!

It is nice to know there are some fellow astronomy nuts up on the northern rivers if my family ends up living in the area.

Hopefully I can catch up with you all next year, and perhaps also at Duckadang one year.

[GTB_an_Owl]

I was wondering how long it would take you to get back to the PUB :drink: to file this report Rod

:cheers:


geoff :whistle:

[glenc]

Thanks Rod, Julie will be glad to hear that. :)

[CoombellKid]

Glen,

I'll be in town tomorrow morning and then again on Thursday evening, Jake is
performing in his first school play at the Civic Hall.

regards,CS

[glenc]

What time does the play start on Thu pm? CU before it starts.
I was up from 12:30 to 2:30 this am, nice night. Looked mainly at galaxies and PN with the 8mm EP.

[CoombellKid]

I have to have him there by 6:30pm. I could post it to you today, do you
get post delivered to you up there or are you like me and have a P.O.Box
in town?

regards,CS

[glenc]

I'll met you outside the Civic Center at 6:30pm Thu if that's ok.

[CoombellKid]

Np's c u then

regards,CS

[glenc]

Bye the way Rod, M31 was fantastic this morning in the 12" with a 1.5 degree field, it transits about 1 am. Can you borrow some binos?

[CoombellKid]

Ok,

How about my place on the 12th and/or 13th October, weather permitting.
You might want to think about bringing some mozzie repellent, although
Ill more than likely have some here if you forget.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

sounds great rob .. I'd love to bring the new scope out your place
I don't think it will be quite done though..yours be finished soon ?

[CoombellKid]

Well I hope someone brings a scope, mine is currently in pieces :lol:. I could
put it back together and pop it on the EQ mount yikes!. No dont think the
rebuild will be finished by then. Its pitty your scope wont be finished looking
forward to having a look through it.

regards,CS

[Rodstar]

Missed it, Glen! :doh:I have just checked my emails now (22/9).

It will have to wait until next year, or perhaps I might make an effort to find a site with a clear horizon to the north in the next month or two....

Best regards,

[GrahamL]

Hope you had a great time up north rod :)
you forgot to take this home with you btw ;)
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR283.loop.shtml

[Rodstar]

Thanks, Graham, we had a great time. I love the Nthn Rivers....glorious!

I have come home to some very cool weather, actually. We went up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse on Saturday morning to see the sunrise, and at 4.45am it was 16 degrees celcius. Guess what temp it was when we got back to Gosford at 4pm the same day? 16 degrees! Brrrrr!!:cold:

I'll take northern rivers weather, any day!

[CoombellKid]

Nice and warm up here on the north coast tonight.

Out at coombell we have at

19:18 -1 flare to the NE, I'm 27kms away from centre which I think
could be near you Glen. And then at 19:19 we have the ISS at -0.2
starting WSW ending in the NW.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Oh yeah! I'm looking at getting the driveway fixed. You think it was bad
last time, you want to see it now lol

regards,cs

[xelasnave]

Is it as bad as mine?
alex

[glenc]

No telescope Rob? The old plan was Sept Alex, Oct Glen, Nov Rob.
We missed Alex in Sept, Alex do you want to have it there in Oct?

[CoombellKid]

Worst than yours :lol: I'm getting a load of ash from the mill up the road to
re-level it. It's getting to the stage where I'm unable to use it, and the
recent rain hasnt done any favours for it.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

I've managed to talk the ex into swapping around kid time for school holdays
so I didn't have the little one here to look after, which is a bit like negotiating
with the N Koreans:scared:.

Glen, I could put it back together, but you guy's dont seem too impressed
looking through an 8" :shrug::lol: if you prefer to go up to Alex place it's up
to you.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I may not be able to make alexes next month , got to go to brisbane one of those weekends .

I'm looking forward to haveing a look through the new 8" rob :)
I'm going to cut my 10" up next year and make it very portable
dismantleing the thing every time I want to take it somewhere is amajor pain
and the way the chipboard is slowly falling out every time i do it
is going to make it a must do sooner or later

[CoombellKid]

Pretty much finished the secondary cage, just got to add the hardware
and paint the inside black. I'm thinking of lightly smearing it with PVA and
a sprinkling of sand to give it a rough surface before I paint it. I pick up the
ali tubing for the truss poles today apart from the laminate that will be used
for the bearing I have everything to complete it. Also the wood for a
parallelogram mount for my 20x80's, man Im get sick of hand holding them :lol:
but love using them.

regards

[xelasnave]

Try saw dust it wieghs much less;)
....unless you are going for a non slip surface:lol::lol::lol:...
alex:):):)

[CoombellKid]

Alex,

I had thought about sawdust but trying to make the consistancy and size
of the particle that I'm after seemed to much trouble. I've tested sand
on a couple of bits of wood and did a lil weight test and found it will barely
add and extra 1/2 gram which will mean a lil over 3grams to counter weight
not too bad to notice really. I only have to do a strip 55mm x 734mm. I'm
open to alternatives... even thought about grinding plastic up

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I'm working this weekend (and the next ) so alex is alittle far for a return trip for me..I can do a casino run though any of you guys keen ?

[glenc]

It's cloudy here now, but might be OK tomorrow.
You are welcome to come then.

[CoombellKid]

No one keen on Coombell, I only want to hang around here while WC Rugby
is on. Your more than welcome to come out. I have even fixed the driveway :eyepop::lol:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Starting to look pretty good here now.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I'm up for your place tommorow rob ,I'd like to have a look at your scope :)
can you make it to robs glen ?

Yes its looking nice here now ,but a bit late for me to head off
unfortunately.. had an afternoon nap with clouds everywhere
now its clear:doh:

[CoombellKid]

Np's Graham,

The Secondary cage is almost completed just have to align the focuser
it came out pretty close all things considered. Finished the mirror box
but haven't stained it yet only painted the inside a flat black. I pulled
the ply for the side bearings out of the press today. I'm going to either
start cutting them out tomorrow or have a go at making the split blocks.

Just spent a couple of hours laying back on the trampoline with the
20x80's a bit of twinkle and the 110knt jet stream over head. Still
lots to be nabbed... Nice to be back out in t-shirt and shorts again.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

The weather forcast is looking good! and the jet stream is abating some.

Graham, can you bring a scope? maybe the new 12" : ))))

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

The 12" is awaiting a few more bits:D.. I'll bring the 10"
and check in later

[GrahamL]

do you want to have a look at that formica?

[CoombellKid]

And he rubs his hands with Glee!!!:lol: the 10 will do nicely :thumbsup:



Sure do:thumbsup: I decided on making the split blocks today

How about Glen and Alex? you guy's want to come out here? We can go
up to Alex place next month, sorry for the change of plan :whistle:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

As of 4:30pm it's looking pretty good out here, jet stream is down to 70knts
Should be a nice night! : )

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

yeah looking good rob ,see you soon:)

[CoombellKid]

Np's see you shortly... still looking pretty good out here.

Regards,CS

[xelasnave]

I am hoping to give the new dsi's a run..got a usb hub today ... get ready to see me with a manual mohawk.
Went to Lismore and it was clear as but by the time I got here it was cloudy..I am about to go out and look again.
It was a little clear last night but not very transparent..
Hope all goes well for you guys.
alex

[GrahamL]

Home again :).. stopped to grab a coke at the Charcole Inn
Two large tattooed girls were thinking about punching on out front :lol:
We had a decent look around before the cloud rolled in later in the night
Tried out my new f50 finder with a 13 mm nagler .. works great
I ...might ...have... to buy another one now :whistle:

[CoombellKid]

Thanks for bringing out the 10" Graham, It's a nice size. I'm really humming
hard about buying a 10" to throw into the dob I'm building. It was the first
time in about a month looking at something telescopic. Got me back out in
the shed lol

Tried cutting the split blocks with a hand saw, much better result :thumbsup: the
hand saw cut is on the right in the image below. But thinking next time I might
try a band saw or maybe a hack saw and try and get them even thinner. Also
started cutting the side bearings.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Finished the rough cut for the side bearings today, needs a bit of filler lots
of sanding and a mod for the side/front set of split blocks.

Not sure whether to stain or spray sliver

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

looking good rob :)

[CoombellKid]

Thanks Graham, I'm aiming to have the scope completed by next new moon

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Anyone keen on a get together somewhere, around the next new moon?

regards,CS

[glenc]

Might go inland to escape the coastal cloud on 7/12.

[CoombellKid]

Looking at the weather chart today, that would be Alice Springs :lol:

I'm hoping we might have some luck this month. Unfortunately I'll
have Both boys that weekend. Not that a 1 yr old is a lot of prob's
for me, he can sleep in the car like Jake does. Damn ex must of looked
up the moon charts when we made that agreement :mad2: :whistle: but I
could be interested in an overnight over at Alex place or an evening
at yours.

Graham, you got that scope up and running now?

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I'll see next week I have had the worse flu over the last two weeks
It just won't let go .. think I'm over it now but you just don't know .

Scope ? .. well I'm just doing little stuff with it .. just glued some velcro for the counter weight .. fitted the telrad last weekend .. it does work though I still havn't got to try my televue eps .. the pretoria is nice and crisp .. and I lowered the focuser 10 mm so they should all reach focus in therory ;)

between being sick and the clouds its not really happening atm
yours done rob ?

[CoombellKid]

Which reminds me, I'm still to make a focuser mount :rolleyes:



What you need to do is get away from that coastal resort style living and
spend a night out here in the bush, mozzie vennom is good for flu :whistle:

Re: scope, apart from the focuser mount. I just need to finish the mirror cell.
I have the thread tap size I need for the screws I intend to use. I also have
yet to make some knobs for the colinmation bolts. Hopefully finish it over
the weekend.

While waiting to get the thread tap sorted I built a proper case for my 20x80's.
The case was originally for the SC, but the second edition came out larger
and wouldn't fit. Made from 12mm ply, it's pretty robust and holds the
bino's in a floating foam cradle.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Graham and folks,

The weather is a bit up and down, but they're saying it might clear for the
weekend. Fingers crossed ;)

I'm cool for friday or saturday, looking at the forcast saturday is looking
better.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

well its perfectly clear atm ..with a good chance of rain anytime soon :)
try for tommorow ...?.. are you going out west glen ?

[CoombellKid]

Perfectly cloudly here, yup looking like tomorrow, hopefully.

regards,CS

[glenc]

It is cloudy here but might clear up later. It was clear this morning, I did some observing from 3:30 to 4:30 am, saw the crescent Moon and Venus rise, looked at Mars and Saturn and some PNe at 190 times. Not going anywhere till it clears up.

[CoombellKid]

Clearing here a bit now, but still a lot of patchy cloud about. And there is
a storm cell to the SW which will probably move through a little later on.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

I think it is time to dust off the old canoe again.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Big storm here at 1am Saturday, 26mm of rain and lots of thunder, glad I wasn't camping.
Seeing was excellent on Friday am.

[CoombellKid]

We got just on 30mm out here, Jake was a little freaked out by the light
show. Hayden slept right through it. Hence my earlier message about dusting
off the canoe lol

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Well it is looking a lot better than it did yesterday. Still a bit of cloud to the
SW. But it may or may not pass. It looks to be heading north.

I'll post another report in about 30 minutes

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Weather update 5:00pm

Well it isn't looking real good, but I think it might clear a little later on. The
clouds to the SW are into a bit of a storm, but I can see blue sky through
the back of it.

Either way it will be a gamble whether it clears enough. bummer no jet
stream but I reckon the atmospheric dispersion will be pretty bad.

Let me know what you want to do.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

Yeah I'm going to get pizza ..it looks iffy atm
may well clear late tonight .. I think i have all my new scopes issues dealt with .. cut poles by 8 mm to give a little more infocus for my two higher powered eyepieces.. got a couple of speaker magnets for the bottom
wow my light baffle was just a little weighty with its thickness and
the black paint i put on it ..took 2 kgs down below to balance it up.
though the teflon is bedding in a little now so I may well be able to
get rid of one of the magnets..

Its sure to rain tonight now :lol:

[CoombellKid]

Still got to put the mirror in mine, and then cut the poles to length. Just with
the little one here it's a little hard. But the weather isn't playing the game anyways.

Enjoy your pizza

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

They're predicting better weather this weekend, so weather permitting I'll be
home if your keen on coming out. There will be a bit of moonage about until
10:45pm

regards,CS

[glenc]

I think the astronomy season might be over, but we might be lucky.

[CoombellKid]

Keep the faith bro... keep the faith :thumbsup: well it was looking good when I woke
to find o'l Sol shining through the window this morning, but looks like more
fluffy stuff is coming in from the south :mad2: :sadeyes:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

MmmmmMMmmmmmm!!!!:D:D:D is this a dream? am I imagining it? There is
a nice splattering of clear sky in Coombell tonight. And no jet stream!!! as
I was coming home tonight there was a big storm to the SW but it has
seemed to have raced to Queensland :D :P they need the water anyways :lol:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

hmmmm maybe I spoke too soon : (

regards,CS

[glenc]

I hope it clears by 3am for the Geminids.

[CoombellKid]

Me Too!!! I'm setting the alarm for midnight. I've thrown a tarp over the
trampoline to keep the moisture off.

Anyways Now it looks like whatever was coming at us is rotating over the
Alex place, good!!!:whistle: I hope he isn't there :lol:

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

true glen now we enter the time of ongoing seasonal rain.. a real testing end to summer might be on the cards ?..:)

[glenc]

For Casino, from Jan to Nov 2007, there were 156 days (47%) with cloud <= 2/8ths at 9am and 110 days (34%) with cloud <=2/8ths at 3pm.
So nearly half the mornings were "clear" and one third of the evenings.

[CoombellKid]

I stayed up until about 1-1:30am before I decided to go to bed. How was
it when you got up Glen?

I'm not making an predictions today, as I make an abolutely terrible weather
man :lol:. So it's head down burried in the shed and hopefully I'll be able to
test the parrallelogram mount for the 20x80's later today :whistle: but dont tell
the weather :lol:

regards,CS

[glenc]

It cleared for a while between 3 and 4 am.

[GrahamL]

yes It was and has been clearer in the mornings now and then despite the nasty weather..always on a got to work morning though:)

[CoombellKid]

It wasn't too bad when I got up about 6am too.

Well, if it's clear tonight I'll be ready :) just finished my parrallolegram mount
to the stage of testing. Everything seems to work pretty well, could do with
a lil stiction on the main arm. Still lots of finihing to do, but I didn't want to
do all the finihing and find it doesn't work as I thought it would :lol:.

So now I'll be able to get a steady view, I love my 20x80's but man are they
a pain to hold for too long. Not to mention crook necks I get from doing it.
Dont know how you do it Glen, maybe I've had too many back and neck
injuries lol

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

cleared nicely at around 2.30 am ..a few meteors still to be seen
dragged out the 10 " for an hour or so

[glenc]

It was nice here this am too, used the 20x80s again, just missed Holmes.

[CoombellKid]

I would like to have said the same. I was all setup too :(. But I must of ate
something bad yesterday (might of been the tinned chilli and mango tuna)
in a can. But by dusk I was not in the best of conditions, the old dunny got
a real work over for a few hours from both ends :sadeyes:. And when my alarm went
off at 2am I could bearly lift my head off the pillow. I could see it was looking
good out there too!!!

Hope you boy's had some fun anyways

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Starting to clear up out here quite nicely. Pitty the moonage is starting to
get in the way. But once she sets it might be worth poping out a for look
see. The new mount for the bino's is woking a treat did a little bit of
tweaking today. Already nabbed M31, M42, M41, LMC & Tarantula, SMC, 47
Tuc, in the first few minutes. There is still a little bit of cloud to the north
covering Perseus and holmes (17P). What mag is holmes (17P) these days?
haven't seen it for a couple of weeks.

If the seeing gets any better I will have to drag the scope out :)

regards,CS

[glenc]

IT HAS been a dark and stormy month, and there is no end in sight to Sydney's damp weather. In a rare alignment, all eight computer models used by the Bureau of Meteorology are strongly tipping above average rain for eastern and northern NSW for the next three months...
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/17/1197740183604.html

[CoombellKid]

Must of been the new bino mount :whistle: tipping it over the edge, add that to
the new scopes me and Graham built :whistle::whistle:

Well all I can say at least me farming mates are going to be happy. That's if
they can get on the paddocks with a tractor and plough.

I remember this happening when I first brought my 30mm SV. I had to wait
4-5 months before I could give it a proper try out. That was at the same
time of year 2003-4 from memory.

Just tell yourself the wait will be worth it ;), might use this time to start on
the 16" :whistle::lol:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

btw, love the start of the story you posted "IT HAS been a dark and
stormy month" month? as in singular, been several dark and stormy months
from my perspective weather-wise. I'm almost starting to get used to it.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Cleared up nicely here around 2am this morning. I spent a couple of hours
out with the 20x80's :) it was quite nice indeed.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

I reckon, that it will be cystal clear with perfect seeing on the next fullmoon.
My advice is that we ALL get out our scopes and point them at that sucker
and marvel out loud at the sight before you. O'l Luna will feel so good
that he'll give use us nice clear skies next time he goes to bed.

Merry Xmas guy's been nice observing with you at times when I can, through
out the year. hope we can do more of it next year.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

same to you mate ..have a safe and happy one guys :)

[glenc]

Yes, might be clear tonight but the moon's a problem, it's ok for planets however. Seasons greetings to you too.

[CoombellKid]

Looks like we have some more stormy weather on the way : (

like I need more water in my tanks

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Anyone keen on a session on the weekend of the 5/01/08?

I'm not suggesting it be at my place, just that we have a get together.
So Glen or Alex are you guy's keen on hosting, if not then I can.

regards,CS

[glenc]

If it's clear I will go out west. IF!

[CoombellKid]

Glen,

Just looking a for a verified list of Dunlop objects, and looking at this site...
http://messier.obspm.fr/xtra/similar/dunlop100.html

which has you as a noted researcher. It also meantions you brought the
list up to and over 300 verified. Do you have a copy or could point my in
the right direction for the most recent list of verified Dunlop objects?

regards,CS

[xelasnave]

I am not confident the sky will clear but I will be in the North at that time...
alex

[CoombellKid]

Well, if this weather keeps the way it is I might be able to sneak in a
bit of observing tonight. Just set up the bino's to see if I can nab comet
8P/Tuttle. SN tells me it's currently at mag 6.12

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Well I did manage to get a bit of a look last night. I'm pretty sure I managed
to nab Tuttle, along with Holms which is still huge and still naked eye. However
the seeing was crap and it was a very dewy evening.

Alex, I'll see if Graham is into an over night at your place. Keep the faith
mate it'll clear one day soon :whistle: it is usually clear NYE here or has been
for a number of years. I can usually see the fireworks over @ Tabulam from
my place :lol:.... welll I'm pretty sure they are Tabulam's

regards,CS

[glenc]

Saw Tuttle & Holmes with 20x80s and Mars with the 12" tonight.
Holmes is still naked eye, as you said, about 2.0x1.5 degrees in size.

[CoombellKid]

Hayden has been unsettled all night, he's only just gone down now :sadeyes:.
I was hoping to get out there before the moon came up.

Holmes seems to be getting bigger eh'

regard,CS

[glenc]

Here are some magnitudes & sizes for Holmes.
I think it is bigger than what they say.
It was about 2/3rds of my 3.2 deg field using 20x80s.
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/icq/CometMags.html#0017P

[CoombellKid]

Not looking real good for this weekend : (

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Well guy's, I'm starting to think that northern NSW is probably the worst
place in Australia for amateur astronomy. I dont think I have seen decent
and by decent I mean 8-9/10 skies for over a couple of years. Last year
was pretty much crap, yeah we had the odd good night but nothing really
special. Even SE QLD has better skies than us over the border. have we even
hit 30c this summer? usually around this time we're complaining about 40c.
Maybe it the ranges that helps this crap weather, I just hope farmers to the
west of them are getting some. Maybe it's time to start thinking of moving
somewhere so I can start to enjoy this hobby again. Yes I know there have
been a few clear early mornings but still nothing special.

oh well sorry about the rant, I guess I'm just a lil over this crap weather.

regards,CS

[glenc]

It was OK last night, saw the 2 comets and many other CNG (clusters, nebulae and galaxies) with 20x80s. Holmes was only just naked eye, Tuttle not naked eye at about 10pm.
Summer has three probs, short nights, clouds and mozzies. :(
Where to go for clear skies? Try:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/climatology/solar_radiation/IDCJCM0019_solar_exposure.shtml

[CoombellKid]

Yes surprised as I was it did clear last night for a little while. But the stars
were twinkling away, tried the 20x80's but the seeing was crap! because of
all the wet the mist rolled in and that was that :(. The property is still a
swamp and mozzie paradise. Need a few days of sun to dry the place out,
then I might be able to run the mower over the yard. By that time the moon
will be in play :mad2:.

I'm hoping we're in for a dry winter :prey:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Well fellas,

She a beaut night out there tonight, but boy the mozzies are literally wanting
to carry me away:help:cant even hear yourself think for the sound their making.
So I think I might wait a couple of hours, since I've run out of RID :rolleyes: I'm just
debating whether to give this basic bush stuff a go that I've just made up.
Tea oil and olive oil mixed together ;) :whistle: but it is kinda yucky stuff for
optical gear.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Spent Saturday & Sunday nights near Tenterfield.
Both nights were clear for about half the time. The altitude certainly helps.

[GrahamL]

I just cant luck any clear air on the coast :(...bloated cows are floating out to sea the last few days and swarms of sharks are ripping into them ..they are talking of closeing off the richmond for fishing /ect tommorow
for several months .. the fish kill from all the rain upriver is hear now ..and miles from the water you can smell the stench.. not good !!..and still it rains.

wow .. thats 3 months tommorow since we have had any half decent skys for MORE than
a half chance ..one day ..one day :)

[CoombellKid]

We had a couple of reasonable nights out here Fri & Sat, but I run out of
mozzie repelent, and boy they are vicious out here at present. So no
observing until I restock lol

Graham, When I was in Casino on Friday the weir on the Richmond river
was still under water. It's still to wet out here to run the mower over the
yard. And we're still getting rain : (

Oh yeah' we're getting the odd snake visit, I guess they're looking for dryer
and higher ground of the house.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Reasonably clear this morning, must be full moon!
Saw Venus and Jupiter rising at 5am.

[CoombellKid]

I spied Venus out the bathroom window around 4:30am this morning. I'm
hoping it will play nicely over the next week from tomorrow. The yard is
starting to dry out a little, mostly damp dirt and very little mud so I can
put the scope on the deck now :D... hopefully by next weekend we
should be able to get some early evening observing done... waaaaahoooooo!!!!
that's if the weather permits

regards,CS

[theodog]

Just got back from doing the family thing at Casino.

Rain...Wet...Cloud...:(
Even the non-astro relies are sick of the weather.:sadeyes:
It's a wonder you guys can stay sane.:scared:

[CoombellKid]

It's actually partially sunny today, so we're hoping you took the weather with
you back to Coona :thumbsup: :rofl::rofl::rofl:

May it all gather around Tamworth, cant have a dry CMF :whistle: ...didn't one
of the camping grounds get flooded last year? or was that the year before.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

went to brisabane to visit family and sell my 10" on the weekend
you know it rained all the way up and on the way back started again around the gold coast..clear here this morning for a change :)

[CoombellKid]

Nice first part of the evening tonight, pitty about the moon.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Got out under the stars four a couple of hours last night, and although it
was nice to be sitting with the scope the seeing was crap! couldn't even
resolve stars in 47 Tuc. With the rain delivering 32mm over the previous 24
hours, the yard has gone back to swampy. And the moisture laying around
we had a light low laying mist.

Hope you guy's are having better luck!

Are we going to restart some observing sessions this year? Might even be
keen on a trip out Tenterfield way next time your heading that way Glen.
Just needs to be on a weekend when I dont have the boys.

regards,CS

[glenc]

I looked at Comet Holmes again last night with 20x80s.
It was about 65' across and still very impressive.
The star beta Per is in the field so I can't see Holmes with the naked eye.

I suggest we start having observing nights in April or May. It is too cloudy before that.

[GrahamL]

yeah this weather just dosn't want to let up glen . I took out the 12 " for a brief spin last night to check some alt adjustments I've made and sus out
my finders mounting to see if i can live with it ..way to much cloud to even think about holmes atm . (I was very lucky to catch it early on months back over a few nights). and then it started to rain .yet again :)

[CoombellKid]

Graham, look on the bright side it can only get better : )

It cleared up rather nicely out here this evening, not pristine but a bit
better than last night. I had quite a bit of fun with the 20x80's on the
parra mount. I set SN's southern bino catalogue on and printed off a
couple charts and had a nice little tour clusters and nebula mostly from
Crux to the eastern end of Carina. Nabbing Mel227, NGC4833, The Dark
Doodad, N4349, H5, N4439, N4103, N4755, N3766, N3532, N3372, N3293
my favorite OC, IC2602 with Mel101 sitting on it's southern side. There
are several dark nebula along the southern side of this stretch. Lovely
views of M42 while laying on my back on the trampoline, best view
through the 20x80's of it so far . As well as hints of M43 N1977, also
Nabbed M1 M35 M36 M37 in the north, along with Holmes.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Nice tour Rob. and the 12" sounds good Graham.

[CoombellKid]

Looking forward to another session tonight Glen, but I hear on the TV just
now we're expecting showers later today with heavy falls : (

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Perhaps we could hit Alex's place before winter sets in

regards,CS

[glenc]

What about April 4&5 at Leyburn, May 2&3 at Alex's place, then June 6&7 at my place and July 4&5 at Robs?
Qld Astrofest is 25/7 to 3/8 and Undara Qld August 29&30.

[CoombellKid]

April 4&5 at Leyburn is cool with me as Lynne will have the boys. Can I
throw some petrol money to you and car pool out there?

The rest shouldn't be a problem at this stage. The QLD trips I'll probably
have to pass on, at this stage or wait till they get closer.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

If Feb is nice to us, you guy's are more than welcome to come out to my
place on the 8th or 9th

regards,CS

[astro_south]

I'll pencil in April at Leyburn if you guys are coming up.

[GrahamL]

sounds good :) . wheres leyburn ?

clearest afternon for months today . . at least I'l get to see the moon tonight ..maybe :)
t

[glenc]

Leyburn is inland from Warwick in Qld.
See http://www.sas.org.au/
It is nearly two hours from the end of astro twilight till moon rise tonight.

[CoombellKid]

And look at them skies :eyepop::eyepop::eyepop: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Cool Andrew, will be nice to catch up : )

Graham, Leyburn a good spot. couple of light domes on the horizon. Still
have seen some spectacular skies out there. You should come out.

Should see if William is keen too! maybe an IIS sub-party ; )

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Sometimes I think I should just slap myself.... nice to begin with, but in it
came :mad2:

regards,CS

[glenc]

Used the 12" for about an hour last night. Tuttle was like a bright green globular. Also looked at Holmes with 20x80s.
Saw the Horsehead nebula with high power (8mm EP, 190x) and no filter - very difficult.
The arms in NGC 1365 were better in my left eye, I normally use my right eye.

[glenc]

Nice and clear here last night. I used the 12" for a while and there were no mozzies and no dew!

[GrahamL]

It was a good night out glen.. clouds boxed me in around orion again for
the evening ,which isn't a bad thing as theres lots to see
I couldn't find thors helmet though ,m45/46 no problems .either sirius or procyon were obscured by cloud all night when I was looking
so I could never get me bearings right:P

[CoombellKid]

Same out here, very nice indeed and no dew. I had both the bino's and
scope out until about 11:30pm when the mozzies did get too much that
even RID wasn't helping.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

Did you get the mount finished for your binocs rob ? :)

[CoombellKid]

No hadn't had much chance with the weather being the way it has. The shed
isn't to weather resistant yet :whistle:. But in the last week or so I did cut some
plastic milk bottle washers for the yoke end (where the bino's are) which has
made the action a lot smoother and easier, a one handed operation. I've
started to really enjoy my 20x80's now that they are mounted. There is still
a couple of things that need to be done before I can say it's completed. But
now I'm looking into a motorised bino chair :D. I kinda like the idea of a
turret chair controlled by joy stick, I have been putting down some ideas.

I installed a sling for the mirror on the 8". The mirror had a bit of movement
there between the horizon and zenith, now there is zero movement. And I
finally screwed the truss connectors to the mirror box.

I cool thing is I've been able to get back into observing, had a bit of a spell
while I was building the 8". And because of my crook neck I couldn't use the
bino's for extended periods. The shakey view is now down to pretty much
zero. I'm looking forward to combing the coma-virgo cluster with them.

Last night was some of the best seeing I've had out here for a long time!!
Then it started to cloud out around 11:30pm : ( But I did see Venus
and Jupiter in the East before day break this morning.

regards,CS

[glenc]

"I kinda like the idea of a turret chair controlled by joy stick," maybe one of these. ;)

http://www.electricscooter.com.au/products_description.asp?category_i d=3&products_id=25 (http://www.electricscooter.com.au/services_electric_scooters.asp)

[GrahamL]

driving around in circles in the dark on a scooter :lol:hopefully the neibours wouldn't catch a glimpse..or the old van with the padded walls might come a calling :)

[CoombellKid]

:lol: does it have tilt back? I like the lift chairs.... they look like grandma and
grandpa ejection seats.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Well chap's, if this rain keeps up we'll be in flood mode again in a few days.
Paddocks south of Casino are already starting to flood. And the Weir in
Casino is starting to look like a ripple instead of a waterfall.

Weather permitting I'm keen for a get together next Sat 9th Feb, if your
interested :thumbsup: cant do Friday as I'm off to have a few beers with some
friends

regards,CS... errrrr keep dry

[CoombellKid]

Not my neighbours mate!:P they're mad as me.... they're more than likely
want to stick some sort of farm implement on it :lol:

However I have been thinking of late, it about time I thought about building
the boy's (including me) a motorised go-cart... a semi off road variety to
zoom around the pine plantation. Jake can already drive the car :whistle: actually
he's been able to do that for a while now, but not on the road :eyepop:

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

yep the droughts broken again..it poured down here all day yesterday

[CoombellKid]

Well it's official up here in Coombell, we're flooded in again for about the
3rd time since the start of the school holidays. The taxi cant get in to pick
up my son for school, and he is most upset... which is kinda good as he
loves going to school.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Clear at 3am with a westerly breeze and a bit of cloud and lightening in the SE. I used 20x80s to have a look at many OC & GC, some neb, a couple of PN and many Gxy. Saw M42 as it was setting and saw M51 in the NNE.
Venus & Jupiter are looking good. (5:30am)
Looked at the 2% phase moon with 7x50s (6am)

[GrahamL]

clearing out your way tonight at all guys?.. thought I saw a hint of blue sweeping in as it got dark .:)

[glenc]

Clear here this morning, I just spent an hour outside with the 20x80s and the old lounge.

[glenc]

Rob, how's the lawn, do you need a 4WD mower or a boat.

[CoombellKid]

:lol:, not quite.... but did managed to run the mower over it during the last
batch of sunny weather last weekend, albeit in my gumboots :D. Wish we
would get a few more sunny days to dry the place out a bit. Some of the
puddles have been around for several weeks. The place really hasn't dried
out since the first lot of flooding over Xmas. And the driveway.... you dont
want to go there :eyepop: had to get my neigbour to pull me out during the
week.

Nice night out here last Saturday... but the mozzies are pretty bad :(

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Even though it cloudy out tonight, it looks to be breaking up... could be
in for a nice after midnight session with the Bino's :thumbsup:

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

good luck rob :).. I went outside when I read your post then
.. rain again :lol:!!:mad2:.. hopefully its better inland for you guys

[CoombellKid]

I just checked outside again... and it looks like we're in for the same : (

regards,CS

[glenc]

CS=FM
Clear Skies = Full Moon :(

[GrahamL]

well It could be raining and a full moon like the last few :lol:

[CoombellKid]

Typical weather... Did think about pulling the scope out to check out Mars
before it starts to disappear, and maybe catch Saturn later.

I've finally started, finishing my Bino mount. Since I've got it to machnically
working, I've been a bit slack finishing it. The dew in the air when I've been
using it is starting to effect the bare wood bits. So, Been doing lots of
sanding and shaping, staining. Tomorrow afternoon all the bits will be ready
for the final spray of Estypol to seal all the wooden bits. Not sure if I spelt
that correctly I haven't got a can of it handy. Made a set of solar filters
from the solar filter I made for the old tube newt. Managed to observe the
recent partial solar eclipse with the 20x80's.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! give my yard a chance to dry out. And the driveway
for that matter :eyepop:then I can mow it again. Whipper snipped the driveway
the other day the grass was getting to 5-6' tall... that's on the driveway
too :lol:

BoM is saying "fine" for the next few days.... Yup! they actually used the
word "fine" haven't seen that on there in months.

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Observed a nice mag -7 iridium flare this evening. Pitty about the upper
misty cloud thats about.

regards,CS

[glenc]

Nice here last night, used the 12" for 1.5 hrs. No dew and no lights next door.

[CoombellKid]

Nice out this way for a while last night too, just used my 20x80's. Watched
the ISS transit in the SW.

And looking promising for tonight too : ) ...I think I have enough RID lol

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Looking at the Sat image from 4:30pm today, one could think we're cursed
here on the east coast.

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

yeah it was raining a little down here this afternoon :)
I set my scope up and fell asleep on the lounge last night..it was really clear when I woke up half an hour before the moon came up:whistle:
Got to try out my new 2" filter though ..very nice

[GrahamL]

Don't tell me its clear tonight :mad2:..driving home from work tonight some choice Individual threw a rock at my window(quiet country road ) and exploded some of the inside laminate in my face ..one of my eyes is not good atm:mad2: .. off to the hospital and refusing to look up !!!

[CoombellKid]

Graham,

That is terrible, I thought those idiots were keeping to the Sydney area.
I truly hope your eye is ok mate :thumbsup: all the best for a speedy recovery.

btw, not sure about anyone else out this way but the weather is as usual.
So your probably not missing much. Anyways let us know how your eye is.

take care

[glenc]

That is bad news, hope your eye recovers soon.

[CoombellKid]

Brrrrr..... you cant half feel winter on the way back. Time to source some
firewood me thinks:thumbsup:

regards,CS

[glenc]

Cool and clear this morning. Might get some clear nights now.
How is the eye Graham?

[GrahamL]

they put some dye in it and can't see anything in there ,but he said small bits of glass are hard to pick up,it feels like it still has something in there so
I'm going back tommorow.

[CoombellKid]

Some very nice skies out here last night and early this morning :thumbsup:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Awesome skies out here last night and this morning. Anyone keen on a get
together tonight? the drive way is fixed :D

regards,CS

[glenc]

I just arrived back from a trip to Narrabri and Leyburn.
Todays APOD was taken by Graeme White with some suggestions from GC.

[astro_south]

Talk about man of the moment - nice suggesting Glen.

I heard you made the trip north on the weekend ... does this mean your not coming up in April?

[glenc]

I am still planning to go in April with Rob if he wants to go.

[CoombellKid]

Ok fella's

This is a call to arms, Saturday April 12th is International Sidewalk
Astronomy night. I'm looking to put something together in Casino
and would like some keen helpers (hint! hint! Graham and Alex).
Glen and I are keen to show some locals a bit of sky. I'll have my
scope along with glen and one of his.

I was thinking maybe a nice spot would be the park in south Casino.
But I also think this maybe a lil out of the way for possible foot
traffic... any ideas? out front of one of the super markets perhaps
near the RSM would get heaps of foot traffic and also good views
of the planets Mars and Saturn and some moonage but will be
fairly well lit for anything else.

Avertising; I can place an ad on the board outside Woolies, and
there is community radio and TV slots for non profit community
events. But to go that route I would want more than just two
of us, just in case there is quite a turn out.

I would dearly love to have a go at this, we get a half dozen plus
AS&T and S&S in each of the 5+ newsagents in Casino and I have
noticed they do get snapped up. So there must be more than
Glen and I buying them.

Anyways... what do you guy's think?

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

I'll see if I have a new car by then ..the old one has gone to the crusher :)...clearing on the coast atm ..might get outdoors later tonight .

[Glenhuon]

Hope things are OK with the peepers nightstalker. I had one about 2" dia come up from a truck wheel, only thing that saved my eyes was my spectacles. Best of luck.

Bill

[GrahamL]

thanks bill its all good ..once the cut on my eyeball healed itself no more problems ..the first doctor I saw didn't explain what was going on in there to well (english 2nd language) .

[CoombellKid]

Graham,

You should try and read their writing lol, good to hear the peepers have
recovered.

Apart from the jet stream she is looking pretty good out this way tonight.
Scope is out and cooling down.

Side Walk astronomy night will be a family affair for me, I'll have both my
sons with me. Hope you can make it.

Enjoy your skies everybody :)

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Awesome skies out here last night and this morning, except there was
a little low laying mist and moonage this morning along with dew dew
and more dew

regards,CS

[GrahamL]

yeah twas nice ...dew was down on the ground here long before dark:lol:

[xelasnave]

Security maybe a consideration:shrug:
alex

[xelasnave]

I may not be up here I just realised but happy to help if up here...get it on the radio maybe?
alex

[CoombellKid]

Another beaut night, was out until 1am this monring. Adding a light shroud
to the scope has made a heap of difference. Due to the design the
secondary mirror was right in the path of being breathed on. I only used
the hair dryer 2-3 times all night.

Alex, would be great if you can make it. We'll be on the footpath outside
Bi-Lo so probably wont need advertising as the foot traffic should be ok.

regards,CS

[glenc]

I did some observing Monday night, started with all the nebulae I could think off, then the PN, using a new 21mm Stratus EP and UHC filter. After that I did galaxies and clusters.

There is a good observing spot on a hill in a pine forest about 56km south of Casino. The trees are still small, might try it some time. I noticed it on Sunday when I drove back from Sydney.