October Kulnura gathering: who's up for it?

[Rodstar]

My beloved Kulnurians,

Who can get a leave pass this month? It is high time for the Mary Rose to have another night time adventure on the cosmic seven seas.:D

Either (or both) this Saturday (6th) and next Saturday (13th) are possibilities. I can get a leave pass for either/ both night(s).

The 6th looks like it will be OK in terms of being clear (but with attendant hot temperatures).

[RB]

Not sure yet Rod, I'd love to but I've got to check my shore leave with the Captain.

:D

[GTB_an_Owl]

As usual , my berth on the celestial Island has been booked well in advance
(take note h0ughy)

but i had next weekend down as the most probable

but as always - I'm flexible

geoff

[bkm2304]

13th for me, aaarrrghhh ya scurvy scum - or something equally piractical....

[bkm2304]

In fact, I really should patch my avatar eyeball! :D

[astropolak]

Hi Guys
6th would appear as a better bet in terms of weather....
I really need a Kulnura fix...the sooner the better....

Joe

[Rodstar]

Ha Ha Ha! Me too, Joe! :lol:

[wavelandscott]

I can be available the 13th is preferred as I am doing some scope tinkering at the moment but I desperately want to go...let me know when.

Has anyone spoken to the owner?

[Rodstar]

It seems a split decision at the moment. Perhaps if we wait to get a few more responses, and then I will see if Mike can contact the owner, once we know which day we are going.

I wonder if going two Saturdays in a row is stretching the friendship with Craig (the owner)???

[okiscopey]

:( No leave pass issued for me this weekend. Maybe the 13th ... if I'm good.

[cahullian]

13 th sounds good as the Jets play on the 14th at home so I will be able to get a bit of kip.

Gazz

[Satchmo]

I'm free for the 6th but not 13th.:rolleyes::)

[sejanus]

hey rod I'd be up for the 6th, and I'd like to perve at your scope in case i reconsider what i was talking to you about by pm :D

let me know if it goes ahead, I'll recheck this thread a few times by sat arvo

[norm]

Hi Rod,

I've never been, but I'm up for the 13th. Will bring a couple of mates along who want to know what all the fuss is about. May get a couple of new members to the forum after this !:lol:

Also keen to see the MR in action! Could you get your hands on an Ethos?:D

[Arthur Alchin]

unfortunately or fortunately will be having a sydney harbour cruise sat afternoon and evening and then a relaxing night in a sydney hotel drinking red wine.

Will possibly be up the mountain in november if i am not in Tasmania (have been invited as a visitor to a star viewing in Hobart on the 23rd Nov which sounds great). I think it is at Canopus Hill observatory thats between hobart and the airport

Arthur

[Rodstar]

Dear all,

Given the roughly even split as regards to which Saturday to meet, I have called Paintball to see if we can come both nights.

Tonight is fine (6/10).

Unfortunately next Saturday night (13/10) is a no go, as they are hosting a big party at the site. Lots of lights, people, alcohol etc.....

So, tonight it is.

I am a definite starter. I will try to get up there before dark.

The forecast is for the winds currently being experienced on the central coast to die down. It will be quite a warm night, but should be clear.

Iceman can't make it. I called him a while back, and he is on holidays with the family up near Coffs this weekend, due back tomorrow. Also, Ausastronomer, and I think Hector and Gary K are up at Coonabarabran hosting the US contingent, so numbers will be a little smaller this time.

I might bring a few cold ones. I think it will be one of those nights where a Tooheys Old (or two) will assist the cause no end.

[GTB_an_Owl]

to-nite it is then Rod

i will pack the esky

geoff

[iceman]

Bugger guys, shame I can't make it. Weather looks good for tonight. Shame it can't be next weekend! I might have to try for Friday night next weekend, or maybe a once-off at Mogo or something.
I'm definitely keen for some dark skies and more play with some widefield milkyway if the seeing is no good.

I'm 400 km's away so definitely won't be there tonight, but wish you well and have a beer for me!

[wavelandscott]

I did not get my chores done today so tonight (6/10/07) I will not be able to make it...:sadeyes:

It is cloudy here at home with the occassional rumble of thunder (or the neighbours are moving something really big)

I'll just have to find someplace else to go next weekend...

Hope you all have a good night tonight!

[GTB_an_Owl]

yes it is not looking good Scott - but i am packing the car anyway

we can sit around with a beer and watch the lightning

geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

whats it like up there RB ?

geoff

[RB]

Blowing a gale and mostly cloudy.

:sadeyes:

[GTB_an_Owl]

think it might get any better ?

[GTB_an_Owl]

ok - i am brave
i'm coming up anyway

even if it is only for a beer
leaving now 5-45pm

geoff

[sejanus]

i really wanted to do tonight but weather looks a bit off and it's a 2hr drive so I'd only go if it was crystal clear :)

will be there next month with a new toy hopefully

[RB]

The wind's died down.
I suppose there's always a chance it will clear later on.

:shrug:

[Rodstar]

The trailer is packed. I don't have a proper tarp for it, and I don't want to get the Mary Rose caught in the rain, I will hold back half an hour and see how it is about 6.45pm. Fingers crossed it may improve.

[Rodstar]

I have just spoken to RB. He advises the conditions, if anything, are worsening. Looks like a night in. Bugger.

Geoff, if there was a way I could call you to let you know....you'll have to give me your ph # sometime.

[GTB_an_Owl]

i gave it a chance but came home at 7pm

it started to sprinkle and it wasn't looking like clearing at all

so who made the new purchase - c'mon - own up

geoff

[Rodstar]

Glad to hear you are not still out there Geoff. What a shame. Perhaps all that talk of Ethos eyepieces was all too much for the astronomy gods to tolerate??

[GTB_an_Owl]

you still got the car packed Rod ?

i see stars out here - it's starting to clear
bet it will be fine up there about 1am

:lol: :lol: :lol:

geoff

[h0ughy]

come on guys get with it the rugby union is on tonight - thats what the weather is trying to tell you

[cahullian]

seeing how the poms won there won't be an excuse for not coming next week. " )

Gazz

[GTB_an_Owl]

but there is Gazz

next week is a no go - at least at the paint ball place
read back a few posts

geoff

[cahullian]

Thanks Geoff dont know how I missed that one.

Gazz

[jakob]

Geoff, Do you think the Pony Club is available?

[RB]

I caught up on some much needed sleep last night after two back to back all-nighters on Thu/Fri.

Yeah might have to look at the Pony club Geoff for next week.

:)

[GTB_an_Owl]

guess it is an option

will ask my contact on Wed nite at tennis

geoff

[Rodstar]

What news, Geoff? Are we going to be horsing around on Sat-dee? :reindeer:

[GTB_an_Owl]

as far as i know - YES

i rang to-day and left a message with Peter's wife about sat nite
he was supposed to ring back to-nite but hasn't
i am assuming it will be ok
will follow up in the morning if i don't get a call

geoff

[iceman]

Do we need a key or something? Who's going to get the key and be first there?

[GTB_an_Owl]

PONY CLUB :astron:

GREEN LIGHT given

not that we thought of it - but we can ignore the "Q" sign in the driveway

anyone that wants to get there early can PM me for instruction on where to get the key to the gate

geoff

[jakob]

Thanks Geoff.
Looking forward see you there.:whistle:

[Rodstar]

I haven't been there before. Where is it?

[GTB_an_Owl]

directions

Official name is 'Tom McKenzie Park'

33.20.18.30 S
151.09.25.50 E
nice shot of it on google earth

from the turnoff at Somersby(Kariong/Gosford exit off freeway) it is 18k to the crossroads at Central Mangrove

keep going straight through (west) for another 10.3K

it is on the right hand side going out and you will notice a well managed hedge on the right not far before it

there is an older type house and another property with a cement wall fence on the left dead opposite the gate

(if you hit a sharp left and fork in the road you have gone a few hundred yards toooo far)

NOW gentlemen and ladies - - - - no buying any new gear till monday

geoff

[Rodstar]

Geoff,

There is just the small matter of a 13mm Ethos which I ordered from your nephew yesterday.......:scared3:

[GTB_an_Owl]

BUT when will it arrive is probably more important Rod

i have invited said person to come up to-morrow nite

just a reminder to everyone

we do not have access to power at this stage - so charge up your batteries

geoff

[Rodstar]

Somtime in November, so we may just be safe THIS time.:windy:

[RB]

Yeah well we're getting an Electrical Storm forming here as we 'speak' !!!
As in "A storm is about to Ethos in the area !!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ethos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethos) (ἦθος, ἔθος) (plurals: ethe, ethea) is a Greek word originally meaning "accustomed place" (as in ἤθεα ἵππων "the habitat of horses", Il. 6.511) "custom, habit" that can be translated into English in different ways. Some possibilities are 'starting point', 'to appear', 'disposition' and from there, 'character'.

[RB]

Well it just hailed here !!

I call this 'Ethos Hail'.

:whistle:

[Rodstar]

Just received Ethos Hail in Point Clare, too.

[h0ughy]

its all your fault ROD!!! wow I have never seen so intense a radar image on BOM - its black - hail!! everywhere

[GTB_an_Owl]

slid by us out here

rain is good to-day
clear out all the smoke from fires

geoff

[Satchmo]

Looks like a great paddock with good horizen ( about 80 meters X 80 metres ).

Good luck with the weather :thumbsup:

Mark

[erick]

We've been monitoring the rain bands down here, so I had a look at Newcastle! WOW!

Then I read the fine print:- "Please be aware that the Newcastle (Lemon Tree Passage) radar is currently over-reading. The radar continues to provide useful information about the location of thunderstorms but the storms are not as intense as depicted. A technician will visit the radar once the current weather has cleared."

Phew! But it still means clouds, rain and, obviously, hail!

[GTB_an_Owl]

I have made initial contact with the Pony Club committee and we may - i say may - have access to power and the club house to-morrow nite
waiting to hear back

geoff

[Rodstar]

Thanks for your efforts Geoff. Looking forward to tomorrow.

After today's weather, I promise I won't mention the "E" word again until Sunday.

[GTB_an_Owl]

all indications at the moment suggest a good viewing nite - except maybe the wind - don't know what that is predicted as

so remember - especially if you want to stay late - bring your winter woollies

it should be great to try out the pony club again

OH! by the way Rod - i had the nephew CANCEL your ethos order just to appease the weather gods :lol: :lol: :lol:

geoff

[Rodstar]

Now, Geoffrey, I think if the weather gods are that concerned, it must be a VERY good eyepiece. You'd better get your nephew to order a second one...:evil2:

[GTB_an_Owl]

if only i could afford it Rod - i would get him to re-order TWO

geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

don't know how long the grass will be up there - so bring a tarp for under your scope in case you drop something

geoff

[iceman]

Getting access to power would be awesome!

[GTB_an_Owl]

person i spoke to Mike didn't think it would be a problem

so here's hoping i hear something in the morning

geoff

[iluvsaturn]

Here is a map!

[RB]

I just had a drive up there guys, from the road the grass looks like it's knee high in the paddock.
Tarps are a good idea I'd say.

The family commitment's been moved to tomorrow instead.
I'm trying to arrange a leave pass tonight but not sure if I can.

:)

[wavelandscott]

In spite of rising early and working very hard all morning, it is now clear to me that I can not make it tonight...it makes me sad:sadeyes:.

I have just too many "honey do" projects to get done to make it up there tonight. I head overseas next week for a bit of an extended trip so the projects must get done today and tomorrow. Hopefully I can make the December viewing night...November is shot for me!

I hope the veiwing is glorious tonight for all that can attend!!!

[norm]

Just out of curiousity how many people are planning to turn up and approx. what time ?

Cheers, Norm:)

[iceman]

Knee high grass! Hope there's no snakes in it :) Thanks for the heads-up, will bring the tarps.

I won't be there before 6:30pm I'd say.

[GTB_an_Owl]

ok fella's
we have access to the clubhouse and hopefully the power is on or we can find out where to turn it on

i will pack a couple of extra tarps in case the grass is too long - or worse comes to worse we can setup in the driveway i spose

i will try and get there as early as i can

geoff

[ausastronomer]

I bet there are Mike. The black ones with the red belly don't hurt much, it's the brown ones you gotta watch out for.

I won't be able to make it tonight. I have been in Coonabarbran observing the past week and my wife has been in QLD for the past 3 weeks.
I hope you guys have a good night up there.

Cheers,
John B

[iceman]

Had an excellent time last night, skies were clear, weather was cold.

The pony club is an excellent place for observing. Power, club house, level fields, good horizons, plenty of space!!

When the field is mowed it will be even better (we were in the large carpark last night).

Had fun with imaging, until both camera batteries went flat :(

Thanks for the fun guys, look forward to next month!

[astropolak]

Thanks to those in attendance for a great company. It was one of the best observing nights for me. I think we have more binoviewer converts now....:thumbsup:

Pony club is great...and no horse s...t which is good...

Joe

[GTB_an_Owl]

What a great nite to re-visit the Pony Club

Clear sky’s, very good (but not excellent) viewing conditions all nite (and I mean all nite)
It got cold enough for us to don the freezer suits about 11pm and manage the conditions better than a couple of others not so prepared.

New visitor Geoff, from Yarramalong, was enticed to stay a little longer than he intended I think, and we hope to see a bit more of him in the future.

Sorry I never got to meet the visitors from Sydney (Dave was it ?) , but the cup cakes were very nice – thank you very much.

Most spent the nite going from scope to scope , sharing the views – even my little 8”er got a turn in the end.

I managed to tame the argo and get it to behave all nite – and Nephew, (if your reading this), I have concluded that as far as the eyepieces are concerned – USE em or Lose em. :lol:

The use of quality eyepieces, even in the likes of my little dob – makes all the difference between a good observing session and an excellent one.

Now to the Pony Club facilities –

Yes the grass was long because the maintenance obviously didn’t need to be done during the quarantine period for the horse flu – so we didn’t get to use the main field.
But – the edges of the sand dressage area proved quite adequate for our needs this time round.
Joe set up more to the west in the middle of the beach, and was probably better protected from the street light down the road.

Mike set up close to the club house so he could get to the power, and only for the fact his batteries ran out, I think we would have had him there well after midnight for a change.

Some sneaky bugger solved the problem of the lights on the brick wall over the road by making use of a large bit of black cloth he just happened to have in the car. :whistle:

It was good to have (the power supply) somewhere to make coffee during the nite (meant I had a few stubbies left over at the end of the nite). I took an old jug up but the Pony Club Urn was a better option.

Not that we would have use for them, but there is a microwave, pie warmer, fridge and freezers in the clubhouse.

I will be thanking the Pony Club people that made the use of the facilities possible, and I think, asking them if we can do the same in the future.

RB and I kept Jakob there as long as we could and eventually realised that dawn was breaking and that we had better lock up and go home at 4-30am.

Hope you guy’s had as good a nite as I did :thumbsup:

geoff

[iceman]

I was prepared for a long night, alas the batteries frustrated me enough to pack it in!

I loved the views through Mary Rose (Rod's 20") as usual. Just a beautiful scope. Some of the galaxies (NGC1365 was it?) were spectacular!

[Rodstar]

I had a great night too, though I was very tired from a full day of gardening. It was great to spend some time chatting with everyone.

Joe's binoviewers are quite special. The two eyes are better than one adage is very true, making for more relaxed viewing, and on some objects adding a nice hint of three dimensionality.

It was good to meet Geoff from Yarramalong, and also to see Norm and his two friends who had been roped in the for the night. I hope you enjoyed the views!

Some bad news to finish...at some point on the way home the lid blew off my beloved Mary Rose, so she arrived home topless.......I think I had better get a tarp to go over the trailer before I take her out again.

If anyone sees a spare 20" mirror box lid in their travels....it's no doubt mine!

[wavelandscott]

Sorry to hear about the mirror box...I think a tarp is a good idea.

Did you get a chance to use your new prize?

Glad everyone enjoyed the night...I looked longingly :( out of the window in my house thinking of you guys out under the stars and it looked like it was a night of good viewing...

[norm]

Thanks Rod, Mike, Geoff, Joe and Jacob. It was a very enjoyable night and greatly appreciated by myself, Dave and Jen.

They were certainly awe struck with the Mary Rose and seeing the Tranlatula was amazing, the image was SO sharp.

Dave was certainly impressed with Mike's astro setup. Me, I was just glad I eventually bit the bullet and made the effort to get up there. I may not go every month due to the distance but its certainly, worth the effort for those who haven't been before. Aside from the scopes, the friendliness of the everyone up there was the best thing. :):thumbsup:

[jakob]

Thanks for the help and advise. I got a long way to go to find things but I really loved the views.


Thank to the resident EP lender!:eyepop: I will be back for more.

I have to return the ton of sand that ended up in my car!:mad2:

Jakob

[GTB_an_Owl]

YES

maybe we will have to impose a sand levy Jakob

i ended up with a bit myself :lol:

geoff

[RB]

Firstly a big thank you to Geoff (GTB_an_Owl) for organising the Pony club facility for all of us.
Many thanks Geoff !!

Once again great to catch up with everyone, always a pleasure to view through the Mary Rose.

Also had a great time looking through Joe's binoviewer :thumbsup:
The views are great as it gives the brain a 3D impression of the object, very nice !!

It was great to meet Geoff from Yarramalong, Norm, David and Jen(?).

Geoff (GTB_an_Owl) and I got to see Venus through his 8" (nice crescent) and watched the Southern Cross rise again in the early hours.
We were the last to leave at around 4.30am.

All in all I spent a very nice night relaxing :P and enjoying the views and the good company.

Cheers everyone.

[GTB_an_Owl]

RB - good to see you finaly surface my friend :zzz:

i don't think i should keep you out to the small wee hours anymore

anyway - how could you do it ?

we missed Saturn !!!!!

geoff

[iceman]

I really like the Pony club facilities.. with the sheet over those neighbouring lights, there was only 1 street-light (and the passing cars) that were remotely annoying, and they weren't even that annoying to me.

I look forward to meeting up there again in November!

[gmbfilter]

Thanks everyone for had a great night, your generosity in letting me look through your scopes is much appreciated.
And a special message to Rod…I went for a drive around and have found what could only be “The Mirror Cover of the Mary Rose” ……..its safe and sound in Yarramalong Let me know what you would like me to do with it

Geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

Rod will be pleased Geoff

BUT you should first have asked how much the reward was for finding it :whistle:

geoff

[gmbfilter]

Too bad....but will make a good story

[Rodstar]

Geoff, you LEGEND!!!! I am speechless.:bowdown::jump::party::t hanks::cheers::tasdevil::sunny::jaw drop::cool::thumbsup:

I will PM you to arrange collection.

Is it damaged? Where did you find it????

[Rodstar]

By the way, when John Bambury heard the story, he informed me that the same thing happened about 8 weeks ago to Andrew Murrell with the lid to the 25" Obsession.

Apparently Andrew called up the bloke whose place he had been observing at (about 1 hour from his home), and that bloke, who was driving between his home and the Central Coast pulled over to take the call. By rare twist of fate, upon being told about the missing lid, the bloke looked out the window of his car, and there was the lid, not 20 feet from his car. Talk about remarkable co-incidence.

Shades of Tolkein, and the ring that wanted to be found...:scared:

[h0ughy]

I can hear you say "My precious" now Rod

[gmbfilter]

This is getting a bit strange
Lid was on Peats Ridge Rd (old fwy) just around corner from George Downes Dr
It only has a couple of dings should be fine

[Orion]

Rod the lids aren't hard to make if it is damaged but I'm glad yours was found.