Pity UK amateurs

[Solanum]

I've just got back from 6 weeks in the UK and during that time there wasn't a single clear night!!! There were a couple of partially clear ones but that was it. Though I suppose being summer it doesn't get very dark anyway, it would still be depressing if you owned several grands worth of kit.

On the other hand I went out watching planets tonight, it was the first night where the jet lag wasn't killing me, and as usual, nice clear sky.... Mercury, Venus and Mars making a nice setting earlier, then Neptune and Uranus just now, followed by Jupiter, with the GRS just popping round for a bit of a show. Lovely!

[okiscopey]

Yep, I've been in London for five weeks and haven't seen anything the whole time. I did make out a few stars in the Plough (Ursa Major) when I was in Ipswitch (Suffolk) but that's about all.

Going on a trip to he Outer Hebrides soon ... however the lack of light pollution might be offset by the long daylight hours, even in early September.

Looking forward to returning to the dark skies of country NSW in a few weeks!

[Ric]

I remember living in Hastings when I was 9 years old and starting to get into astronomy, I didn't see any stars for six months and come to think of it I didn't see the sun either.

[Jen]

welcome back solanum :thumbsup::hi:

[Ian Robinson]

You SOB , you've just jinxed us all !!!!

You should know by now never to talk about clear nights ....

[TrevorW]

Typical English summer I assume dear Watson.

Now you know why there are 80 million Englishmen on such a small island with weather like that all their sports are indoors.

I wonder if beer drinking and dart throwing will be an Olympic sport by 2012.

:lol::lol::lol:

[§AB]

Meh it's no different to this freaking town :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

[Solanum]

Careful, matey you don't know my origins, not mention that beer drinking is my best shot at Olympic glory! ;) Also, the pedant in me has to point out that there are about 60 million in the UK and they ain't all English!

Also, I think Australia should be proud of the UK achievements at the Olympics because they did it by copying us! After the 96 Olympics when they got 1 medal they realised something had to be done and started to put money into setting up an equivalent of the AIS in Canberra (which has single handedly provided Australia with much of it's sporting success), amoungst other schemes. This has obviously proved successful, but could they have done it without our example?

[MrB]

And why so many of them are into playing/building model trains/engines/cars/planes and other similar hobbies that require tedious hours working in a basement or spare room.. What else is there to do?, go to the pub....
They're the sort of hobbies that do exist elsewhere, but aren't anywhere near as popular in other parts of the world where sunny days are the norm.

[Merlin66]

I thought it was just me!
Ever since "upgrading" my solar gear three weeks ago I've never seen the Sun. Gave me time to build the observatory!!

[Alchemy]

Yep much the same in melbourne..... wont say more than that.

[§AB]

I pity all the poor sods including me who have to exist here :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:

We've had 4 partially clear nights in the last 4 gaddamn months maybe? Jesus Christ, 6 weeks sounds like bloody chicken feed compared to this putrid crap.

[Solanum]

Where is that then? Not the real New Iceland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Iceland) I assume as it says you are 500km from me. Just move inland man.... there's a reason it's dry here.

[§AB]

take a guess. It's not hard....

[Solanum]

Well, I had thought Melbourne was a bit further as it takes more than 5 hours to get there, but I guess that is just because one tends to drive slower in non-stop rain....

[§AB]

You guessed correctly.

Just goes to show, that one doesn't even need hints to guess Australia's CRAPPIEST FREAKING CLIMATE :mad2:

[Solanum]

Well I have to move to Adelaide in a few months, so it had better not rain as much there.... if you want a good dark urban location with easy access to the darkest skies you've ever seen I will soon have a house up for sale at a very reasonable price!

[§AB]

lol unfortunately I'm a pov uni student stuck in a cloudy rut :(

[§AB]

btw, Mildura has averaged 2C colder this August than Melbourne last August :screwy:

and yeah I wouldn't mind living in Mildura, especially in that new marina, too bad just the land costs a million bucks :( Atleast there you are guaranteed a hot summer and in any case winters are 1000x better than Melbourne. Plus I'm sick of people and the rat race and I always loved it when we went for Houseboat holidays to the Murray River.

[Starkler]

Give me a place with dark skies, broadband, easy access to good fishing and work offering better than blue collar wages and I'll pack my stuff and move there.

[Solanum]

I would imagine that July/August is colder in Mildura than Melbourne most years. Have a look at the sunshine hours though :)



Mildura has all of that. Dunno what work you are in, but my job isn't blue collar (not so sure the wages aren't though!). Plus my house will be a lot cheaper than almost all of those in Melbourne and bigger than most too!!! ;)

[Jen]

Swan Hills weather is nice :thumbsup:

[Solanum]

There's a bit more shopping etc. in Mildura though. Plus no one makes those terrible 'heart' of the Murray adverts about Mildura! Wanna move here?

[Kevnool]

Mildura is the place on 14th november when we come down there to observe with the Oasis stargazers there`s no starparty there this year but we,ll see if we can have a good night anyway.

Do you go out to the gliding club with them at all ? Only because thats were I,ll be.

If it,s cloudy i,ll sit outside my cabin and have a few coldies to pass the night.

....:astron:...cheers Kev.

[Jen]

:lol::lol: true yep the shopping is bad here :sadeyes:

[§AB]

Um....no



Mildura's weather is nicer! Hotter and sunnier than Swan Hill.

This is the basic heirachy of Vicotrian climates, starting with the best (hottest/sunnies) to the worst (coldest/cloudiest).

Mildura
Swan Hill
Echuca
Albury/Wodonga
Horsham
Bendigo
Melbourne
Bairnsdale
Geelong
Wonthaggi
Ballarat
Warnambool
Portland

[AstroJunk]

And you are very welcome to join us at the AAQ when you move to Qld :thumbsup: