Kulnura (Central Coast) meetup - Sat 1st Oct new moon

[iceman]

Hi guys.

Time to start getting a show of hands for the October new moon meet at Kulnura, which is on Saturday the 1st October. It's the long weekend too, so keep that in mind.

I'll be there.
John Bambury will be there.

Who else?

RB? Rod? Louie? Brendan? Gazz? Seeker? h0ughy, Ed, Scott and the NAS boys? Truffles (where is he lately?), WavelandScott? Ving? New members?

Let's make it a good one.

I think some people are going up this weekend for some 3rd quarter dark skies, but I can't make it this weekend.

[h0ughy]

Please accept my humble apologies - I will be with the family at halifax holiday park at Shoal bay.

[RB]

I'll be making it to both this week and the next, I hope.
Count me in.

:jump2: :party:


RB

[ving]

looks promising, but I'll have to pass it by the boss. :)

[cahullian]

I'll be there with bells on, both weekends.. :cool: I hope...I think I will make it... :shrug: maybe only one weekend... :ashamed: ach why not make it both..... :poke: he he he
I still owe louie his beers :drink: and still have Anthonys wee present for him.

Gazz

[iceman]

Turns out I will be there this weekend. (tomorrow night).

Rod and John and Louie will also be there.. time for some more nagler testing. Will also have to wait up until the moon rises I think :)

Hope to see Andrew and Gazz and others too!

[Lee]

Would love to come.... I'll be in Dorrigo for work though... :(
Good thing is it is extremely dark there.... hopefully no clouds this time!

[ving]

cheryl: gah! your leaving me by myself on saturday! :(
me: I know... I havent seen howard for ages tho.
cheryl: and you spent all night out tonight! :(
me: well its been a while and there stuff all on tv.
cheryl: :(
me: tell you what, I was asked to go to the IIS star meet but i wont (1st mention of this to her)
cheryl: oh, no you got to it...
me: no i'll stay with you.
cheryl: NO! GO to it! :P

hehe!!

[iceman]

rofl nice one vingmeister!

[RB]

Your a class act ving!

:rofl:

[iceman]

Weather not looking good for tonight :(

[RB]

I'm gona give it a miss tonight, too sick....
I'll stay home on the computer maybe.

:( :( :sad:

[cahullian]

Full cloud cover here in Newcastle. How's things looking on the Central Coast.

[frogman]

CRAP dont bother i think.....

dosent look like its going to clear tonight

ill be in my van if anyone turns up guys and girls

[frogman]

Hey ving dont tell her thats its clouded in .... do the " but i love you baby and id rather spend it with you" save the browny points for another night !

:D:D:D:D:D

Anton

[wavelandscott]

Sorry, can't make it on Oct. 1st...SWMBO has a target pistol shooting competition to go to so I am with the kids...

I have found that it is hard to negotate with her when her pistols are loaded and ready for a comp...

[h0ughy]

I can't believe you are still around and walking, and have a scope intact. Woman + firearm = trouble :poke: :poke: :rofl: :scared2:

[wavelandscott]

For those that have not met me, I am an easy target due to my size...Survival is actually quite simple...I have a decent paying job and I am quiet, obedient and do exactly what she tells me to do...

In this case she "suggested" that I should stay home with the kids...I "decided" she was right (as she is persuasive)

Therefore, I still can't go October 1st...

[h0ughy]

:rofl: :thumbsup: :whistle:

[iceman]

Not bothering tonight, but definitely for next weekend! Hope the weather improves!

[ausastronomer]

Andrew Murrell and I will be there, Hector (Andrew's 20" scope) will not be there as he is unfortunately in pieces on the floor of my garage undergoing some necessary repairs. Not sure about Gary K and Mai, they are busy working on the new software release for Argo Navis, put Gary down as a maybe.

CS-John B

[seeker372011]

Folks:

The forecast for next Saturday looked a bit iffy..seeing its a long weekend how about Sunday as a back up or additional observing night? assuming its Ok with Anthony?

[Rodstar]

Yeah, I'll see yo'all next Saturday night.....Mike, my Hunter Valley piss-up tour is on the 8th, not the 1st, so it turns out, so I'll get there as early as SWMBO will let me. :D

I'm looking forward to seeing how the new 13 Nagler and 22 Panoptic perform. Should be quite a treat.

BTW, I hear you're a bit under the weather Louie. Hope you feel better soon, mate. :thumbsup:

[iceman]

Good to hear, Rod!
And I agree Seeker, being a long weekend let's use Sunday as a backup night!

[ving]

LOL
yeah I'd thought of that :P

[Rodstar]

Yeah, Ving, but just make sure she doesn't check your emails (including this thread) before you try that line, because that could REALLY backfire. :face:

[iceman]

The weather forecast looks ok so far, a bit of rain and clouds on friday but clear on saturday!

And remember, if saturday is bad, i'll be there sunday night!

[atalas]

Thanks Rod still ill though ,doesn't look good for me so far I feel like the skies look.

Louie :cold:

[iceman]

Get well soon, Louie! It won't be the same without you there!

[RB]

Yeah get well soon Louie,

[ving]

clearing? :confused:

get well soon buddy :)

my home is looking like a hospital at the moment, its full of sick people... I'll prolly get it too :(

[seeker372011]

hey louie i was looking forward to catching up..(not to mention taking a look thru your now not so new scope :) )
sorry to hear you are still feeling ill
get well soon

[iceman]

Don't forget it's grand final night on Sunday night - don't know if that will stop people coming out if Saturday is clouded out.

I'll still be there, i'm not that interested in the footy.

[Brendan]

sorry guys im out, its swmbo birthday on sunday and I need some brownie points. How does that pursasion thing go Ving???

[ving]

gotta work on the guilt :)

or how about a special suprise trip for her birthday? ;)

[Brendan]

:wink2: ahhhh that might work.....

[iceman]

Weather is looking good for Saturday night guys, who else is coming?

Tonight will probably be great too, wish I could get a leave pass for both days :)

[sheeny]

Hi Guys,

I'm only recently back into astronomy after a 10-15 year break... I know its a bit late notice, but I'd like to find but more details about the Kulnura meet.

We are planning on going camping this weekend (and taking the scope) but we haven't finally decided on a site... Newnes / Yeranderie / etc... then last night I spotted this thread...

Can someone post or PM me the directions to the site, please? What time does it start? Do/can you camp on site? :confused: Costs? Anything else I should know, be warned about or ask?

Thanks :thumbsup:

Al.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Al,

I am not sure if you would be allowed to camp on site at such short notice. They actually run a business there during the day, its called "The Paintball Place". Its at Kulnurra just off George Downs Drive. You could camp about 20 to 30 mins drive away in the Yengco National Park, there are 2 camping grounds that I know of (haven't used them) at Mogo Creek and Finchley Trigg. Check the internet or with Parks and Wildlife for more information and maps. You are also less than an hours drive to seaside resorts like "The Entrance", "Terrigal" and "Norah Head" from there.

You are more than welcome to attend, you just need to find a camp site. Someone else may be better able to help you out with the camping aspect. Last time I went camping the park had a big "Novotel" sign out the front :)

CS-John B

[iceman]

Hi Al.

As John said, we go there for observing only, but there are camping grounds up at Mogo Creek (about 30-40 minutes further up the road) - I actually went and visited it on the weekend. There's a pic or two here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=4393) showing the local wildlife :)

You're more than welcome to come to Kulnura, you can download a map from here (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/downloads/kulnura_map.jpg). (250k jpeg).

Hope to see you tehre!

[RB]

I'll probably be there.

Louie you coming?

:thumbsup:

[ausastronomer]

Yup, Louie told me last night on the phone he is coming, rain hail or FLU :)

Myself and Andrew Murrell will also be there. If I get off my lazy butt I may even get "Hector" fixed in time, which would be nice, but I doubt it, gotta make 3 new blocks for him which will take a while.

CS-John B

[atalas]

Ah yes Its looking good for tomorrow night guy's ! Andrew I'll be there !
Narayan looking forward to imaging together !
A thank you to all who wished me well , It worked ! I feel like I can pack that back breaking G11 in the car again :lol:

Louie :cool:

[ausastronomer]

Got 2 of 4 blocks made for Hector this arvo so Hector is firming rapidly in the market to even money :)

CS-John B

[cahullian]

Glad to see you are feeling better Louie
The beers in my fridge are going to be out of date before you get to drink them at this rate.
I am looking forward to the nights viewing as I saw the Andromeda galaxy for the first time last night and also the great orion nebula. Cant wait to see them under dark skies.

Gazz

[Nuri]

I'd like to come up for a few hours to check out some gear and talk to you guys about scopes and mounts. Does anyone have the GPS coordinates for the site at Kulnura? If not is it easy to find you guys once you enter the field from Greta Rd? (I have the JPG from Iceman's post below)

Cheers,
Nuri

P.S. I'll bring my Canon 20D if anyone wants to use it for imaging ;)

[iceman]

Hi Nuri.

You're more than welcome to come up! Once you go in the driveway, turn to the right and you'll see us across in the paddock ahead and to the left. There's plenty of space to park your car there.

I'd love to take some widefield shots on my EQ platform with your 20D!

[Nuri]

Hi Mike,

No problem... that's one thing I want to learn to do anyway, so maybe you can show me how polar alignment is done etc..

I've been researching astro-equipment on the net for more than a year now with view to purchasing an imaging scope. I've enjoyed learning so much about the models and technicalities, that I'm just continuing to research! :D

I'll probably end up with a C9.25 or C11 and ED80 or ED120 if released soon on a EQ6 Skyscan (all from Andrews) - waiting on the release of the updateable hand controller version... I've never actually seen any of this equipment though!:rofl:

What time are you guys meeting?

Cheers,
Nuri

[iceman]

Some guys will be there about 5:30-6pm, others a little later. Where abouts do you live?

If you get there when Louie (atalas) does, you can see how he sets up his C11 + Losmandy mount. He's planning to do some imaging tomorrow night.

I've got an EQ platform (for a dob/newt), not an EQ mount, so you won't learn much about polar aligning from watching me put it on the ground and turn it on :)

[Nuri]

he he.. that's cool, that in itself is a leaning curve for me. Do you know when Louie will arrive?

I live in Newington (Olympic Village in Homebush) and have a Pajero, so if anyone needs to transport large equipment from central Sydney that they otherwise cannot, that's no problem. I can't promise that I'll stick around till you do though! :ashamed:

[atalas]

Hi Nuri I'll be there about 5.30pm ,I live in Bankstown . If your there I can take you through the set-up and polar aligning method used for imaging .
I'm using a C11 with a ED80 guide scope mounted on a G11 EQ mount.
Louie :thumbsup:

[Rodstar]

Looking forward to Saturday night. Weather looks very promising (at the risk of spoiling it). Glad to hear you are better Louie.

Gazz, interesting to hear your comment about Andromeda Galaxy - I too saw it for the first time last night....very low on the Northern horizon, a very large smudge. Hopefully I can make out a bit more detail tomorrow night under dark skies.

Last night I had a good look at the Saturn nebula and Helix nebula in Aquarius too - might be a bit easier at Kulnura than my backyard to get a really good view of those objects.

[Nuri]

Hi Louie,

I'll be there at 5:30pm. Can't wait to see your setup!

Cheers,
Nuri

[ving]

looks to be a good turnout :)
I'll prolly be there early... setting the dob up takes such a long time! :P
last time i was up there the trip knocked my collimation out so I wanna make sure its ok before it gets dark.

[seeker372011]

looking foward to catching up ..seems like ages since we last went up to kulnura

[atalas]

It's been ages since clear skies thats for sure Narayan ! looks like we might get the biggest
turnout we've had there .


Louie :jump2:

[cahullian]

Looking forward to seeing you all there. I'll be leaving in about an hour or so.
Gazz/ Irish

[frogman]

S 33' 14.004
E 151.14266

should get you to my site.

See yas when you get here.

Tool

[seeker372011]

I'm sorry we had to leave in a hurry without saying goodbye to anyone..we got a phone call saying my daughter had hurt herself at home so we rushed back...she's fine now

anyway it was nice to catch up and the highlights for me were NGC 346 through Hector and NGC 2070 through John's 10 inch and O III filter

Narayan

[ving]

my god hectors a biggun! :D thanks for the view :)

Thanks froggy for being such a great host again :)
good to see everyone there again, it's alway such a friendly atmosphere :)

finally got to see mars. the seeing wasnt great but I saw some detail. more detail was seen with the apperture mask on.

thanks everyone :)

[Nuri]

I'd like to thank everyone for giving me so much insight last night... It was well worth the trip up there!

Nuri

[sheeny]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info on the Kulnura Meet. Of course you would be aware that we didn't make it... sounds like it went well. I will definitely keep my ear to the ground for the next time you have a meet planned there.

We ended up going out to Yerranderie. Got a little camp site all to ourselves, saw no-one else for 3 days, scope set up beside the tent... just crawl in when ready...:zzz: .

Finished my first film of astrophotos... it will be interesting to learn from the mistakes thereon no doubt (Oly OM-1). Also did some imaging with my digital camera (to the limits it is capable of anyway - Oly C5060WZ). So I'll have some more playing/learning with Registax to do...
I must say I've been a bit disappointed with the amount of detail I can see on Mars, but I suspect (hope) that may be a function of my eyepieces. I bought a set of Celestron plossl eyepieces when I bought my scope. I'd like to play with some other people's eyepieces to see how they compare so I can eventually buy a few really nice ones... So I will make a trip up meet some of you guys when there's another meet on!

Al.

[atalas]

Nuri your welcome mate ! Al try and make It to our next meet and you'll get to try out a lot of gear.


Louie

[cahullian]

I dont know about you Louie but it toook me 3 days to get over the all nighter mate, lol I'm not as young as I used to be. :ashamed:

I had a few firsts on the weekend :cool:
splitting Rigel in Orion
Grus triple
Tarantula nebula
Helix nebula ;)

It was a great night for me and I look forward to the next one in November as I will be away on the next new moon to Snake Valley.


Until next we meet
clear skies :poke:

Gazz

[atalas]

I hope you have a great trip down south Gazz ! looking forward to your report when you get back. Yep those all nighters wear you down Gazz ! Its getting harder and harder to do as we get older and softer .


Louie :zzz:

[Rodstar]

Yeah, great night had by moi aussi! Thanks everyone for the fine company.

I crawled into bed at 2.30am. I think that is about as late as I can manage, given that I have three children tickling my feet by 6am. :o

See you all in 4 weeks.

[iceman]

My report of the night is here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=4515

And I agree with you Rod, that's why I left when I did.

I'm also with Gazz - i'll be in Snake Valley next new moon, so see you all in 2 months!

[RB]

I think the pizza at 3am might have had something to do with that too Gazz.

:rofl: