How frustrating is this Eastern Australian weather

[Inmykombi]

I thought I would share my frustrations on the Weather that has been hampering many of my efforts ( and yours I am sure ) to observe and image for what seems to be an eternity........

As you may know, I have been trying to image the Moon pahses for a whole Month, to capture all the different phases.
It is difficult to image the Moon when its very close to the Sun around 1 day old...or 27 days old.So I have poted for around 26 of them.

However you would think that a 40 percent phase would be easy to image........Darn it..........

I have been trying to capture the Moons Phases for about 12 months now, and needing only one phase to complete my series, I needed tonights Moon which is currently 40 percent illuminated and is a Waxing Crescent.

Every time I have tried to get this 40 percent Moon, I have been frustrated with bad weather.
Tonight has been no exception.
But get this....
I set the scope up ready to drag it outside if the clouds cleared.
They didnt, once again. At this point in time My family and I decided it was going to be a take-away night, where we could eat some fish and chips and watch a DVD.
So here I am driving to the local take-away shop and what do I see........The Moon.......
I couldnt wait to get the food onto the car and nearly broke the land speed record getting home again.
I ran inside leaving the food in the car ( which my boys took out and started consuming....)
I grabbed the scope, took it outside and set it up in the yard ready to image the Moon, and you guessed it........ as soon as I looked through the finder, the clouds came over the Moon again, and it started to rain once more.

@#$%^&*())(&*$&#^(&%_*&(&*ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..:mad2:

I just cant seem to win. This 40 percent Moon got me again....


What frustrations have you all been suffering out there as I have????


rgds.

Geoffro....

[sheeny]

:lol:

Almost de ja vu, Geoff... I decided to have take aways last night (seeing as I'm batching;))... It was miserable and drizzly... until I drive into town...:D patchy clouds, stars moon...:D... so I get home, eat dinner, walk out side... drizzly rain again.:sadeyes::rolleyes: Take aways are just temptation all over!:lol:

I've lost count of the times I've checked the weather before dinner, and though "Alright!:thumbsup:" and then by the time I've finished its been "oh no...".

It's so frustrating I don't have much hair left... in fact... it's so frustrating I know other people who don't have any hair left!:lol:

:whistle:

Al.

[dpastern]

I feel your pain Geoff. I seem to remember the weather being far kinder 10-15 years ago. Brisbane's weather is horrid imho. The days might be perfect, but hell, the nights are either raining or damn well cloudy...

Dave

[jjjnettie]

The sky is clear here at the moment but I just know that by the time I set up, it'll have clouded over again.

[lacad01]

I empathize completely, seems like ages since I've gotten the scope outside :screwy:
Oh well, hoping June's a clear month...

[mozzie]

bought a 17mm nagler at spsp and its cloudy sorted out my starrynight prog and its raining never got the scopes out while away windy and raining and to top it of never got home till wednesday 800k,s aroundthe floods bloody rain geoff:shrug:
mozzie

[Inmykombi]

So we can blame the 17mm Nagler then can we Peter ?
:whistle:

Glad to hear you at least got home without any major problems or incidents due to the bad weather.
Cheers
Geoffro

[Inmykombi]

My hands are over my eyes and ears, and I am loudly singing LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.....and then crying....:sadeyes:

Geoffro.

[Enchilada]

You should be ashamed of yourself saying such things on a forum like this!!
Next time, don't be so CONSERVATIVE, please !!
Add poo, bum, wee - at LEAST!

(I just went up the local shops and I almost DROWNED!)

[Robh]

I had a thread running here on IIS to survey naked-eye limiting magnitudes.
Did all the maps and set the dates (anywhere from 19th to 25th May).
Rained and clouded out everyday since the 19th. Yuk! :(
Maybe I can try again next month!?!?

Rob

[Terry B]

It's been cloudy at night here for over a week. Tonight is clear but I've worked till 11pm and can't go out this late as I have to work tomorrow morning.:mad2:

[mozzie]

well the skies cleared for the past 3 hours cloudy now.the seeing is crap and ive had a ball using the 17mm and starrynight how easy it is to just click and the scope goes straight to it some minor aligning probs but its going great
mozzie

[Ric]

Just cloudy with on and off rain down my way at the moment. There is the odd clear patch that teases you though.

[DavidU]

DON'T get me started with the Melbourne weather !
Clear sat nite but the air is laden with H2O.
Shocking seeing, Jupiter was "swimming".

[ngcles]

Hi Geoff & All,

Yep, it sure has been frustrating. It seems my observing log is growing at snails-pace this year.

Last night and this, we have been having the Festival of the Stars at Sydney Observatory which is billed (rightly or wrongly) as Sydney's biggest star party.

You can read about the activities here:

http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/events/festival_of_the_stars_2009.asp

Well, last night (Friday 29052009) I took my 18" in and had just enough time to assemble and get it collimated under a half-half sky before it started to rain.

So, on goes the 'scope's raincoat. It alternated between good (I use the term advisedly) steady moderate rain and "like someone pouring the Pacific Ocean through a sieve" for the next 4 hrs.

When time came at 10pm to close down, it was raining so hard I had no way of pulling the 'scope to pieces and getting it in the car without it getting sodden and or damaged. It can't go in the building because all the door-frames are a just a tad too small for it to fit through. So, it spent the night in the marquee -- not happy Jan but what can you do?

Tonight (30052009) we had over 500 booked in pre-paid plus another 2-300-odd who turned up on spec. 5pm -- drag it out of the marquee and set-up under a half-half sky. Within 20 minutes it was drizzling.

6.30pm got a 20 min semi-break in the cloud -- just enough to give about 50-odd people a look at the Moon before it started to rain again. The queue was about 100-deep and sadly back on went the raincoat. The look of disappointment on so many of the kids faces :sadeyes: was the saddest thing.

7.30pm -- got another 30-minute semi-break. Enough to give about 150 people a glance (and I mean a glance) at Saturn through scudding cloud before the 100% overcast came back for good. I had 'em going through so quick they almost seemed to be jogging past the eyepiece. Rain from 8pm to 10pm, occasionally heavy.:mad2:

Fortunately it had slowed to a drizzle by 10pm so I could disassemble in the Marquee and then rush it to the vehicle in bits. It was one of the quickest pack-ups I've ever done.

There were probably 1-200 kids there tonight and its disappointing that quite a few didn't get to see through any telescopes at all.

Are there any gopher-wood trees growing in Sydney? :shrug: We may need them yet!


Best,

Les D

[DavidU]

:lol: Both my scpoes are soaking wet.
Melbourne is a b1tch !

[Enchilada]

Let's put it in some proper perspective for the end of the month....

May Rainfall for Sydney

Wettest on record 585.0 mm 1919
Wettest this month 27.2 mm 21st
Total this month 115.2 mm 14 day(s)
Long-term average 122.3 mm 11.9 day(s)

That ought to cheer you all up.

Just be glad it is not 1919 !!
:eyepop:

[RobF]

This is well down on my "To Do" list too Geoff. I always worried about my mental health if the weather kept me from getting certain phases though. Looks like my fears were well grounded! :P

[Baddad]

Hey Peter, :)

Thanks. You took the heat off me. A few weeks ago I added six EP's to my toy collection. We then copped 396mm of rain.

Now its your turn to wear the asbestos blanket. Hmm, 17mm Nag indeed. :lol::lol:

Cheers Marty

[mozzie]

marty wasnt going to buy eyepiece at first but the weather was terrible at spsp and what do you do then go shopping :rofl:somebody else please buy something to take the blame of me
mozzie

[Kevnool]

Be prepared for more because its raining out west , its been raining all day.
But that dont bother me cause its the first quarter.
If it was the last quarter it would be a different story.
C,mon the green grass and green weeds it will change our martian landscape.
Cheers Kev.

[theodog]

:whistle: I will have to take some of that heat. I have finished ,adjusted and attached the spectroscope to the telescope. Just waiting to attempt some star spectra, but this cloud. And it's predicted to get worse.:sadeyes:
:D

[Inmykombi]

I might just have to get the scopes Instructions out to get her alligned next time it clears up, coz I cant remember how to do it.... its been so long..
Yep.....Raining again today and tonight....:sadeyes:

Geoffro.

[lacad01]

Might be a good time to take up radio astronomy...;)

[cruiser]

Heres the latest satellite shot :(

Is there anyone in NSW, VIC or TAS that can see a star???

[mozzie]

and the rain continues being a brickie and a amateur astronomer i give up doing none of the above i may get depressed and have to buy some more astro gear (christ the misses will kill me) :doh:get that shopping thought out of my mind:rofl:
mozzie

[Quark]

Well, if the forecast can be believed we are in for some stunning seeing Wednesday morning and evening with Thursday looking like it may be sensational.

Oops, but then Broken Hill in the remote far west of NSW is a long way from the East coast.

[M54]

I saw David Tennant last night, does that count?:P:lol:

[DavidU]

Ok,ok.......I confess. I purchased a new telescope on the week end.
That should bugga the weather for a few more weeks !

[lacad01]

Gee thanks, now my skin is turning a lovely shade of green ;)

[Hachi]

Not a single star in sight over here. Weather forecast: "Cloudy with light patchy rain"... :(

[Tandum]

Just think how easy it will be to dig a footing for your pier :scared3:

[jjjnettie]

Not such a bad idea Robin. Seriously.
Might make a start tomorrow.

[stephenb]

ah-AH ! your fault then!;)

[Tandum]

I'm ready to go with mine as well. Got a steel pier off alex so have another piece of that 255mm pvc downpipe to give away. Steel is so much better, you can unbolt it and take it when you go :D

[Ric]

It's all cloud as far as I can see down my way.

Wouldn't mind some rain with it though, the tanks getting a bit low.

[Tandum]

Ric, Got a server in the corner here that had 2meters of water over it a couple of weeks ago .. that filled it's tanks :D

[erick]

Sigh..... three planned observing sessions abandoned in recent weeks.:sadeyes:

[Ric]

It looks like more of the same for at least another week for me.:doh:

I'm not even bothering to plan anything except for a trip to the pub.:P

[jjjnettie]

For the next 3 days they're predicting showers, rain and thunderstorms.
Dam it.
I've run out of fresh data to process and I'm thinking of dragging out some old Jupiter .avi's from a few years ago to repro.
Anything to stop from going stir crazy.

[Outbackmanyep]

International Year of Astronomy = International Year of Cloudy Weather

[alan meehan]

couldn,t agree more
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF CLOUDY WEATHER
i have just brought a new 10" newtonian ,jmi motofocus and cannot find a star to point it at this lousy weather just keeps getting worse.and by the time it does clear we will have another full moon again,i think the last time it cleared for a day or two it was on a full moon :(

[Inmykombi]

No Need to pour any water into the concrete mix, you only will have to wait 15 mins until the next drenching....:P

[Wavytone]

Major newsflash - the sky finally cleared tonight in Cloudville for the first time in a month - which is no surprise as it's nearly full moon, only to be swamped an hour later in thick fog.
Oh well at least it's not raining.

[Jen]

Very frustrating :shrug:
The last few days the fog has been setting in around 8pm grrrrrrr :doh:

[pgc hunter]

Wall to wall cloud here in Melbourne (what else is new), only consolation is it's a full moon...

[RobF]

Cloudless night here in Brisbane tonight. There were some faint flickering points of light visible through the bright moonlight. I think I'm supposed to look at something up there, but I can't remember how this telescope thingy works??

[jjjnettie]

Beautiful clear skies = full moon
Flippin' typical.

[pgc hunter]

Looks like Melbourne weather has covered the entire country :lol:

[BerrieK]

Huh!!

I haven't been able to play with my new mount (outside) since getting it ....the one clear night we had was so windy it wasnt worth setting up.

So as a consolation prize I have it all set up in the lounge room, collimated my scope to within a mico-meter of its life (by my standards that is so in other words average joe collimation) and considered using my kids sky projector on the lounge room ceiling for a 3 star alignment for the goto and slewing to what I would LIKE to be looking at (but of course it wouldn't be very accurate would it) just to entertain myself. :screwy: :screwy:

The Orange Pony Club (the real one with horses and kids and parents with open pockets) rally day was even cancelled today due to the wet grounds and rain, so I couldn't even read astro books whilst there and pretend I was at an IIS Pony Club (which one day I hope to get to.....dream dream).

Love the rain, need the rain, but CLOUDS GO AWAY please.

Kerrie

[pgc hunter]

average daily sunshine for the first week of June here in Australia's worst climate:

1.6 hours :mad2:

[pgc hunter]

nothing but rain and extreme cold here .... lucky it's a full moon otherwise I would've had a stroke by now :mad2:

Stuff the rain, bring on the stars!

[BerrieK]

Look out monkeys, its forecast to be -5 here tonight :cold::cold:, dew at -0.3.

Kerrie :sadeyes:

[jjjnettie]

Poor Kerrie.
Must admit that I like this time of year.
My idea of heaven is snuggling up under a feather doona on the banana lounge with a pair of binos and watching the winter constellations pass overhead. Alternating cups of hot chocolate with glasses of Drambuie. hmmmm drambuie......

[BerrieK]

Well jjj Orange is the place for that! Except for the wind, clouds, rain, sleet and moon hiding behind these. I must admit that I really do love the winter, but boy its cccooolllddd tonight.......lucky I got my 2 IIS beanies in the post last week so my head will be extra toasty when I venture out later to check on all our cold animals and give the big neighy ones some extra hay in their tums.

Drambuie...brings back memories of a youthful trip around QLD and the Territory... consequently I cannot drink it anymore without that awful feeling that preceeds emesis....but hi ho bring on the stones or a good port..yum.. (any port in a storm?)

Kerrie

[jjjnettie]

Drambuie reminds me of winter weekends in the Blue Mountains. Ah happy sad memories....:)
Port and Stones were my drinks of choice when I lived up at Cape Tribulation.
Winters are rough up there.:whistle::lol:

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol:
cheers JJJ
:cheers:

[jjjnettie]

:cold: :drink: :cold: :drink: :drink: :cold: :drink: :drink: :drink: :camera: :drink: :drink: :scared2: :astron: :confuse2: Pity we don't have a little puking emoticon to insert here.:lol:

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: yeah well i have been hinting for some new ones :lol::D
:P

[TrevorW]

:rockband::gamer::family::violin::d rink::painting::bashcomp:;);):zzz2: A few indoor recreational pursuits are more apt when the weather turns foul

[dpastern]

Well, brissie has had a few clearish nights the past few days, but sadly I've been feeling a bit off colour so haven't taken advantage of it. When I'm feeling OK it's cloudy, when it's clear I seem to be ill. Go figure...oh well.

Dave

[jjjnettie]

:)I think you got sick of waiting for good weather.

[White Rabbit]

Feelin it....although it was quite good the last couple of nights it's been bitterly cold and windy, but good enough to do some testing. I leave my scope out and cover it with a canvas tarp keeps it nice and dry and at ambient temp, ready for a the slightest break in the clouds.
But man, it's been a long 4weeks.

[Terry B]

We had a relatively clear night last n ight with just a few low passing fog clouds. The problem was that it was -2 inside my observatory at 10pm and I had ice on the scope. This is a first since I built the observatory. I've had plenty of ice on the roof before but not inside.
I did get to take some photometry images of a few variable stars.
Working my camera at -30 deg it only needed 50% power to keep it there.

[pgc hunter]

haha, here in Melbourne, every year is "international year of cloudy weather"

So far this June, we are averaging 1.9 hours of daily sunshine, compared to to the already pitiful average of 4 hours :mad2: