Blue Mountains - Katoomba Airfield Nov 17

[mental4astro]

Hi all,

As an eternal optimist, I'm happy to say that the Katoomba Airfield is being made available to us for Saturday 17th of November.

This is the first Saturday after the total Solar eclipse that is being so eagerly awaited. From Sydney the eclipse will be a partial one, but memorable all the same.

I'm hoping for a change in fortunes on the 17th. I'm hoping to also hear a few stories from any eclipse chasers who might join us too.

Access to the Airfield is via Medlow Bath, the first village after Katoomba heading west. A google search will find it easily. One note, the road leading to the Airfield is 4km, of which the last 3km is unsealed and can have some erosion damage due to rain - take it easy.

On entering the Airfield's gate, turn LEFT and go past the "no entry" sign, and then turn right up past the various buildings to the main runway and the concrete slab we set up on. The picture below will give you some guidance. The second photo shows the view looking west from where we set up, and the third shows the set up slab and the view east. The last photo shows the attendees of one of the previous sessions at the Airfield.

The Airfield is completely a BYO place - your own power, food, etc. There are loos, and we are welcome to stay overnight and sleep in the office building. One particularly cold nights we fire up the combustion heater, which then becomes the most frequented meeting spot during the night :lol: .

I'm disappointed I didn't get to fulfil my autumn and winter sketching lists. Hopefully the spring list will see a good dent made in it, and last summer's unfinished lot seen to as well.

If you have any questions, please ask. If you don't have a scope that is not a problem as there are plenty of folks only too happy to share the views through their instruments. Your enthusiasm is enough to bring.

Hope to see you there,

Mental.

[AG Hybrid]

Fingers crossed.

[GeoffW1]

Will try to make this one,

Cheers

[Poita]

I'm keen to try and get to this one too. Would love to hear some eclipse stories :)

[hickny]

I'm keen and it would be nice to catch up with old friends.

[MortonH]

What sort of time will people start getting there? Am keen to try and make it to my first IIS gathering.

Morton

[mental4astro]

I'd say from 6, but it's fluid. The Airfield manager, Rod, will be there all day, so if you are early you won't be alone, nor likely to be on the runway until the all clear is given. This Airfield is in use only during the day by aircraft.

[MortonH]

Thanks, Alex. Really hoping to make it!

Morton

[mental4astro]

Looks like we'll have a unique target for this evening too - a supernova in the galaxy NGC 1365!

Details in this IIS link: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=909202#post909202

NGC 1365 is a stunning galaxy on its own, this SN will make chasing it down really special, & we'll have a fantastic vantage point.

[AG Hybrid]

ohh excellent! Nearly 3 weeks away though, we gonna get there in time to see it?

[mithrandir]

If you want to program it into your GPS the slab is at 33°40'5.53"S 150°19'8.83"E (according to Google Earth).

[mental4astro]

A little heads up on another treat, if you haven't yet seen the Great Andromeda Galaxy, M31, the 17th will be one of the last chances to see it for the year in all its splendour. It will a 'tight' viewing as it will be at meridian right on twilight's end, and only be up for less than 2 hours from meridian.

Chasing M31 is M33, and it's up for a little longer. M33 too is a naked eye object when conditions are good.

[eclipse]

In Malanda, 2 nights ago, far north queensland, Andromeda seen with 7x50 binos clearly, high in sky.
Les and Deb

[MortonH]

Alex, what's the deal with sleeping in the office? Assume we need to bring our own "bed", i.e. inflatable mattress. whatever?

Morton

[mental4astro]

There's a few sofas there that you can crash on. But yes you'll need to bring a blanket, pillow or sleeping bag. If the sofa's become all taken, the floor is carpeted so a sleeping bag is probably the way to go.

Now, if you need an inflatable mattress, just consider that while the office is large, the furnishings there take up space, so a bit of a premium for a mattress. You may be better off with a foam rollable mat.

Mental.

[MortonH]

Rollable mat it is, or sleep in the car!

[Manav]

Hi Alex - I'm going to be gear-less if I do happen to make it. I'll know more closer to date with my work and will ping you if I do get the chance.

[mental4astro]

Hi Yugant,

Mate, it will have been a long time since out last meeting. Will be good to catch up.

With the weather forecast not looking too promising a few days out, please check this thread for any updates on the go ahead of the session. The call to proceed or cancel could be made as late as Saturday afternoon.

We also show our appreciation to Rod, the Airfield manager, by giving him a gift of a slab of his favourite brew. The cost of the slab is shared out amungst the adult attendees. The hat will be passed around during the night to cover the gift for Rod.

Fingers crossed for a good, clear night.

[AG Hybrid]

Its going to take a Christmas miracle to get a clear night this weekend. But BOM sat maps suggest the weekend after maybe a more successful venture hmm?

[AstroJason]

Count me in guys if the weather some how clears

[MortonH]

Weatherzone says clearing shower on Saturday and mostly sunny on Sunday, so I'm hoping the sky will clear at least partially on Saturday night. A friend of mine lives in Glenbrook and says it's "always" clear at night even if it's been cloudy during the day - hope his words are prophetic (and not pathetic!)

Morton

[AG Hybrid]

Touche':lol:

[MortonH]

Hmm, the forecast is leaning strongly towards the latter :(

[Wavytone]

Synoptic forecast is not good - it's going to be clouded out all weekend, for sure.

We won't get a front to push this soggy muck offshore until well into next week :(

[MortonH]

By which time the moon will be up all night :mad2:

[Manav]

We wont know the condition for sure until late in the afternoon. Fingers crossed

[MortonH]

Well, family pressures and the apparently unlikely prospect of clear skies mean I'm going to drop out, guys. According to Weatherzone tomorrow night looks more promising, but I assume Sunday nights are no good.

Now that I'm not going it'll be clear. Same thing happened when I was supposed to go to Bretti for the first time! :doh:

[AstroJason]

Clouds seem to be breaking up in Olympic Park. Getting some periods of sunlight. First time in a couple days I have actually seen some blue sky. Still though various sites are saying that Katoomba is going to continue to be cloudy into the night.

Been using this user controllable web cam to see what the actual current weather is looking like in Katoomba. http://www.scenicworld.com.au/explore-our-world/take-a-look/web-cam/

Seeing the mountains light up with sunlight every now and then.

[mental4astro]

:(

No good.

I've just been speaking with Rod. The cloud is broken, but it isn't going to clear like we want. It will only make for a frustrating night. The wind is from the north-east, so a constant stream of on-shore wind is coming up the ridge, so it isn't going to totally clear for tonight.

Another month gone for us.

Until next time.

Mental.

[AG Hybrid]

What about the week after?

[mental4astro]

Going fishing tonight instead, so tonight's no all lost.

We'll have to see about next week.

[GeoffW1]

:mad2: Same here, Mrs W1 wanted a definite decision as she wants to go to a show at the club. So I said errrrrrr......probably not. Bang!

Next time.

Cheers

[AG Hybrid]

Damn its cleared up here in Sydney. Well... for the moment.

[AstroJason]

And of course its a clear night tonight...

[MortonH]

Was gonna head out but I've just been given unexpected babysitting duty. It's a conspiracy!

[MortonH]

What are the odds you get no bites but see plenty of stars? :question:

[AstroJason]

Wow well that was quick. Had the scope out looking at Tuc 47. Was watching the storm to my south which was on the horizon... Couple minutes later I noticed that alpha centauri had disappeared behind the clouds. Still clear skies above me then what seemed like little under 2 minutes, this massive storm was above me. Frantic rush to get everything inside. Made it just in time! Enjoy the baby sitting Morton, you didn't miss out on much!

[MortonH]

Just came out from resettling my daughter to see stars and lightning at the same time.

See, I don't mind it being cloudy if there's a decent thunderstorm to watch. It's the incessant grey clouds that drive me crazy!

[AG Hybrid]

I was looking at the moon at the time and you should have seen the wall of cloud that came from the south. A very fast cold front. From the southern horizon to the northern horizon I think it took about 10 min before everywhere was covered in clouds. It was absolutely astonishing! :eyepop:

[MortonH]

Hope Alex is ok if he's out there somewhere.

[MortonH]

Just looked out the window again. Clear sky overhead with lightning near the horizon. Reminds me of the first time I ever came to Australia, which was 11 years ago almost to the day. I went to WA to see the Leonid meteor shower. On the big night there were storms in the distance while it was clear overhead. Unfortunately the storms caught up with us before the meteors reached their peak and I missed a great show. The bonus was that I came to Sydney a few days later and met my now wife!

[AstroJason]

Yeah Adrian, exactly what I saw approaching me! Massive wall of cloud from the south, was incredible watching its speed but it actually didnt rain out our way. Just lots of wind. Actually cleared up real nice after about 30 minutes. But I didn't take the scope back out though.

Morton, that is a nice bonus for missing the Leonids!

[mental4astro]

Nothing I can really add, :(

Windy last night to blow a dog off its chain, yet the dawn was calm & clear. <sigh>

I'm hoping for a clear night tonight to have a go at the SN one last time before the Moon kills it off. Saw it last week in my whee 8" f/4 dobbie - real challenge to identify 1365 these days from home. This is a good photo taken by cometcatcher to help star hop to it:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/attachment_browse.php?a=125519

If I can I'll look at using the 17.5" & do a sketch. We all know my chances though...

[erick]

December, anyone?? I might be able to do weekend of 14/15/16

[MortonH]

That weekend will hopefully suit me too.

[AG Hybrid]

Sounds good to me. But we all have to remember to contribute for the slab of beer for owner. We also need to ask his permission :)

[mental4astro]

Spoke with Rod about December 15. Alas for us the Airfield won't be available to us on that date, :(

Yeah, I know, it's gonna be a crystal clear night... :sad:

[MortonH]

Any other options?

[mental4astro]

There are two out that way, Mount Blackheath lookout and Hargraves lookout. Both are off the same road from Blackheath and only a fork in the road splits them, one to the north and the latter to the south.

Which is better? Hargraves has a wider aspect of the sky, but very exposed. Mt Blackheath's east is obstructed by trees, but it is more sheltered and has a couple of fire places, which are most welcome in the depths of winter. Hargraves also has more of Katoomba's sky glow, Mt Blackheath bugger all.

Both are also very isolated. Roos are a concern also at both while driving to and from each! Which then? Toss of a coin really.

I can't make the date, :sadeyes: . Work reach's its busiest for me before Christmas then. <sigh> Another long wait for me...

[MortonH]

Just realised I'm out the night before. Won't get two free passes in the same weekend...

[mental4astro]

Best I can hope for is from home this weekend. :shrug: Oh well, take what we can take, eh.