[ngcles]

Hi All,

AstralTraveller wrote:

"I generally go out to Bargo, 45 minutes drive away. The sad thing is that (if my memory is not romanticising the past) the skies there are no darker than they were from my parents' back yard in the mid-seventies."

Even sadder, the Bargo site off Yarran Rd is on a slow and steady decline too. I started going there in the early 90s and the skyglow in the east from Sydney/Campbelltown/Wollongong is slowly but steadily on the increase both in brightness and height above the horizon. I reckon we have lost a couple of 1/10ths of a magnitude in the last 10 yrs, but at least it is "reasonably" convenient. The ZLM there on a good night is about 6.2-6.3, but somewhat worse in the low NE to SE.

For me, 55 mins drive (50mins on the way home -- its downhill).

I also observe at Gratti near Mudgee about two or three times a year at a true dark site. with a ZLM about 6.5 - 6.6 -- but it is almost 4 hrs away.

Best,

Les D
Contributing Editor
AS&T