Last night I went to the Science Centre to fly the astro flag at their Discovery Night. I've been doing this for about 20 years so I know that it isn't a prime observing site. I took my 15cm refractor with which under average conditions and with an OK eyepiece I can easily see the Cassini division, the rings shadow and some cloud banding (under good conditions and with the 7mm ortho it is better than that). Last night despite there not being a cloud in the sky I could not even resolve the rings. Saturn was just an elongated multi-coloured blob dancing about in the field of view. The wind a ground level wasn't too bad but higher up it must have been evil. A lot of the problem around here when there is a strong westerly is the escarpment. As the air comes over the edge eddies are set up and they really churn up the air. Later on the wind dropped a bit and in good moments you could actually resolve the existences of rings but nothing more. Perhaps it's a case of protective amnesia but I can't recall ever experiencing such bad seeing. I was torn between laughing and crying.
