La Nina and observing, a mourning

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Ah, la Nina, the girl child. We in central victoria need her so much to bring life to our dry soils and empty rivers, but she will cover the sky with a gentle blanket of cloud to protect her works. Sooo much cloud. But even worse, the seemingly clear sky with a layer of moist air so that the might Jupiter illuminates a fog, the gem-like Pleieades barely peep through, the stunning magellanic clouds are vague patches instead of beacons in the night sky. Sucked in, seduced, beguiled into getting out the scope, firing up the hopes, making the list, oh so short the session before the sight of NGC 1365 minus arms, just a faint fuzzy bar and nucleus sent me to bed.

Tonight the stars beckon again - do I have to wait for the hard dry fiery times to see them properly again? The mirror is cool, what will the night bring?

[mishku]

Oh, Paddy, who says astronomers don't have poetry in their souls??

Originally Posted by Paddy

Ah, la Nina, the girl child. We in central victoria need her so much to bring life to our dry soils and empty rivers, but she will cover the sky with a gentle blanket of cloud to protect her works. Sooo much cloud. But even worse, the seemingly clear sky with a layer of moist air so that the might Jupiter illuminates a fog, the gem-like Pleieades barely peep through, the stunning magellanic clouds are vague patches instead of beacons in the night sky. Sucked in, seduced, beguiled into getting out the scope, firing up the hopes, making the list, oh so short the session before the sight of NGC 1365 minus arms, just a faint fuzzy bar and nucleus sent me to bed.

Tonight the stars beckon again - do I have to wait for the hard dry fiery times to see them properly again? The mirror is cool, what will the night bring?

[astronut (John)]

Couldn't agree more!!

[astroron (Ron)]

Rain Rain Go away come back another day, and make that at least a couple of weeks
Cheers

[pgc hunter]

Originally Posted by Paddy

Ah, la Nina, the girl child. We in central victoria need her so much to bring life to our dry soils and empty rivers, but she will cover the sky with a gentle blanket of cloud to protect her works. Sooo much cloud. But even worse, the seemingly clear sky with a layer of moist air so that the might Jupiter illuminates a fog, the gem-like Pleieades barely peep through, the stunning magellanic clouds are vague patches instead of beacons in the night sky. Sucked in, seduced, beguiled into getting out the scope, firing up the hopes, making the list, oh so short the session before the sight of NGC 1365 minus arms, just a faint fuzzy bar and nucleus sent me to bed.

Tonight the stars beckon again - do I have to wait for the hard dry fiery times to see them properly again? The mirror is cool, what will the night bring?

A very poetic description of suburban Melbourne observing

[Greenswale (Wren)]

Paddy, thank you for waxing lyrical -it does bring a certain joy to an otherwise dreary night time existance!!!

[gary]

Hi Paddy,

Here in Sydney this summer, she would be considered a bit of a brat.
Thankfully she has promised to behave on Christmas Day.

But she will be up to her old antics come Boxing Day, something yachtsmen on the
Sydney to Hobart will have to wrestle with.

[cfranks (Charles)]

Originally Posted by Paddy

The mirror is cool, what will the night bring?

Dew in my case!

Charles

[CosMos (Rich)]

and yet it does not stop us...this from an article...
"Years ago I discovered the unexpected possibilities of city observing after moving into downtown New Haven, Connecticut. I assumed that skywatching would cease to be part of my life. But our garret apartment had a plastic bubble skylight over the kitchen sink, and one night, just for laughs, I tried looking through it with 7×50 binoculars. Amazingly, I could make out some stars.

Observing anything under these conditions seemed so remarkable that I did some experimenting. I arranged a way to stand on a stool with my head in the bubble surrounded by light shields. Using a variable-star chart for Mira published in Sky & Telescope, I discovered that my limiting magnitude with the binoculars was as faint as magnitude 8.6. I even spotted Mira near its minimum light.

Star images were distorted by the plastic bubble, it was true, but they were there. "

http://www.astronomer.proboards.com/...nt&thread=3200

[astrospotter (Mark)]

Paddy,
That was touching and very well said. We up north at +37 are getting our share as well. Hang in there and clear skies to you, sooner the better.
Mark

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Thanks everyone. It was fun to write. I have had a few night's observing since, but still with quite poor transparency. Some good fun to explore the LMC a bit though and some great comet watching in the early hours.