My first time observing, fail

Esseth (Alan) · #1 31-08-2009, 09:32 PM

Well I'm new to the scene and I took my first pair of 8x60's Binos w/ tripod out last weekend, I'm from Brisbane so we went miles and miles away from any light pollution at all, and wouldn’t you know it, cloudy and light showers.

I guess that’s the way it is for most people with astronomy lol, whenever you go away specially to try a new scope or something out... it’s cloudy.

Ill try to head out of town this weekend maybe, I’m checking Google earth for decent places. I was thinking about heading out to the Wivenhoe Dam camping site or something of the like.

erick (Eric) · #2 31-08-2009, 09:48 PM

Alan, we know it so well.The only thing I can say is that the one way to guarantee that you don't see anything is to stay at home. So you just have to go and see if you are lucky.

What you you plan to look for with your binoculars?

Esseth (Alan) · #3 31-08-2009, 10:02 PM

Just simple things for the moment, without the huge amount of artificial light (live pretty much in the CBD).

The moon, Jupiter and its moons, few of the brighter stella objects. Not that ill see much but like most of the guides and experienced people say before buying your first telescope, get binos and learn the sky

erick (Eric) · #4 31-08-2009, 10:09 PM

Check out the third post in this thread for a very useful book:-

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=17825

I notice it was on sale at Bintel, Melbourne - but ordering directly from Robert works well.

hulloleeds · #5 31-08-2009, 10:29 PM

Alan, this weekend before about midnight the moon glare was fairly considerable, anyway, so you might have found it average. I might point out that this weekend coming is going to be even worse, for that. Check the moon widget thingy, full moon this weekend. Better off holding for another week.

To give you an example of the effect of this, I couldn't see the scopes around me when I went out a few weeks ago. This weekend, I could see the ground perfectly. Not great. The moon did start to go lower at about 10pm and by midnight it'd probably been ok - this is something to watch out for in stellarium (i didn't realise until I started paging through dates that the landscape is lit by the amount of moon glare to be expected).

Miaplacidus (Brian) · #6 31-08-2009, 10:32 PM

Hi Alan,
Shame about the weather, but it comes with the territory.
Astronomy is often compared to fishing or bird-watching, and I can see why. It helps a lot if you secretly enjoy the process even as you're complaining that you didn't catch anything.
Cheers,
Brian.

hulloleeds · #7 31-08-2009, 10:39 PM

I can take average viewing when I'm viewing in the countryside - just nice to be out there and not in the smog. I too, live reasonably close to CBD, I know how it feels - permaglow cloud streetlighting.

cookie8 (Vincent) · #8 31-08-2009, 10:57 PM

Alan you are certainly on the right track. I remember using a pair of 7x50 bino and a pocket "Night Sky"( a Collin's Gem book) to familiarise the night sky. I used them for at least 2 years before buying my first scope & I am still amazed by the number of objects I could see through them. Just pick a moonless night and start looking around the southern cross/Carina part of the sky. You won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

Esseth (Alan) · #9 31-08-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miaplacidus

Hi Alan,
Shame about the weather, but it comes with the territory.
Astronomy is often compared to fishing or bird-watching, and I can see why. It helps a lot if you secretly enjoy the process even as you're complaining that you didn't catch anything.
Cheers,
Brian.

haha yeah it was still fun, and ill be back out there next weekend, much to the dismay of the girlfriend lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulloleeds

I too, live reasonably close to CBD, I know how it feels - permaglow cloud streetlighting.

Yeah i live right across the street from the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds, so if there is something on, i may as well not go outside lol.

Have you ever been up to Mt Cootha? i saw that the Brisbane Astronomical Society has a public viewing night up there every so often, apart from heading up there to check it out i might head up there on my own to have a bit of a gaze if its any good.

hulloleeds · #10 31-08-2009, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Esseth

haha yeah it was still fun, and ill be back out there next weekend, much to the dismay of the girlfriend lol

Yeah i live right across the street from the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds, so if there is something on, i may as well not go outside lol.

Have you ever been up to Mt Cootha? i saw that the Brisbane Astronomical Society has a public viewing night up there every so often, apart from heading up there to check it out i might head up there on my own to have a bit of a gaze if its any good.

I haven't. I hear it is quite ok, though. I'm sure you could probably go there and learn more than several nights figuring things out on your own would yield.

andrew2008 · #11 01-09-2009, 09:43 AM

I went up to one of the Mt Cootha nights a year or so back when first getting started. Great experience if you go up there when BAS are there to talk to some people and have a look at different gear.

It's still not great for light pollution though. Probably just as bad or worse than where i am in eastern suburbs. Would still probably beat being so close to the showgrounds. I went for a drive up there one day and bit further in from the Mt Cootha lookout itself there are some parks that probably offer better skies than the lookout. You eyes will probably get better dark adapted at least.

taxman (Matt) · #12 02-09-2009, 08:54 AM

Have you tried the Sandgate/Brighton waterfront? The eastern sky is just amazing - not *quite* as good as dark skies, but far, far better than anywhere else within even an hour of Brisbane...

Phizzy (Phill) · #13 02-09-2009, 09:33 AM

Hi All
I live at Morningside (4km for the CBD) and its not too bad after 10pm (when the neighbours turn their lights out) I can generally find the ring nebula(M57) in Lyra, the lagoon neb(M8) and a few other faint things. For me, its always more of a matter to know where to look (I don't)....sure there is light pollution, and I know from my brothers house in Ipswich he can see half the milky way and he probably doesn't even look up

, but I still have a great time.
Most of my viewing is done on my back porch and it takes me 15 second to set up.
I can recomend Robert Bee's book 'Heavens Above- a binocular guide to the southern sky' its great

Phill
(is it bad to hope for power cuts?)

Esseth (Alan) · #14 02-09-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phizzy

(is it bad to hope for power cuts?)

LOL, i never thought of that. But now that you mention it... hmmm...