The Nightwatch

glend (Glen) · #1 16-06-2023, 01:03 AM

Last Monday, at the Central Coast IIS Morning Tea, Geoff-the-Owl and I were discussing our insomnia, and the nocturnal life. It occurs to me that there maybe others here on IIS, denizens of the night, who might appreciate a nocturnal thread to throw ideas about. I noticed that tonight Alex has had a couple of posts. Geoff-the-Owl is actually out at Bretti right now, but I suspect a report will be forthcoming on his return. So let The Nightwatch thread be your chat space in the wee hours, someone is sure to be listening.

The_bluester (Paul) · #2 16-06-2023, 02:39 AM

Joining you in insomnia today, though it is not the norm here.

In my case I am up as we just had to decide which of my wife and I took my mum in to hospital for COVID related issues (My wife as the more nearly negative, we have all had it over the last week) and who stayed home to look after our young bloke (Me)

We had to DIY the hospital trip as it is apparently a very high ambulance demand night and while mum remained in reasonable shape rather than deteriorating, an ambulance would have been around an hour. I am not objecting too much as the ambos would have taken her to a hospital that we have had some poor outcomes at, to the point her cardiologist a few months ago asked us to drive her to a different one rather than call an ambulance for a recent very urgent but not quite full on emergency trip as the ambos would have taken her to the "Not preferred" option.

The_bluester (Paul) · #3 16-06-2023, 02:55 AM

Argh, and after all that, the local hospital is going to transfer her to the "Not preferred" option anyway.

Maybe this time we won't see really obvious issues missed. Last time they missed a 6+ hour atrial fibrillation event, while she was in a cardiac ward. Her implanted cardiac monitor picked it up and as soon as she got home to bed we got a call from her cardiologist when the monitor hooked up to it's base station and sent the report "home" to the cardiologist's office.

That was the one that resulted in them asking us to drive her in to a different hospital rather than call an ambulance again.

glend (Glen) · #4 16-06-2023, 03:18 AM

Geez Paul, hospital in the wee hours is not an attractive proposition.
. I am sure they were following protocols. This case is complicated by her Covid status and i understand not wanting to hold her in a cardiac ward. Hope she is OK. Hopefully they have given her the Covid Antiviral drugs to stabilise her. They helped me a lot when I had Covid.

The_bluester (Paul) · #5 16-06-2023, 09:10 AM

Actually the previous visit was nothing to do with COVID. That was for chest pain, which took a day to work out was pleurisy. Meantime she was complaining of palpitations and the loop was recording the fibrillation, while she lay in a bed next to a full suite of monitoring equipment that they never hooked her back up to after moving her out of emergency and in to the ward.

This morning is the COVID related event, she felt faint yesterday and the ambos came and assessed and it was decided best to keep her here (Meanwhile my wife had a wobbly moment so the ambos had to do a two for one deal and check her over too) but mum passed out this morning. It looks like they will bundle her out of there in short order unless the CT scan they did shows any sign of damage if she hit her head on the way down. That one I will give them credit for, they transferred her to the "Not preferred" hospital for the CT when they could not rule out her hitting her head.

xelasnave · #6 16-06-2023, 11:06 AM

Well I can check in every two hours when I get up to check the batteries?
But when imaging I get so busy I just dont know.
Actually I will take the tablet down as it connects to my modem from there...
Great idea Glen.

Alex

AstroViking (Steve) · #7 16-06-2023, 09:58 PM

I'm far more of a night-owl, so being up all night is pretty much normal for me. If I didn't have to be at work each day, I'd probably end up inverting my day and night cycles...

Having said that, it's getting late, the rig is outside imaging away (oh, such sweet, sweet data!) and I'm inside thawing out.

glend (Glen) · #8 16-06-2023, 10:52 PM

Hopefully Paul's mum is feeling better tonight. I will be checking in here tonight. Astro conditions are certainly outstanding here at Lake Macquarie tonight.
I just took a Sky Quality Meter (SQM) reading in my usual spot near my observatory. Of course the SQM doesn't work through cloud, but tonight is very clear, and the reading is 20.45 which is reasonably dark. When I first started recording SQM readings here, eight years ago, the readings were regularly around 20.85 to 20.90 .
Sadly the gradual deterioration of the Darkness is due to human factors, increasing population in the area, and it is clearly following the trends on the numbers from the Global Light Pollution Map recorded for this area. Still I am pretty lucky in the my spot is on the Peninsula, surrounded on three sides by Lake Macquarie with State Forest at my back fence. As a point of comparison, when we used to go out to Bretti Reserve past Gloucester, for Astro camps years ago, the sky there would always be well over 21.50, with the darkest recorded being 21.85. Hopefully your enjoying darkness tonight at your location.

glend (Glen) · #9 17-06-2023, 04:46 AM

Still here. Just getting ready for quick visual look at Jupiter with my IStar f12 refractor. First time this year the IStar has been out of its storage place. Still fairly low in the ENE but it will be up fairly high before the dawn begins.

A Possum is watching me from his tree to the west. My red headlight reflects in his eyes. Spooky.

glend (Glen) · #10 17-06-2023, 05:40 AM

While I had the iStar setup I added Ssturn to this mornings list. Up at 65 degrees in the NNW. Saturn is a better Moon show than Jupiter this morning.:thumbsup

That's all for me for now.

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #11 17-06-2023, 11:35 AM

Hope you don’t mind the incursion from me

I went through years of not sleeping properly, brain was overactive, found astro was my best way of relaxing through it. I am naturally more of a night owl though. Struggle a bit with daylight and the 9-5 really

glend (Glen) · #12 17-06-2023, 02:30 PM

Hi Dunk, nice to hear from you. I am not sure what sleeping properly means amymore. The freedom of not having to work anymore, and not having a spouse, partner, et al, planning my every waking moment, means astronomy can happen whenever it's dark and I feel like it. So occasionally I binge.

xelasnave · #13 17-06-2023, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glend

Hi Dunk, nice to hear from you. I am not sure what sleeping properly means amymore. The freedom of not having to work anymore, and not having a spouse, partner, et al, planning my every waking moment, means astronomy can happen whenever it's dark and I feel like it. So occasionally I binge.

You are a bad influence on us folk who try and lead normal lives sleeping normal etc...

Without a boss or wife I seem to have developed a funny approach to life..I live in a van ( although with a real house to go to if I wanted) basically a hermit chasing a hobby that is beyond my ability..it is all I do..other than visit my doctors...but I am not here to impress others but only to make myself happy and keep positive in the face of adversity.....and I do...

AND of course I blame you Glen mostly

..you got me back into astro photography suggesting the best camera for me at the time and somehow giving me confidence to go on with it..you enabled me to get my first great refractor (115 mm) after the 80mm....AND it was you who sourced my observatory and directing my attention to the add for it sale... and it was you who sent me an add for the wonderful sports car I now own...AND got me interested in playing guitar again and even giving me a wonderful little baby fender...your guidance is invaluable...thanks for everything Glen

alex

glend (Glen) · #14 17-06-2023, 04:38 PM

😊 I was just I trying to distract you from being sick.

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #15 17-06-2023, 05:38 PM

Ha ha, you just roll with the punches and do what you enjoy IMO

The_bluester (Paul) · #16 17-06-2023, 05:59 PM

Been off and very busy but yes, mum is doing much better now thanks Glen, back at home, though they did not really do too much towards working out why she went wobbly. Seems that it just goes with the territory. She was messaging with a friend in the US this morning, of a similar age, and seems she did about the same thing. Blacked out twice and woke to her dog licking her nose!

The rest of us are on the mend too, but it is a slow thing it seems. I felt fine today but 5 minutes work and I felt like a wet dishcloth.

Drac0 (Mark) · #17 18-06-2023, 12:49 AM

Enjoying this current clear run we're having here this week, been a long time since there has been a week this good, even longer for one around the new moon.

Hope everyone who has these clear skies are making the most of them.

Cheers,
Mark

glend (Glen) · #18 18-06-2023, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drac0

Enjoying this current clear run we're having here this week, been a long time since there has been a week this good, even longer for one around the new moon.

Hope everyone who has these clear skies are making the most of them.

Cheers,
Mark

Mark, thanks for confirming the widespread good conditions. Although the cold makes it a bit challenging. My scope heater controller has been flat out at times. Alex has reported having to deal with ice.
I have enjoyed trying to pick out the smaller distant planets during this weekend's good Seeing period, and the planetary line up. The Ski jacket and pants has come in useful.
❄️

oska (John) · #19 18-06-2023, 02:08 AM

I went nocturnal in the 90's, I love the night. I do all my work at night. I've got day sleeping down to an art. It has many benefits like when the kids were newborns I was already up. Steve, if you have the inclination it's a natural progression.

Alex, so not only is Glen a bad influence but he's an enabler too? Some people

Drac0 (Mark) · #20 18-06-2023, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glend

Mark, thanks for confirming the widespread good conditions. Although the cold makes it a bit challenging. My scope heater controller has been flat out at times. Alex has reported having to deal with ice.
I have enjoyed trying to pick out the smaller distant planets during this weekend's good Seeing period, and the planetary line up. The Ski jacket and pants has come in useful.
❄️

The advantages of astrophotography over visual - I'm nice & warm inside.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oska

I went nocturnal in the 90's, I love the night. I do all my work at night. I've got day sleeping down to an art. It has many benefits like when the kids were newborns I was already up. Steve, if you have the inclination it's a natural progression.

Alex, so not only is Glen a bad influence but he's an enabler too? Some people

Always been a night person, worked nights for many years. Was great as the kids were growing being able to be involved in things they were doing at school during the say. Only problem is now I care for my aged mother & she is always nagging about me being up at these times.

Cheers,
Mark