How frustrating is this Eastern Australian weather

Inmykombi (Geoff) · #1 30-05-2009, 06:39 PM

I thought I would share my frustrations on the Weather that has been hampering many of my efforts ( and yours I am sure ) to observe and image for what seems to be an eternity........

As you may know, I have been trying to image the Moon pahses for a whole Month, to capture all the different phases.
It is difficult to image the Moon when its very close to the Sun around 1 day old...or 27 days old.So I have poted for around 26 of them.

However you would think that a 40 percent phase would be easy to image........Darn it..........

I have been trying to capture the Moons Phases for about 12 months now, and needing only one phase to complete my series, I needed tonights Moon which is currently 40 percent illuminated and is a Waxing Crescent.

Every time I have tried to get this 40 percent Moon, I have been frustrated with bad weather.
Tonight has been no exception.
But get this....
I set the scope up ready to drag it outside if the clouds cleared.
They didnt, once again. At this point in time My family and I decided it was going to be a take-away night, where we could eat some fish and chips and watch a DVD.
So here I am driving to the local take-away shop and what do I see........The Moon.......
I couldnt wait to get the food onto the car and nearly broke the land speed record getting home again.
I ran inside leaving the food in the car ( which my boys took out and started consuming....)
I grabbed the scope, took it outside and set it up in the yard ready to image the Moon, and you guessed it........ as soon as I looked through the finder, the clouds came over the Moon again, and it started to rain once more.

@#$%^&*())(&*$&#^(&%_*&(&*ahhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh..

I just cant seem to win. This 40 percent Moon got me again....

What frustrations have you all been suffering out there as I have????

rgds.

Geoffro....

sheeny (Al) · #2 30-05-2009, 06:50 PM

Almost de ja vu, Geoff... I decided to have take aways last night (seeing as I'm batching

)... It was miserable and drizzly... until I drive into town...

patchy clouds, stars moon...

... so I get home, eat dinner, walk out side... drizzly rain again.

Take aways are just temptation all over!

I've lost count of the times I've checked the weather before dinner, and though "Alright!

" and then by the time I've finished its been "oh no...".

It's so frustrating I don't have much hair left... in fact... it's so frustrating I know other people who don't have any hair left!

Al.

dpastern (Dave Pastern) · #3 30-05-2009, 06:52 PM

I feel your pain Geoff. I seem to remember the weather being far kinder 10-15 years ago. Brisbane's weather is horrid imho. The days might be perfect, but hell, the nights are either raining or damn well cloudy...

Dave

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #4 30-05-2009, 06:56 PM

The sky is clear here at the moment but I just know that by the time I set up, it'll have clouded over again.

lacad01 (Adam) · #5 30-05-2009, 07:12 PM

I empathize completely, seems like ages since I've gotten the scope outside

Oh well, hoping June's a clear month...

mozzie (Peter) · #6 30-05-2009, 07:32 PM

bought a 17mm nagler at spsp and its cloudy sorted out my starrynight prog and its raining never got the scopes out while away windy and raining and to top it of never got home till wednesday 800k,s aroundthe floods bloody rain geoff

mozzie

Inmykombi (Geoff) · #7 30-05-2009, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mozzie

bought a 17mm nagler at spsp and its cloudy sorted out my starrynight prog and its raining never got the scopes out while away windy and raining and to top it of never got home till wednesday 800k,s aroundthe floods bloody rain geoff

mozzie

So we can blame the 17mm Nagler then can we Peter ?

Glad to hear you at least got home without any major problems or incidents due to the bad weather.
Cheers
Geoffro

Inmykombi (Geoff) · #8 30-05-2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjjnettie

The sky is clear here at the moment .

My hands are over my eyes and ears, and I am loudly singing LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.....and then crying....

Geoffro.

Enchilada · #9 30-05-2009, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inmykombie

@#$%^&*())(&*$&#^(&%_*&(&*ahhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhh..

You should be ashamed of yourself saying such things on a forum like this!!
Next time, don't be so CONSERVATIVE, please !!
Add poo, bum, wee - at LEAST!

(I just went up the local shops and I almost DROWNED!)

Robh (Rob) · #10 30-05-2009, 10:58 PM

I had a thread running here on IIS to survey naked-eye limiting magnitudes.
Did all the maps and set the dates (anywhere from 19th to 25th May).
Rained and clouded out everyday since the 19th. Yuk!

Maybe I can try again next month!?!?

Rob

Terry B · #11 30-05-2009, 11:48 PM

It's been cloudy at night here for over a week. Tonight is clear but I've worked till 11pm and can't go out this late as I have to work tomorrow morning.

mozzie (Peter) · #12 31-05-2009, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inmykombie

So we can blame the 17mm Nagler then can we Peter ?

Glad to hear you at least got home without any major problems or incidents due to the bad weather.
Cheers
Geoffro

well the skies cleared for the past 3 hours cloudy now.the seeing is crap and ive had a ball using the 17mm and starrynight how easy it is to just click and the scope goes straight to it some minor aligning probs but its going great
mozzie

Ric · #13 31-05-2009, 12:52 AM

Just cloudy with on and off rain down my way at the moment. There is the odd clear patch that teases you though.

DavidU (Dave) · #14 31-05-2009, 01:15 AM

DON'T get me started with the Melbourne weather !
Clear sat nite but the air is laden with H2O.
Shocking seeing, Jupiter was "swimming".

ngcles · #15 31-05-2009, 01:16 AM

Hi Geoff & All,

Yep, it sure has been frustrating. It seems my observing log is growing at snails-pace this year.

Last night and this, we have been having the Festival of the Stars at Sydney Observatory which is billed (rightly or wrongly) as Sydney's biggest star party.

You can read about the activities here:

http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/...stars_2009.asp

Well, last night (Friday 29052009) I took my 18" in and had just enough time to assemble and get it collimated under a half-half sky before it started to rain.

So, on goes the 'scope's raincoat. It alternated between good (I use the term advisedly) steady moderate rain and "like someone pouring the Pacific Ocean through a sieve" for the next 4 hrs.

When time came at 10pm to close down, it was raining so hard I had no way of pulling the 'scope to pieces and getting it in the car without it getting sodden and or damaged. It can't go in the building because all the door-frames are a just a tad too small for it to fit through. So, it spent the night in the marquee -- not happy Jan but what can you do?

Tonight (30052009) we had over 500 booked in pre-paid plus another 2-300-odd who turned up on spec. 5pm -- drag it out of the marquee and set-up under a half-half sky. Within 20 minutes it was drizzling.

6.30pm got a 20 min semi-break in the cloud -- just enough to give about 50-odd people a look at the Moon before it started to rain again. The queue was about 100-deep and sadly back on went the raincoat. The look of disappointment on so many of the kids faces

was the saddest thing.

7.30pm -- got another 30-minute semi-break. Enough to give about 150 people a glance (and I mean a glance) at Saturn through scudding cloud before the 100% overcast came back for good. I had 'em going through so quick they almost seemed to be jogging past the eyepiece. Rain from 8pm to 10pm, occasionally heavy.

Fortunately it had slowed to a drizzle by 10pm so I could disassemble in the Marquee and then rush it to the vehicle in bits. It was one of the quickest pack-ups I've ever done.

There were probably 1-200 kids there tonight and its disappointing that quite a few didn't get to see through any telescopes at all.

Are there any gopher-wood trees growing in Sydney?

We may need them yet!

Best,

Les D

DavidU (Dave) · #16 31-05-2009, 02:15 AM

Both my scpoes are soaking wet.
Melbourne is a b1tch !

Enchilada · #17 31-05-2009, 04:01 AM

Let's put it in some proper perspective for the end of the month....

May Rainfall for Sydney

Wettest on record 585.0 mm 1919
Wettest this month 27.2 mm 21st
Total this month 115.2 mm 14 day(s)
Long-term average 122.3 mm 11.9 day(s)

That ought to cheer you all up.

Just be glad it is not 1919 !!

RobF (Rob) · #18 31-05-2009, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inmykombie

As you may know, I have been trying to image the Moon pahses for a whole Month, to capture all the different phases.

This is well down on my "To Do" list too Geoff. I always worried about my mental health if the weather kept me from getting certain phases though. Looks like my fears were well grounded!

Baddad (Marty) · #19 31-05-2009, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inmykombie

So we can blame the 17mm Nagler then can we Peter ?

Glad to hear you at least got home without any major problems or incidents due to the bad weather.
Cheers
Geoffro

Hey Peter,

Thanks. You took the heat off me. A few weeks ago I added six EP's to my toy collection. We then copped 396mm of rain.

Now its your turn to wear the asbestos blanket. Hmm, 17mm Nag indeed.

Cheers Marty

mozzie (Peter) · #20 31-05-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hey Peter,

Thanks. You took the heat off me. A few weeks ago I added six EP's to my toy collection. We then copped 396mm of rain.

Now its your turn to wear the asbestos blanket. Hmm, 17mm Nag indeed.

Cheers Marty

marty wasnt going to buy eyepiece at first but the weather was terrible at spsp and what do you do then go shopping

somebody else please buy something to take the blame of me
mozzie