Right, that's it. I can't keep it in any longer. I have to vent.
Since I got my 10" dob *over 2 weeks ago* there was exactly 3 evenings which were clear for about an hour or two each. The remaining 15 full nights were completely cloudy. Even those nights/mornings which were promised to be fine - were cloudy. This morning the forecast was fine and 26慢. What am I confornted with - full overcast. Tonight, there is a promise of wind and a cold front (again ).
This coming Friday was forecasted to be fine. Now it's showers developing.
This is what the forecast looks like now.
Thursday - Morning shower or two then fine. - Min 10 / Max 20 Friday - A shower or two developing. - Min 11 / Max 23 Saturday - Few showers. - Min 13 / Max 23 Sunday - A few showers. - Min 10 / Max 19 Monday - A few showers. - Min 10 / Max 19
Not only is it cloudy everyday, it is also cold. Cold fronts rip through every other day, bringing constant misery. At the moment, I truly do hate Melbourne's f climate.
rant over
share your hatred of your climate/or climate ruinging your sessions and what not.
That's the nature of our hobby.
It's either clouds/weather, the moon, work commitments, family commitments or just too tired to setup, that get in the way.
That's why I long for the day that I can build my own observatory.
being in Melbourne, the weather is the ultimate source of fury here. Nothing else comes close to creating anguish dfor the amatuer astronomer as Melbourne's foul climate.
in the past week i have had a few chances to observe, but by the time i get set up and finish fine tuning the collimation, the sky clouds over again!!!
although, i notice light pollution for me is greatly reduced when clouds hang over central Geelong, as they absorb most of the light.
being in Melbourne, the weather is the ultimate source of fury here
that and not having each persons obviously deserving football team in the grand final
As RB said it's all part and parcel of the joys of astronomy. As I say to my friends that ask me whether I get browned off with crappy weather I just say that "fisherman could learn patience from astronomers"
BTW 你B, I bought an LX200 a couple of years ago and it arrived on the 8th of October. Boy was I excited. On the 9th of October it clouded over and up until the end of February the next year I got to use it for 10 nights.
But eventually the sky cleared until last October when the cloud moved back in and was lousy for more than 6 months. AND I'd sold the scope by then. Someone in this area had bought something big and wasn't owning up to it.
Of course the other problem is that when it's overcast you get depressed. And what do you do when you're depressed? You spend money. What on? You got it! Bit of a Catch 22 really. It's lousy weather, so you buy more astonomy gear, which brings in more lousy weather, so you buy more astr........ Sad really.
This morning the forecast was fine and 26慢. What am I confornted with - full overcast.
I think "Fine" means no precipiation - clouds are optional.
Quote:
Tonight, there is a promise of wind and a cold front (again ).
Only 35 knots - turn that dob into a weather vane!
Seriously, I feel your pain. I got home last night and it looked promising at 9pm - clear. Stuck my head out the door at 11:30 ready to set up and it was drizzling! What do you do? I break out Harrington, or Rukl, or O'Meara and just pretend I'm out there
BTW 你B, I bought an LX200 a couple of years ago and it arrived on the 8th of October. Boy was I excited. On the 9th of October it clouded over and up until the end of February the next year I got to use it for 10 nights.
But eventually the sky cleared until last October when the cloud moved back in and was lousy for more than 6 months. AND I'd sold the scope by then. Someone in this area had bought something big and wasn't owning up to it.
ouch! must be a wet season up there?
Quote:
Originally Posted by [1ponders]
Of course the other problem is that when it's overcast you get depressed. And what do you do when you're depressed? You spend money. What on? You got it! Bit of a Catch 22 really. It's lousy weather, so you buy more astonomy gear, which brings in more lousy weather, so you buy more astr........ Sad really.
I'm pretty sure I suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) because I'm depressed and irritated when it's cold and/or cloudy. I happiest on those hot days and nights with sun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by erick
Wait until bushfire season and the air is full of smoke!! Like last summer!
Comet McNaught C-2006 P1 was behind the smoke in the attached!
guarenteed to happen again. Although this miserable and winter and now late Sept-early Oct, I'd say that there s more moisture in the ground and trees so might not be as bad as last year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DougAdams
I think "Fine" means no precipiation - clouds are optional.
Only 35 knots - turn that dob into a weather vane!
Seriously, I feel your pain. I got home last night and it looked promising at 9pm - clear. Stuck my head out the door at 11:30 ready to set up and it was drizzling! What do you do? I break out Harrington, or Rukl, or O'Meara and just pretend I'm out there
well, tonight wil be no different. Already have high cloud moving in sadly. And sure as hell it is nowhere near the 26慢 promised. Wind is also picking up. Wish I lived in Mildura or something.
they both have 1000x more sunny days than Melbourne. Mildura / Broken Hill climate could be considered almost perfect for Astronomy:
-Minimal air pollution / aerosols in the atmosphere = better transparency
-very dark skies
-humidity is often low = minimal dew
-huge number of clear days/nights
-smoke is very rare
-approx 149 perfectly clear days / 60 cloudy days a year. Melbourne is the exact opposite.
Latest forecast is to baulk at. Just the usual cold and cloud. This last 2 weeks of Sept and now Oct is an extension of our fugly winter which we just had to endure.
My husband and two kids have gone away for a couple of nights.
Whoopee you say, uninterupted all night observing sessions!
Wrong, the clouds rolled in last night.
It was clear a bit earlier, but there was a light plane circling the sky, flying through every constellation that I turned my camera to. He was up there so long, at least an hour, that I started having hideous thoughts of flashing the laser light in his direction to shoo him away, but being a responsible astronomer, I refrained.
I might spend tonight reprocessing some old .avi's.
The moon seems to get rid of the clouds. When there is no moon the clouds come back.
Social events have the same effect. I am comitted to go out every night this week. It will be clear each night and cloud over on the weekend.
Here ends my weather forcast for Armidale.
looks to be a few wispy clouds here but the wind is not good. My dob weighs 26kg and being a dob it is sitting firmly on the ground so maybe the wind won't be an issue?
If theres a few wispy clouds I'm going outside anyway. I just want to see the Tarantula with no moonglow. Is that too much to ask, Melbourne Climate?
looks like Victoria is missing out on spring this year - all the heat is in South Australia - moves over us at night then is in NSW the next day. Frustrating. My polar outfit is still well within reach. Hopefully summer will pay us back with torrid heatwaves.
Somebody must've bought a real good scope down here. Who's the guilty man?
BTW 你B, I bought an LX200 a couple of years ago and it arrived on the 8th of October. Boy was I excited. On the 9th of October it clouded over and up until the end of February the next year I got to use it for 10 nights.
I remember that same effect here around the same time and duration, I'd
just brought my 14mm XW and didn't get to try it for months. I also remember
the only time it did clear a little bit was during fullmoon time and time again.
Mind you the moon did look fantastic through the 14mm XW
Yesterday I set the 16" up just after I had finished mowing the grass on the site where I will be building My new 3m Dome observatory, came inside to have a shower and have a feed, went ouside at 19:00 looked at a couple of objects and the clouds rolled in for the rest of the night
Put the scope away, and hope for tonight, but would you know it, it is cloudy
Climate Rage
). 
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until last October 
