Well when the alarm woke me at 4:45 this morning I realised that it was the first time the alarm had woken me in ages. Usually I'm awake long before the alarms goes off, in fact I normally switch it off so that it doesn't wake my wife.
The reason that I was still asleep this morning was that I was a dirty stop out last night, not leaving the backyard till after midnight, and on a school night to boot!! Yes I was out enjoying the cloudless skies, the sort that Brisbane constantly delivers at this time of year, especially now that it seems La Nina has bid us all a fond adieu!
So yes I am very, very tired having missed out on my beauty sleep, but with a smile on my face I look forward to tonight when I can begin processing my first DSO data for about 5 months!
Hasn't it been beautiful.
And each night we're getting more and more darkness.
I just wish the temp would drop a bit faster so I can get my imaging under way earlier. (I can't take my first sub unless it's 10C)
They say it's going to be a bit cloudy on the coast though. Glad I live on the other side of that range.
Mario, are you going to make it to Astrofest this year??
Bring the kids, they won't be the only ones there.
Unfortunately this year is a rather full one with work conferences and so I'll be spending as much time at home as I can. However if the Mayans are proved wrong and the world doesn't end in December then I'm hoping to be there next year, if only for a weekend.
Yes ... it was just glorious last night.
I was out for a while with my new TV85 .... and it was awesome.
Out of all the eyepieces I used ... the 24mm Panoptic just blew me away.
The other TeleVue and Tak eyepieces were very good ... but kept coming back to the 24 Pan'.
The contrast and sharpness of these eyepieces is just superb ... to sat the least.
Let's hope the skies stay this way for some time .. eh ..!!
Ahhh yes Queensland... persisting it down 2 years, bewdiful the next 2 (fingers crossed). The SOI (see below) has taken a good dip in the right direction so perhaps we return to great observing weather from here.
Over the last few nights the seeing has just got better and better to the south of Brissy. I have taken some 400 galaxy images most of which were keeper reference images.
Over the last few nights the seeing has just got better and better to the south of Brissy. I have taken some 400 galaxy images most of which were keeper reference images.
If everyone in Brisbane sends me $5 I promise not to try my "new" finder scope or EPs............
This will keep the skies clear for you all.....
No don't thank me it's OK.
Managed to get out Tue night, and how nice it was to have such clear skies. Not a hint of a lurking stray cloud front coming in from the coast (cue Jaws music....da dum da dum da dum da dum.......)
Tonight Brissy South is just a sensationally good night. Pinpoint stars, lovely.
You guys have gotta be having fun tonight.
Peter,
I was standing under the floodlights at the Klumpp Rd soccer fields at Mt. Gravatt watching my youngest son train so no pinpoint stars for me last night! However I did manage some processing of the data from the night before when I got home...
Hi guys, yes, a fantastic change in the weather for the last few days.
To give you a feeling for the improvement, i have attached a comparison between my images of NGC6215 taken with the 14" at F7, and the DSS Red image.
I have only managed abut 350 galaxy images over the last 3 nights during my normal supernova search run, but many of them have become new reference images. (hardware and software glitches seem to be slowing me down a bit lately)
The last few days have been gorgeous,even rolled of the roof of the observatory last night,my son has been up for the last week,and enjoyed a visual viewing session of Saturn,some the seeing periods worked out very well,with some amazing detail through a 4 inch apo,with 13 mm T.V type 6 nag and two time barlow.
Also,noticed the ISS going over at 6.10pm while BBQing (well I think it was-might stand correction)
Hasn't it been beautiful. 
)
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