Last minute notice - Blue Mountains, Katoomba Airfield tonight

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by Allan_L

Not a problem Morton.


True Adrian. But no 28" this time, but we did have Arthur's 16"SW and Allan's 12"Zambuto powered Orion.

Next Sunday night (Aust Day Long weekend) I believe there will be the 28" Wild Thing (28"/F3.3 SDM) and 14"/F4.5 Zambuto powered SDM

Are you busy then?

I will most certainly be there my friend. After looking through the 25" at Wiruna this past weekend I'm getting that aperture fever feeling. My wallet and back are saying don't do it though.
I'd like to meet Jobn B as well. Talk **** about Televue> Pentax or something that will get him excited. Like how SCT's out perform Newtonian's. Regardless of whether I believe what I'll be saying.

[andyc (Andy)]

Damn! wish I'd seen this thread earlier, would've headed to the airfield. I finished up near Nowra under lovely clear skies, but with 95% humidity, and a terrible battle with dew all night. Learned a lesson about checking appropriate weather charts for if I need to consider dew management!

Can't make any events this weekend though, other plans - pity, as the 28" sounded awful tempting for a look through... hope you all have clear skies

[Allan]

Originally Posted by AG Hybrid

I will most certainly be there my friend. After looking through the 25" at Wiruna this past weekend I'm getting that aperture fever feeling. My wallet and back are saying don't do it though.
I'd like to meet Jobn B as well. Talk **** about Televue> Pentax or something that will get him excited. Like how SCT's out perform Newtonian's. Regardless of whether I believe what I'll be saying.

It's easy to fire John up if you start saying TeleVue are better then Pentax, it's good sport IMO.

[Wavytone]

Originally Posted by andyc

Damn! wish I'd seen this thread earlier, would've headed to the airfield. I finished up near Nowra under lovely clear skies, but with 95% humidity, and a terrible battle with dew all night.

Hehe you've learned something. Been there done that, 30 years ago, as far as Nowra, Berry and the hinterland. There's really nowhere down south any good for observing... the microclimate near the coast is bad enough with salt-laden moist air (sea breeze) and inland the farmland means dark, rich soils with loads of water = dew, really seriously bad dew. What's more the escarpment doesn't help either, I'm not sure why, whether it's hanging swamps or whatever, it still dewy and the transparency very poor at night.

To escape dew look for dry sandstone country, ideally national park, so it's well away from farmland. Clue: pale sandy soil doesn't radiate as much heat away at night as black soil does, and sandstone doesn't hold as much water.

If you're down south I would head inland... Bungonia or a ridge somewhere above the Araluen valley across to Braidwood, that's seriously dry.

[andyc (Andy)]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

Hehe you've learned something. Been there done that, 30 years ago, as far as Nowra, Berry and the hinterland. There's really nowhere down south any good for observing... the microclimate near the coast is bad enough with salt-laden moist air (sea breeze) and inland the farmland means dark, rich soils with loads of water = dew, really seriously bad dew. What's more the escarpment doesn't help either, I'm not sure why, whether it's hanging swamps or whatever, it still dewy and the transparency very poor at night.

To escape dew look for dry sandstone country, ideally national park, so it's well away from farmland. Clue: pale sandy soil doesn't radiate as much heat away at night as black soil does, and sandstone doesn't hold as much water.

If you're down south I would head inland... Bungonia or a ridge somewhere above the Araluen valley across to Braidwood, that's seriously dry.

Yeah, I was actually at 600m elevation on the plateau not far SW of Nerriga and near Moreton NP (so climatologically not unlike Braidwood)... but Saturday night, the moisture easily got that far inland! It's usually a very dry site for observing, but they've had a lot of rain, there was a black snake swimming in the dam, and moist, moist air off the east! I'd imagine the coast would typically be much more humid.