Congratulations, looks like a bloody awesome spot.
And the clouds are already breaking up. I can see you getting a few visitors with scopes in tow. Better set up the campsites first.
The skies will be esentially perfect to the west, north and even much of the east but not sure how good they will be to the southeast toward Canberra as we are only 9km (as the crow flies) fom the edge of the last suburb...Canberra is long and thin though and we are at the pointy end so to speak, so it will resitrict the worst of the glow to a narrower angle of horizon at least...so should be ok still . Good thing about Canberra is that it is inland and kinda high with no industry so the air is usually quite clear thus the sky glow is less intense than the likes of Newcastle and Sydney and it gets dark very quickly as you leave the edges...that's what I'm banking on anyway
Yes Rolf, back in 2002 from an outer subburb of Canberra (Ngunnawal) I was able to visually bag several Mag 15 galaxies in Cetus (darkest horizon) with my 12" LX200
Hope so Brent, dark skies but still a convenient drive
Yes Andrew that was 2006 Mt Campbell Observatory that was certainly heaven ...hopefully again, one day
Mike
Last edited by strongmanmike; 10-08-2012 at 12:49 PM.
Just looked up Wallaroo on the map to work out the rough location of where you are.
My Aunt & Uncle lived in Fraser in the early 80s. Their house was on the last street in the suburb and beyond them to the north west was the border of the ACT, about 500metres away. From the map, your block will be out somewhere across those paddocks.
Yes David you are on the right track... a few paddocks though
Matt, can't wait for that familiar cold ...back in 06 I was at nearly 800m ASL at Mt Campbell just East of Canberra and one night was out (in the open) imaging and it nudged -7C at 4am ........ I remember I didn't have a freezer suit but had on two beanies, two pairs of tracky pants two pairs of explorer soxs, ugg boots and 7 layers of clothing on, ice on everything including my shoulders...ah that's the life, of a REAL imager
nice site mike !!!!!! your sounding really keen to get under some dark skies and flogg the guts out of your new gear...all the best to you with your move back to canberra
nice site mike !!!!!! your sounding really keen to get under some dark skies and flogg the guts out of your new gear...all the best to you with your move back to canberra
You bet...shame it will take a while before I am up and running, wife and son move in next weekend, I won't be down for several weeks after that most likely...talk about torture
Quote:
Originally Posted by philiphart
nice one mike. not hard to see how much this means to you. hope it delivers lots of happiness and nice images!
Cheers Phil, it's not the Yukon but I'll take it
Quote:
Originally Posted by bartman
Onya Mike you lucky so and so.....
Jealous I am, a lot.
Have fun!
Bartman
Yes I have been jealous of enough peope for long enough...now it's my turn
Matt, can't wait for that familiar cold ...back in 06 I was at nearly 800m ASL at Mt Campbell just East of Canberra and one night was out (in the open) imaging and it nudged -7C at 4am ........ I remember I didn't have a freezer suit but had on two beanies, two pairs of tracky pants two pairs of explorer soxs, ugg boots and 7 layers of clothing on, ice on everything including my shoulders...ah that's the life, of a REAL imager
Mike
Break out those Beanies again Mike, nothing has changed.
I'm at 733 ASL and had a -6 at about the same time the other day.
congrates! look out here come some real cracking images!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidU
Well done Mike, this you deserve ! Look forward to some deep images.
Cheers Boys...may try to get all my gear down there next weekend, this weekend we (wife and son) move in and I scout out observing sites (200 acre property )... we were supposed to go to a wedding actually but had to pull out. I'll probably still be in Newcastle until mid-late Sept though
Mike
Last edited by strongmanmike; 14-08-2012 at 12:27 PM.
It was freezing in Canberra and we had no gas for the heater yet, so we huddled around two column heaters, it was like camping inside a house
I had no scope or imaging gear just my eyes and a pair of binoculars. The clouds parted for long periods on Sat night and most of Sun night to show me what the skies were like at various times throughout the night, see how much Canberra's glow affected the sky and I was able to verify the quality of view and scout the land for possible observing locations.
As a litmus test, a few things that I could see were: a bright Milky Way overhead with lots of dark lanes, both the LMC and SMC and make out the Tarantula in the LMC, 47 Tuc, the faint star in the coal sack (mag 5.3), The Andromeda Galaxy, M33 and the Zodiacal light was obvious in the western sky in the early darkness. Due to it being right near the worst of the Canberra sky glow (not to mention my astigmatism ) I had to wait until 3am (less glow as everyone in Canberra is asleep ) to find Sigma Octans (mag 5.5) but it was only glimpsed with averted vision. Given I have mild astigmatism, views would be better with optically perfect eyes.
At 3am standing at my intended observing spot (first photo attached = 360 deg view) I counted just two single distant porch lights in a 360 deg sweep of the horizon - very cool funnily enough a third distant light was visible if I walked a few metres from the intended observing site, looked like a couple of lights really...in the morning and looking through binoculars, I discovered what it was 22km away - how ironic
So all up I am very happy...now to get the scope and gear down there ASAP
I struggle to see Sigma Octanis from the top of Mt Kaputar naked eye,
and that would have to be as good as observing locations get in NSW, so your
skies sound pretty good if you could make it out with averted vision despite
some Canberra light glow.
We look forward to the images!
Sounds cold enough that you could milk the cows for a midnight treat of ice cream.
I struggle to see Sigma Octanis from the top of Mt Kaputar naked eye,
and that would have to be as good as observing locations get in NSW, so your
skies sound pretty good if you could make it out with averted vision despite
some Canberra light glow.
We look forward to the images!
Sounds cold enough that you could milk the cows for a midnight treat of ice cream.
He he, yes well it was very difficult but with some perseverance I am happy that I did indeed glimpse it, it was easy from my old Mt Campbell site but the SCP was located in the skies directly away from Canberras glow.
There is a lot of horse chaff around so I am worried that it will blow around in the dry summer into my electronics and onto my optics, so I've picked an observing/imaging spot furthest from that but still within 25m of a power point It is quite an exposed spot though and each night this weekend it was quite breezy, brrrrrrrrr so I may need to rig up some wind breaks..?
. Good thing about Canberra is that it is inland and kinda high with no industry so the air is usually quite clear thus the sky glow is less intense than the likes of Newcastle and Sydney and it gets dark very quickly as you leave the edges...that's what I'm banking on anyway 
........ 
I remember I didn't have a freezer suit but had on two beanies, two pairs of tracky pants two pairs of explorer soxs, ugg boots and 7 layers of clothing on, ice on everything including my shoulders...ah that's the life, of a REAL imager 
) I had to wait until 3am (less glow as everyone in Canberra is asleep 
22km away - how ironic 
