You'll want to avoid Melbourne coz our climate just plain sucks
See the attached image from an unfinished project of mine - it shows the number of cloudy days per year for each of the given locations. The larger the spot, the more cloud. It would seem to agree with you. (weather data from the BOM)
You'll want to avoid Melbourne coz our climate just plain sucks - as an astronomer, seeing 4x more of that famous southern ocean slate grey, low-level drizzly stratocrapulus cloud than clear skies in any given year really ticks me off. Somewhere like Northwestern Vic is excellent due to the nearly constant clear weather and completely flat terrain for 100's of km in all directions, leading to steady seeing.
i've kept log books for years....... they average 100+ nights a yr
and 400+ hours. Thats over 95% moonless deep sky stuff. i do
globulars in M31 and other abell gx cluster stuff for fun.
Soooooooooooo i gotta have a serious site or i'll cry like a baby!
See the attached image from an unfinished project of mine - it shows the number of cloudy days per year for each of the given locations. The larger the spot, the more cloud. It would seem to agree with you.
I have had two star paries first one one guest (Glen from here) and the seond two guests Glen and Rob also form here... so I dont know you could say we have a strong club thing going.
We also meet in Coombell and north Casino, you just got to get out of the
hills more often
Interesting you say you can see Gaftons light dome, I'm about 90kms north
of Grafton and never see it, mind you your 200m higher than me.
"See the attached image from an unfinished project of mine - it shows the number of cloudy days per year for each of the given locations. The larger the spot, the more cloud."
Nice work citivolus. There are some small dots in Far North Qld, good for seeing the northern sky.
"Interesting you say you can see Gaftons light dome, I'm about 90kms north
of Grafton and never see it, mind you your 200m higher than me."
Some years ago whilst on a road trip, we stopped at Siding Springs and the fellow that showed us around the AAO (pre guided tour days) said that the light dome from Sydney was becoming a problem then. (1995 I think)
Not in Australia I know, but I have often thought that the dark side of the moon would be a good viewing location.
See the attached image from an unfinished project of mine - it shows the number of cloudy days per year for each of the given locations. The larger the spot, the more cloud. It would seem to agree with you. (weather data from the BOM)
EDIT - I just saw the better image. I can feel my blood pressure rise....
grrrr
I almost forgot - atleast 1/4 to 1/2 of the already minimal clear nights here are windy - like now. *runs off to kill punching bag*
Below is a very crude and unscientific attempt to superimpose Eric's cloud map on the light pollution map... it narrows down the choices a bit, so to speak.
Now the best places left have one thing in common: their names all end with '-desert', so that's easy to remember.
Anyone ever done any work on mapping seeing conditions?
LMFAO - must change that avatar at some stage, or keep out conversations involving radiation.
Peace..!
p.s. you are right though, some of the hot springs there (ie: Paralana) are slightly radioactive - Helium 3 I'm told... The avatar I use here must bath there regularly...
So according to the map, I take it that there are 250 days a year in Melbourne when there is over 75% cloud cover?
I think I'm going to be sick
Actually, the official number for Melbourne is 179, but that 250 is so nearby that the labels overlap. The prime offenders are 250 at Piedmont (-37.90 145.97), 209 @ Mt. Dandenong (-37.83 145.35), 191 @ Powellton (-37.86 145.74), and Wonthaggi (-38.61 145.60) is 204 days/year. That said I'm never moving to Melbourne
Actually, the official number for Melbourne is 179, but that 250 is so nearby that the labels overlap. The prime offenders are 250 at Piedmont (-37.90 145.97), 209 @ Mt. Dandenong (-37.83 145.35), 191 @ Powellton (-37.86 145.74), and Wonthaggi (-38.61 145.60) is 204 days/year. That said I'm never moving to Melbourne
Truly unnacceptable. I am about to regurtitate my innards in disgust. I wonder how this compares with other infamously cloudy places.
I wonder how this compares with other infamously cloudy places.
Portland, Oregon, has 222 cloudy days per year (>80% cloud cover), and 68 clear days (<20%). I can't think of any other notoriously cloudy places offhand That puts them at about the same as Mt. Dandenong, with maybe 10 extra clear days thrown in.
Leyburn QLD is the dark sky site my astro club uses and it's pretty amazing for a site that's only a couple of hours from Brisbane where the sky opens up, real dark.
After growing up in Tamworth NSW I can vouch for Coonabarabran as a great dark sky site. Around Tamworth is OK, but not far away, Coona is amazing,.... drive an hour further west and Gilgandra is even better.
That combination Cloud and Light Pollution map is a ripper, but I don't get the two areas with massive light pollution in the oceans (see 2 red circled areas in pic below).
They can't be oil rigs as they are the size and brightness of large cities!!!!!!!
like a baby!
That puts them at about the same as Mt. Dandenong, with maybe 10 extra clear days thrown in.
