Frustrating Melbourne weather

[Starkler (Geoff)]

The last two days have been cloudless blue sky days, and wouldnt you know it as dusk comes, so do the clouds once again.

And yet another month goes by without a decent dso observing opportunity

[Striker (Tony)]

Sorry to hear Geoff......you could always just move to Queensland......we only have to worry about the cyclones up here......lol

[Dave47tuc (David)]

Yes Geoff the weather has been poor at night

I have herd it has been better in the north of Victoria.

Does not help us.

My new scope should arrive tomorrow. Now for the rain.

Good nights will come you just have to be ready

[ving (David)]

you cancamp out in my yard... its clear tonight. the seeing is only 3 tho. dont know if i'll head out.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

I have another perfect sky here! Supposed to be patchy cloud but we have nothing. Been like this for 3 nights, tonight makes 4.

Report said cloud from south-west but as far south-west as I can see (a long way) there is nothing coming in.

I am about to set up and search Virgo again.

Geoff and Dave might have to move north or west.

[astrodave (David)]

I lugged everything out last night, but the seeing was horrible and clouds came up by 10:30ish. Everything packed away and in bed by midnight...

I did get an opportunity to try out the mount for a laser beam splitter that my father-in-law has made for me though... (i.e. mount it on the pier of my eq mount and mark on the fences where the beams lie after I had attempted to accurately polar align the scope)...

[mick pinner]

I don't know where the rest of you Melbournians live but in defense of great Melbourne weather l was out observing last night until 1.00am and there was not a cloud in the sky, must be something about living in the hills.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

I don't know what the weather is doing in Melbourne but I am currently looking at the Fornax cluster of Galaxies, and all is clear.

We are only 140km west of Melb.

I am about to resume my Virgo search from last night. Actually, some of the spiral galaxies in Fornax look better than the ones in Virgo so far.

Is it clearing in Melb yet?

[Starkler (Geoff)]

False alarm !

I checked just on dusk and could see clear sky past the bank of clouds which I noticed earlier, so bundled the scope into the car for a drive.

The transparancy was pretty ordinary with scattered high cloud which came and went, then a thick cover closed in at 11pm, which was my cue to pack up.

The fornax group was nowhere as impressive as last time i saw it.

So I got in about 2 hours of mediocre dso hunting this time.

Till next month....

[MiG]

I've also noticed recently that singing "twinkle twinkle little star" is rather appropriate due to the turbulence.
Friday (10/03) was finally cloudless so I was out until 4 am.

[toetoe (Peter)]

We have had some grass burn offs around here, thats just as bad as the clouds.