fellow amateur astronomers,
I have the luxury of being retired, obliged to live at least part of the year in Melbourne (Australia) for family reasons, but able to afford a second "winter" home at which to pursue my hobby. I previously lived in Zhengzhou (China), where it is rare to be able to see ANY stars, with or without a telescope - because of the pollution from coal burning.
Melbourne has a cold, often wet and usually cloudy winter. Astronomical twilight ends so late in the other three seasons, especially when daylight saving time is operating, that it's beyond my bedtime before the sky is dark. And it ISN'T really dark. (In a separate thread I'll begin today, I discuss sky brightness observations here, with a view to encouraging others to share measurements and ideas.)
Looking at climate data and house prices, three towns in Queensland appeal: Monto, Sapphire/Rubyvale (where there are least two happy amateur astronomers) and Charters Towers (where one of the colleges hosts a nice observatory).
My question: how many nights at Charters Towers each month, between (say) April and October are washouts because of clouds? There doesn't seem to be any useable maps of night-time cloudiness for Australia, and the satellite products that I'm aware of aren't of much use.
I'd be happy to correspond off-page with anyone with experience at either Charters Towers or Monto, or to engage on this forum.
I'm new to IcenInSpace, so an experienced member might gently direct me to another forum if there's a more appropriate venue.
Jim Irish
jim.irish47@gmail.com
Scopes: Guang Sheng 200mm Newt (f/4), 185mm Skywatcher MAK (f/15) and Long Perng 8mm refractor, 105mm Meade MAK
