Only in Melbourne...

§AB · #1 31-05-2008, 06:41 PM

...does it end up being OVERCAST when the forecast promises clear skies.

goober (Doug) · #2 31-05-2008, 07:11 PM

Really? Crystal clear here - Omega Cen naked eye at 7pm. I do see cloud to the south. Making my mind up whether to travel or set up out back.

leon · #3 31-05-2008, 07:26 PM

So far crisp and clear here as well, and I'm just down the road from you in Ballarat

Leon

§AB · #4 31-05-2008, 08:03 PM

I just looked out the window and I see stars now. But yer assuming it was gonna be cloudy I'm not prepared for the galaxy hunt I wanted to do.

goober (Doug) · #5 31-05-2008, 09:51 PM

Bah, I should have traveled. Every neighbour seems to have their outside rear light on.

thorsdad · #6 31-05-2008, 10:08 PM

Hi Sab,

we're on the other side of the world at the moment, in Kent in the UK. We've been over for the last month and I can't remember a clear night to check out the night sky. We went as high as Dunnet Bay in the top of Scotland a couple of weeks ago, and off to the North I think it was, there was a permanent sort of twilight because we were fairly far north. But not quite Iceland!

We're off to Malta next week and hoping for some clear skies.

Cheers

Starkler (Geoff) · #7 01-06-2008, 12:04 AM

Nice seeing at the moment Sab, get out there

Starkler (Geoff) · #8 01-06-2008, 12:47 AM

Nevermind what I just said, the seeing turned to poop after a few glorious minutes viewing Jup.

Tandum (Robin) · #9 01-06-2008, 03:09 AM

It is cold overcast and wet up here. Bed time.

ngcles · #10 01-06-2008, 03:22 AM

Hi §AB & All,

Just got back from my spot in the southern highlands.

Same story here -- clear sky essentially all day. No clouds of note on the chart, clear for two hours after sunset (good seeing too) and then in rolled the clag at 9.00pm. Actually it didn't so much roll in as just form in situ above us.

Stayed that way till 11.30pm, cleared up for 3/4 of an hr (just long enough to keep you interested), then clag again this time rolling in from the SE. So packed up and went when it started to get more "heavy duty" about 1am.

So, you are not alone ...

Best,
Les D
Contributing Editor
AS&T

skwinty (Steve) · #11 01-06-2008, 03:28 AM

hi All
know the feeling. I havent been able to have any fun for nearly 9 weeks.
Weather has been terrible and the clouds just wont go away.

Alchemy (Clive) · #12 01-06-2008, 07:42 AM

well its sunrise now and after trying to do a run at 7ish last night (which turned out way less than perfect due to light high level cloud and a couple deeper ones) i gave up and got agood nights sleep.

Must admit its been tough trying to find a bit of moon free clear sky in the last couple of months.

§AB · #13 01-06-2008, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starkler

Nevermind what I just said, the seeing turned to poop after a few glorious minutes viewing Jup.

lol how unsurprising

You got to remember, in Melbourne, the seeing WILL be crap especially when everything asppears to be falling into place.
Weathermaps for today show a big high, no jetstream and hardly any high levle wind and mixing so seeing WILL be crap!!!
However, looks like it will be clear. Once all this typical fog/cloud disappears, probably at 3pm like usual, it'll be nice.

NGCLes:- that's EXACTLY what happens here on the one bloody night every half a year when seeing is truly great.

§AB · #14 01-06-2008, 12:03 PM

Now they are saying HAZE. but still overcast, fog, 10ºC at bloody midday.

seeing will prolly be crap aswell.

To all those who say winter is the best time for obvserving....LOL what a cock-up

in Melbourne its summer or nothing. Summer has the best seeing, the most clear sky.

Starkler (Geoff) · #15 01-06-2008, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §AB

in Melbourne its summer or nothing. Summer has the best seeing, the most clear sky.

For the most part. So many otherwise glorious looking nights get spoiled when fog rolls in.

§AB · #16 01-06-2008, 04:04 PM

last night I went to bed after midnight and it was still crystal clear, so thanks to goddamn Melbourne weather playing mind games with me, I missed out of 4 hours of quality viewing.

No doubt fog will ruin tonight, but if it's after midnight its no huge deal. Still ******* **** Melbourne climate though.

spikeface (Peter) · #17 02-06-2008, 12:25 AM

ahhh melbourne... i love melbourne...

but yes.. that nasty weather of yours... i live in the adelaide hills... so aside from the blasted fog, the skies can still be quite nice in winter... freakin cold tho... not that i can probably complain about low tempertures to melbournites...

§AB · #18 02-06-2008, 08:37 AM

Love the city, hate the climate with a Passion

supa thick fog here atm, was hugely foggy by 10:30pm last night but packed up abotu an hour before that.

§AB · #19 03-06-2008, 03:09 PM

I was going to go outside last night but then saw a bank of smog/haze and high level cloud toward the southeast, and going by previous experience it was certain that it would race over at supersonic speed after I've made the 6 trips in 'n' out the door to set up. So I didn't set up at all. I was feeling sick aswell. It ended up being clear. Was still clear when I went to bed at 11:30. Second time this week I missed out because of Melbourne cloud

Today I'm feeling better and ready to go out but most of the low cloud and all of the haze is STILL lingering about. Humidity is also at 80%, compared to 55% this time yesterday. NATURALLY!!!

Also noticed that the high temp today so far is 11ºC. I'm hating this record cold/cloudy "autumn" (read-pre-winter) and winter more and more with every day that passes.

Guess I'll have to sit it out until this time next week, as UNFORTUNATELY rain and cloud are forecast (formerly sunshine-
SURPRISE SURPRISE

). nothing more frustrating than being on holidays and not being able to participate in your hobby.

Anyone want to help me set up an astro village at Marble bar or Exmouth or something?

§AB · #20 04-06-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorsdad

Hi Sab,

we're on the other side of the world at the moment, in Kent in the UK. We've been over for the last month and I can't remember a clear night to check out the night sky. We went as high as Dunnet Bay in the top of Scotland a couple of weeks ago, and off to the North I think it was, there was a permanent sort of twilight because we were fairly far north. But not quite Iceland!

We're off to Malta next week and hoping for some clear skies.

Cheers

Hi thorsdad,
most of April and ALL of May was FULLY OVERCAST, (OR shrouded in smoke) here in Fog-town. Trust me, the weather has been HORRIFYING here over the last 2 months. Nothing but cloud, smoke fog and RECORD COLD! Not that southern victoria is any stranger to cold, but the last 2-3 months have seen consistantly BELOW AVERAGE temps and horrendous cloudiness.

There has been about 2 clear nights over the last week, now we face another week of cloud and rain

Don't worry, Malta will have FAR, FAR better weather (much warmer/nicer summers - hell they are warmer and sunnier year round) than Melbourne. Relish the warmth while you can before returning to this sesspool of wintry misery.

As soon as I leave uni, I'm pissin' off to somewhere warmer and sunnier. i've completely had it enduring the weather in this antarctic outpost.

Our only hope to thaw out, and to see sun, is a strong El Nino, hopefully one that matches the 1998 event.

That being said, Melbourne can have hot summers, but we missed out this year. Half of January was cold, ALLL of February was the coldest in 3 decades, the second Half of March was cold while the first half was nice (however compared to northern Vic and Adelaide it was FREEEEZING (relatively speaking). And since then , it has been uniform cold and cloud. 2008 is the s*** weather year here. Hoepfully the upcoming summer (I can't wait) will be like in 1998.

I also remember New Years 2006 - 36ºC at midnight....beautiful.