I've just got back to Sydney from a weekend camping/surfing trip to Seal Rocks, about 3 hours drive north.
On late Friday night after we arrived, the seeing was amazing - up there with the best I have ever seen, certainly the best I've had using binoculars. There was no wind, no cloud, no moon. There were no lights nearby, except the periodic sweep of the lighthouse
I had my beloved el-cheapo binoculars, and I spent some time lying on the sand dunes gazing at the sky. The wide field views were fantastic. Even the other guys on the trip, who are not into astronomy, were blown away by the sight - especially when using binoculars to view the swath of individual stars in the milky way.
I should recieve my first scope, an ED80 from AOE, this week. I can't wait to get it out in the bush to some good seeing conditions.
Anyway, the reason for this ramble is, as well as expressing my delight at this session, is to ask about seeing:
1. How good was the seeing in Sydney last Friday night? Was it good compared to 'usual' conditions? That is, was the quality of seeing exceptional everywhere? or was this just because I got out of town?
2. How can one assess the magnitude of seeing conditions? I don't know which stars are mag 4 or 5 etc.
3. How good are the seeing conditions on the coast compared to inland (ie over the mountains)? Can one have exceptional seeing conditions in coastal towns?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Sounds like you had a great time , magic mix of surfing/camping and stargazing ahhh cant beat it . If you have a good planisphere or a basic astronomy handbook that has charts they should have a scale on the side depicting the magnitude of the stars shown . Just pick a prominent constellation and work along the component stars until it becomes hard to identify the fainter stars . Using the scale you should be able to estimate the limiting magnitude of the prevailing conditions/area.... enjoy your new scope when it arrives
