More then I do 😂

I only just remember I was there Mark, kept some notes that'🤔s why

Your going back in time mate, I can’t even remember if I was there

9pm Winscar Res 4yr ago. 2/9/2016 Milky Way Visible Andromeda Visible Hundreds of Stars Visible Cold but not freezing Good Transparency Good night for all WADAS members Eric

As we approach the new Astro season maybe we can start contributing to the site and sharing experiences/advice etc. Eric

More Clouds, managed a quick view of Neowise through 10x50 binoculars, didnt look any fainter than 2 days back' eric

Taken at 01-15 this morning, no alignment, no tracking, very poor focus and through Double Glazing back bedroom window , not naked eye so Telrad finder no good had to scout around to get it on screen, a single 5sec sub eric

Anyone going Comet Hunting ? Eric

Good news: The Comet is intact and can be seen in the UK with binoculars just prior to Sunrise with a good view East, only still at around 3deg Lat though. Bad News: The weather is its usually self, Rubbish eric

Soupy's Place in the Forrest

Downloaded this new software from ZWO cameras, (v1.1.1) looks very promising and far less overloaded UI than is Sharpcap which I found a bit too elaborate. Have tested the ASIstudio with my asi 533 and is a doddle to use the main functions, ZWO have intimated further development of this free package software. eric

Steve, as with everything else regarding Astro equipment its a case of what your budget can run to. ZWO are a good choice for both Planetary & Deep Space imaging, ideally if you can afford it they do have One Shot Colour Cameras that also can image Deep Sky also, bear in mind that the Major Planets are not good for viewing at the moment and will be quite a while before they are high enough in the night sky. There is a forum on here for Video imaging and also on Cloudy Nights which is another good site to join. regards eric ps Private message me anytime and I will explain a set up i use

Hi thanks Damian and Eric. I'm not very good with facebook but I've found the group.. Was hoping to be able to chat to members but I'll look out for meets. Will Google video imaging too. I want to buy an A ZWO camera as an upgrade from my webcam to do lunar and planetary imaging and also use for guiding.. Any advice please? Being new I might be best avoiding the extra hassle n cost of mono and filters? Anyone any idea?

Welcome to Wadas Steve I see Eric has replied already and gave you the heads up on the FB group. I use sutton bank more than any other site now and when the season kicks off again in late August I will probably head that way. A nice combination could be a star party. There are various advertised on here but in the current situation we can only hope some will go ahead. People are generally friendly and helpful with some really knowledgeable people in the hobby. I'm visual so cannot really help with imaging but a lot in the society are so please hop over to FB if you don't get a response here and pose any questions you may have. Damian

Hi Steve, the site here is not used as much since WADAS started a Facebook Group. There are places in & around Sutton Bank we have used that are not frequented by the funny crowd !!, due to the light nights the group is not very active again until mid/late August when the sky starts getting darker, I myself cannot advice you on Deep sky Photography as i do EAA (Deep Sky Video imaging), but quite a few WADAS members do use DSLR cameras for their imaging. There is a small camp site we have used at Scawton about 10-15mins on from Sutton Bank called Bungdale Head Farm YO7 2HH. Hopefully another member may be of further use to with using your DSLAR. regards eric

Hi All at WADAS, I,m Steve from Castleford. I started visual last year and after being generally disappointed turned to imaging early this year, motivated by Astro Back Yard on you tube, I already had a Canon 1100d doing nothing , bought a HQ5 goto and started learning the hard way!, alone! due to lockdown. Anyway my original plan was just to take the scope camping as we have a camper van (great), we dont have a back yard(not great) . So my main issue is finding places to take the van to image away from light polution. Can anyone help? Ive found some info online like Sutton Bank Car park but as we know other people have strange hobbies! Anyone have any info or experience imaging away from home please?

Hi Damian, yes, the sky is not good for us at this time of year, if you give me a shout I will be happy to go up to Sutton Bank with you anytime. Stay safe eric

Hi Eric I've been upto winscar a couple of times in the last 6 months. I had a couple of hours up there but the viewing wasn't good so decided to pack in. When I left I got to the top of the hill and could see quite a thick layer of mist over everything so explained why I had bad views. Last time I got there it was on the evening of total lockdown as I set off just before the announcement to do a dusk timelapse. All the car parks were blocked off with concrete blocks so I did a little with the camera but decided to head home. Sutton bank is where I head now as I have a good spot up there which I've used for years. Been some nice nights lately and with the lack of planes in the sky less intrusion from scattered light it's been nice even though no one can travel. Never been to towton but I'd rather travel that bit further and head for sutton bank. I still have your number Eric so will give you a shout the next time we get the chance to go out (not really sure when all this will be over?) But for me the season is over until August.

Hi Damian, yes its been a strange year all round I think, I miss going to a reasonable dark sight, shame no one wants to go to Winscar anymore, I know the sky had got poorer there over last 2 year and some undesirables hanging around ( not wadas lol), I liked Sutton Bank, bit further but not bad, I am a bit concerned going to the site at Towton as we dont have permission and it is private land, anyway, lets wait and see how things develop later this year. Stay safe eric

Just catching up with everyone Eric. Weather has been nice with some good nights of late even though astronomical darkness is short. I've not had the scope out as it's not really good skies whilst confined to home during these virus restricted days. Hope everyone is fit and well and staying safe. Damian

Its not been good for a while with all the bad weather, been a couple of half decent nights in March and same April, I have done some visual and was out for a an hour or so each time. Unfortunately due to the current pandemic I have not received my new Astro Camera from FLO, still, its a little price to pay considering what some folk are having to go through, and I suppose it puts things in perspective all round, hope everyone is well and see you all soon hoping. Eric

Yes Vicky, worse season in my 4 yr at this lark. I understand why Winscar has dropped off due to some members not feeling comfortable or even safe there anymore due to the appearance of some weird characters , other than the usual doggin mob lol. The site recently used at Towton wasn't bad but it was on Farmland we did not have permission to set up on,and I didnt think this was condusive to a good nights comfortable imaging. There must be someplace within 30 or 40 mins we can find, I think collectively we could find it. Other than that, Sutton Bank visitor car park (easy to get to)or pay £5 to use that farm about 5 mile further on but with facility and safe. For the number of times we go out in winter the camp site is empty and for a fiver worth it in my opinion.

Hi Eric, yes it is a pity that we no longer use the WADAS forum on SGL. I tried to continue with it, but found I was the only one using it. I mentioned at a recent meeting that we don't seem to use any of our chat groups/forums etc. But that being said, I don't think anyone has really managed to get out this season, so we are struggling finding things to post about. We will have a chat in the next meeting and see about getting some momentum going within our group. Also, I agree with you about needing somewhere to meet up for viewing/imaging but the season is disappearing fast.

Is this group on here extinct, its a shame that we do not post here, lets try and get it up and running again with contributions/chat etc. Also, we need to seriously look at finding/going to a reasonable darkish sky together, where we are not trespassing on private proprty etc. I am raising this as I was unable to attend the AGM. eric