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Is it just me or are the night skies in East Anglia clearer than in the South West?

choochoo_baloo

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choochoo_baloo

choochoo_baloo

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Dear All,

I am at university in East Anglia (Cambridge), and am currently on holiday at home (South Somerset). The coming term I am really looking forward to getting stuck into astronomy etc. But i wanted to ask out of curiosity, I noticed last term how often the skies were completely clear - visibility was excellent. This is quite a bit different from growing up in Somerset!!

I wanted to ask any knowledgable folks if:

(a) The proximity of Cambridge/Norfolk etc. to the North Sea, vs the West Country to the Atlantic and hence more humid air, explains why nights are generally colder and drier in Cambridge?

(B) Is this pattern true throughout the year, or just autumn/winter - I'm in my first year.

Finally, on a slight tangent, what is the best online forecaster to use for astronomy?

Thanks in advance.

Matthew

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ronin

ronin

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The weather up the West side is generally cloudier and wetter the E Anglia.

The "problem" is that many parts of the West are less populated and so can be darker.

To me I think that first you need a clear sky then a dark sky, they are close but a cloudy dark sky is useless.

From this site you can get the average weatherjust not as simple as I thought it would be to extract the data.

WSpark

Couple of years back I read that the place in the UK with the most sunshine ( what I think is least cloud therefore) was Margate.

Forgot weather sites: I use this one: TheWeatherOutlook

Fairly reasonable, just you have to remember they forecast for East Anglia not specifically Cambridge.

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Steve Ward

Steve Ward

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The great creator strategically placed Cornwall , Devon , Somerset and Wales way over there in order to catch all the filthy weather sweeping in off the Atlantic , before it has a chance to spoil things for his chosen ones here in the East ....  :p

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Steve Ward

Steve Ward

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This is good news for me as I will be in Ely from end of April onwards....

You'll be very welcome in the area sir , just as long as you don't drag that Shanghai Sky back with you .... :laugh: ....  going to be a bit of a culture shock too ...  :p

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JamesF

JamesF

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The great creator strategically placed Cornwall , Devon , Somerset and Wales way over there in order to catch all the filthy weather sweeping in off the Atlantic , before it has a chance to spoil things for his chosen ones here in the East ....  :p

That's because most of the East is almost under water to start with.  Any more rain on that side of the country and they'd all have to live in canoes :D

The last few years have been particularly grim in the south west though.  And I think Steve's point is in fact partially true -- this side of the country does seem to mitigate the volume of rain and cloud coming in from the Atlantic for the eastern side of the country, just as the eastern side often seems to bear the brunt of the freezing winds and snow that comes down from the Arctic circle over Scandinavia leaving the west less troubled.

Emigrating seems like the best plan :D

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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I think I've found some sun and rain maps from 2012. Anyone got better ones? Interesting to see. James I do hope 2014 is a bit better for you, has it picked up in the last month or so?

2012 Sunshine

2012 Rain

Bottom right looks good :)

If anything it's become worse over the last month or so.  There are parts of the garden that have been flooded in the last month that I've never seen flooded before in the ten years we've lived here :(  I'm having serious thoughts about digging some drains and routing them all into a water wheel to generate electricity :)

The 2012 rainfall image does make it look as if the rain comes in off the Atlantic and pours down as soon as it reaches high ground, doesn't it? :)

Rural Kent might be a nice place to live, if there's anywhere rural left in Kent.  I lived not far from Gravesend for a while and it's not an experience I'd wish to repeat.  Not my cup of tea at all.  The Isle of Wight looks pretty good too from those images.  I bet it can be exceptionally unpleasant when it gets unpleasant though.

James

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Luke

Luke

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Hope you don't get too much more rain, I would think it will stop if you build the generator  :grin:  It's been bucketing it down here this morning.

I can't recall too many nights recently where it looked obvious it would be clear all night long our way. It does make me think an obsy is the way to go if I ever get back into DSO imaging. I've lost the will to spend 60-90 mins setting up on the iffy nights. Maybe I should think about an astro track or something?

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Prevailing westerlies sail over Great Britain...

As above, the water falls on the righteous denizens of such important places as Lancashire and other, lesser, western counties as well. Most of the surplus has been directed to fall on Wales, which has special valleys designed to collect it.

The dessication of the East Anglians is prevented merely by the sea rising up to lap around their ankles. By clambering up onto the first step of their tripods they can stay dry and enjoy clear skies before punting back home again... (They don't need canoes, James. Like their land, their water is flat!)

:grin: lly

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LouisJB

LouisJB

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I think I've found some sun and rain maps from 2012. Anyone got better ones? Interesting to see. James I do hope 2014 is a bit better for you, has it picked up in the last month or so?

2012 Sunshine

2012 Rain

Bottom right looks good :)

That's where I live but I can tell you weather is not good here at the moment :(

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