Cloudy vs Clear night records?

[Pint Of Stellar]

It strikes me that astronomy is the sort of hobby that you get to enjoy when you can rather than when you want 

With this in mind I was wondering if there are any records kept anywhere of the annual difference between the number of clear versus cloudy nights - or indeed if this is even worthwhile (alos understanding that this is subject to regional variation etc).

I'm in my 'managing expectations' phase and wondering about the extent to which everything gets dropped when a good observing night comes round in the knowledge that this doesn't happen 'often enough' or otherwise.

Cheers

[Naemeth]

I've just started to keep records this year. Looking at my spreadsheet, I last went out on the 4th of January - when it was last clear enough for stargazing...

You need patience for astronomy in the UK.

[Pete Presland]

this guy does http://www.garypoyner.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Stats.html

[Tinker1947]

I did read in a thread here a professional Astronomer in Cambridge got 140 clear night in a full year...

[paulastro]

The difficulty is what you define as a clear night.   For instance, does it have to be clear all night, for at least a specified period - say an hour - or something else?

There's another thread on this site, I posted to a day or so ago, regarding how many observing opportunities people have per year.  This is similarly a difficult question in that it depends on the type of observer you are.  If you are an imager who needs a good run and time to get a lot of equipment assembled the answer is likely to be very different to a visual observer with a small refractor who can nip out and make the best of a short clear period.  There are lots of other variations which make it difficult to assemble universally (sorry!) useful information in this area as we all have different observing interest and modes of observing.

[Pint Of Stellar]

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

8.1

6.7 7.5 8.6 8.5 7.3 8.3 8.7 7.6 6.9 8 6.6

The table above, notwithstanding any other variables, takes the monthly data from here http://www.garypoyner.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Stats_year.html and is a straightforward average over the last 14 years. The criteria for a clear and/or partially clear night is defined by the site owner as:

Clear nights are defined as 50% or less cloud.  Partially clear is 50% or more cloud, including breaks or holes in cloud.

So, again for the management of expectations one can 'expect' to get out, in some shape or form between around 6-8 nights a month with 75% of the monthly recorded clear and partially nights being between 5 and 10.

Hope that helps some.

[Pint Of Stellar]

Looks like the table didn't work and I can't seem to be able to edit the post - Jan = 8.1, Feb = 6.7 etc etc

[Gomtuu]

I did read in a thread here a professional Astronomer in Cambridge got 140 clear night in a full year...

That's great, but it doesn't take into account all the late summer nights where you can't go out because you have to get up early for work, or those Friday/Saturday nights when you already have plans and it turns out clear!

I find that I can only take advantage of about 1 in 10 clear nights, so if I get 90 over a full year, I'll be lucky to get out 9 times!

[kerrylewis]

I started another thread recently. I do an informal log and I've recorded 72 nights observing since end of Jan 2013. This takes account of the occasions when I couldn't or didn't want to observe for some reason. I think the possible nights would have been around 90 so slightly less that two per week on average. However the responses in the other thread show that there have been considerable variations across the country.

[SteveNickolls]

I started another thread recently. I do an informal log and I've recorded 72 nights observing since end of Jan 2013. This takes account of the occasions when I couldn't or didn't want to observe for some reason. I think the possible nights would have been around 90 so slightly less that two per week on average. However the responses in the other thread show that there have been considerable variations across the country.

I have checked my logs and for the period (Jan 2013-end Dec 2013) I have had 57 nights when I have actually observed or just over one session per week on average. We did have the prolonged snow last year followed in Feb-March by a respiratory virus which made observing impossible regardless of conditions.

Cheers,

Steve

[m37]

For managing expectations I have to account for 40 hours a week at work, a part time physics degree, family stuff, school runs, jobs round the house/housework share, illness (long term health conditions) and then weather!!!

My wife is great in that she is very understanding about me dropping non-essential stuff if there is a clear night and I also work flexi time which is very helpful; I can sometimes stay up a bit later in the summer etc. I also lose 60 ish % of the sky to a wooded hill and a huge grand-designs style trophy house and some light pollution

So with all that in mind I probably average one night a week. I'm all about the imaging so I try to get out once a week even when there is not much to see. If I can make out even a couple of bright stars I will go through the setup, balance, alignment, and polar alignment refining just to keep my hand in.

I am very patient though, and I can survive on about 3 hours' sleep a night for a couple of weeks before it hits me. Also I save all my image processing and reading/research for cloudy nights.

I left my band and sold my music equipment, and all my art equipment to force myself to have fewer hobbies!

Tricky to avoid frustration though.