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When is this weather going to end??

Skooby

By Skooby
in Getting Started With Observing

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ardbeg74

ardbeg74

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I hauled out my heavy Dob lastnight at 9pm, mainly to test my BINs (now attached as a FS to the FS Mount) and get more familiar with FOV and my new Star Map. I did look at Jupiter and briefly at Mars before the high cloud made it all a bit pointless at 10:30pm. But it was still fun.

Glad you got to see something last night. I took the scope out to cool down around 9:45, went out at 11 excited at the prospect of another session on mars and debating whether to stay out on a school night for saturn... lets just say i didnt have any problem getting up when the alarm went off this morning  :mad:

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davedownsouth

davedownsouth

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Not been able to go out with the scope for the past 15 days because of the crappy weather, but it is actually looking pretty decent our there at the moment  :shocked:.  Will give it 30 more minutes then I setting up  :cool:

Got it all set up, just focused on Mars and the clouds descended (actually just appeared out of no where).  Pity, as there was no breeze at all, so it would have been good for imaging with my scope.  Not looking good for the next few days either :(.   

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johnd

johnd

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SW London:  I didn't expect to get any 'Scope me time' but was pleased to get out Friday evening between 11:30 and 1am, then Saturday evening again late it looked like I'd get the same. I hauled the Dob out at about 10:30 and when I went out at about 11pm and was just about to start (having planned what I was going to look for) only to see High clouds completely cover the sky in 10mins! :mad:   So Dob back in again.   Sunday evening was dry but a clear day gave way to a Cloudy evening.

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ChrisLX200

ChrisLX200

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I was fortunate on Saturday night and captured some useful data on M51, but I didn't manage to get the Blue subs I needed to complete an LRGB. The forecast last night was for some lengthy periods of clear sky so I set up again - cloud stopped play as soon as it went dark. I watched the IR satellite images and there was an isolated band of cloud streaming across my location (my own personal cloud bank it seemed, 20mi north or south looked OK). By the time it shuffled off my target was in an awkward position right on the zenith and I couldn't get the scope on it comfortably. I still managed a couple of subs but they were trailed for some reason I have yet to discover. Not a good night. Very frustrating when it's expected to be clear but it's not and all you can do is wait.

ChrisH

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Charic

Charic

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.........never mind the weather( which is very much, Spring like at present! )  I think my season is  just about to end? The nights are getting very short now, and In mid June here,  there's only about 6 hours between Sunset - Sunrise, with plenty of ambient light in-between!

Should have called my telescope, the Skywatcher-Orion!..........only comes out in Winter?

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Skooby

Skooby

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I picked up this at a charity shop, for £1:

tumblr_inline_movijoCXKz1qz4rgp.jpg

In the past week it's had about ten times more use than my scope. Dammit.

got to get me one of those :)

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johnd

johnd

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.........never mind the weather( which is very much, Spring like at present! )  I think my season is  just about to end? The nights are getting very short now, and In mid June here,  there's only about 6 hours between Sunset - Sunrise, with plenty of ambient light in-between!

Should have called my telescope, the Skywatcher-Orion!..........only comes out in Winter?

I came from N. Ireland and on the rare rainless days in summer, I remember the nights that were still daylike at 10:30pm never mind dark. And later climbing on the Isle of Sky, I came off the mountains at 12am in light conditions and it never really got dark until the sun came up at about 4! I feel for you.

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JulianFR

JulianFR

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I share everyone's frustration, especially fellow Dob users. I decided not to bother taking the 300 out to cool on Friday and Saturday night even though the skies were clear ... I took the smaller 127 make out instead to let it cool briefly. And lo and behold in the space of 15 minutes the clouds rolled in. Nothing was visible.

I'm particularly frustrated as I want to look for the PanSTARRS comet near Ursa Major, which I haven't seen yet.

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Skooby

Skooby

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I share everyone's frustration, especially fellow Dob users. I decided not to bother taking the 300 out to cool on Friday and Saturday night even though the skies were clear ... I took the smaller 127 make out instead to let it cool briefly. And lo and behold in the space of 15 minutes the clouds rolled in. Nothing was visible.

I'm particularly frustrated as I want to look for the PanSTARRS comet near Ursa Major, which I haven't seen yet.

i feel your pain I know exactly what you mean it's happened quite a lot to me frustrating is not the word.

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Myopicus

Myopicus

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i feel your pain I know exactly what you mean it's happened quite a lot to me frustrating is not the word.

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Hmmm . . . agreed.  

That said, last night,  put the dob out to cool 'cos the skies were totally clear. 20 minutes later sea fog / mist rolled in (only noticed it initially because of the car head-light beams shining, along the coast road).  Checked out fuzzy Jupiter, fuzzy mars. Put scope away and sat out in the garden with a bottle of Hobgoblin . . . and used my dark adapted eyes (specs and all) to just look. 

Brilliant. Spent the time with planesphere and LT@O.  Saw half a dozen shooting stars/meteors and at least a dozen satellites, plus learnt my way about Coma Berenices a bit.  And that was just through breaks in the clouds and fuzz.  

It's amazing how conditions deteriorate once you've dark adapted!

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Skooby

Skooby

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Hmmm . . . agreed.

That said, last night, put the dob out to cool 'cos the skies were totally clear. 20 minutes later sea fog / mist rolled in (only noticed it initially because of the car head-light beams shining, along the coast road). Checked out fuzzy Jupiter, fuzzy mars. Put scope away and sat out in the garden with a bottle of Hobgoblin . . . and used my dark adapted eyes (specs and all) to just look.

Brilliant. Spent the time with planesphere and LT@O. Saw half a dozen shooting stars/meteors and at least a dozen satellites, plus learnt my way about Coma Berenices a bit. And that was just through breaks in the clouds and fuzz.

It's amazing how conditions deteriorate once you've dark adapted!

I've done that just sat there with just my eyes and it is amazing what you see once your eyes have adapted. The cloud seems to be clearing in patches now I might actually sit out and have a look!!

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johnd

johnd

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Took the Dob out at about 10pm last night in SW London. Clear skies but despite the lack of moon, I struggled to see anything really. Yes, Venus but Mars was mostly just a wobbling blur in my 12mm and impossible with the Barlow. I'm sure it was just the conditions. I then decided to look for M65/66 as Leo was high and I could see Chartan naked key (no mean feet in SW London). The one good thing, and what I wanted to do anyway was to practice my Star Chart usage. I used my Bins to get a 5degree view and this makes M65 pretty much in the middle. I then put my 25mm in and using my 1degree template saw the circle of stars that are to the left of M65 (in a Dob view). So I know I'm spot on but despite resting eyes and closing eyes I could only just 'suspect'  M65 being there but I know it is as I saw this about 1 month ago. Phew, it was hard work for little reward. I then tried to spot the comet in U Maj handle but could see nothing but the bright star, its very difficult with being straight overhead also? It was at this point that my Bins Dewed and I could see nothing more.

I think to keep my spirits up and feel I'm achieving something I'll try and start to tick off Double Stars (I have saw several) but I'll may be look into the Lists I know there are.

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Skooby

Skooby

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Supposed to be clear Friday night here. Believe that when I see it. Forecasts seem to start optimistic then gradually get worse the closer we get.

ChrisH

my exact words believe it when you see it!!

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Skooby

Skooby

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vadehata.jpgwell this is the rest of my week! Pretty dull as usual I'm seriously thinking of starting an indoor hobby like maybe tapestry or knitting or something at least I'd use them more!!

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