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Where do you observe from?


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Where do I live? In the shed (according to my missus). I don't have a portable setup so all imaging is done from my back garden. Luckily conditions are acceptable with minimal light pollution (definitely not a dark site though). I do feel vulnerable though because it would take just one 'security' light to ruin the whole thing and there wouldn't be much I could do about it.

ChrisH

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Here's where I observe, or rather image from, the view from my conservatory. Believe it or not it's more open than where I moved from.

attachicon.gif20140813_1252521.jpg

The tangle of cables was during early testing.

You are in the new house?. Congrats. 

Ive only observed from my back garden in any house ive lived in. However, in the new house i am thinking i will observe from the front garden as there is more sky available to me then in the back. Its not perfect out the front as there are a couple of lamps, but i have a LPF and the lamps are not in my face. If i want truly dark observing i need to just go to the top of the estate onto the quiet country road (no lamps), or a couple more minutes out of the estate and its open countryside. 

I'm kind of spoiled around here for observing locations. I didnt buy the house for astronomy reasons, but its worked out better then i could have imagined.

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Thanks Paul. Yes, I've been in for getting on six weeks now and it's feeling more like "home". I'm planning to re-lay the patio in the forseable future and will put in a pier for the telescope, probably swaping positions with the table.

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Hi,

   I suppose I am quite lucky, as I work in a Green Bowling Club.  The season for bowling finishes mid September leaving the Greens empty.

I take my APM 80 and a Skytee to and leave them in the kitchen.  The bar is open during the week allowing me to set up my kit and give

interested members a trip around he Heavens.

                                              mijijim.

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Have moved from the north and the city and the desert lands which surrounded it:

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to a more humid area of Spain nearer the east coast. I'm living in a village about 15 minutes from a bigger town surrounded by lemon trees and orange groves. This is basically the view from the back of the house:

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The good news is, the skies are significantly darker where I live, so I don't have to travel. You can see the Milky Way, M 31 etc naked one from the roof top and I've had some of the best sessions ever. The bad news is, although the days are hot with deep blue skies, come night they fill with cloud and humidity increases tenfold. In the short time I've been here, I guess I've had about 3 or 4 good sessions a month. Swings and roundabouts  :grin:

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Have moved from the north and the city and the desert lands which surrounded it:

to a more humid area of Spain nearer the east coast. I'm living in a village about 15 minutes from a bigger town surrounded by lemon trees and orange groves. This is basically the view from the back of the house:

attachicon.gifView from Window.jpg

The good news is, the skies are significantly darker where I live, so I don't have to travel. You can see the Milky Way, M 31 etc naked one from the roof top and I've had some of the best sessions ever. The bad news is, although the days are hot with deep blue skies, come night they fill with cloud and humidity increases tenfold. In the short time I've been here, I guess I've had about 3 or 4 good sessions a month. Swings and roundabouts  :grin:

Qualia, it looks really nice, i cant help thinking that as you move into Autumn and the days get cooler, the nights will improve

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Having not had my telescope for long, I've only been using it in my back garden at the minute which is pretty dark anyway, but now I'm getting used to driving it, I'm hoping to take it out onto Bodmin moor and really make the most of the dark skies!

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I have a reasonable back garden from which, after a bit of dark eye time, I can spot all the mag 5/6 stars of Ursa Minor (just), M31 and most of the Milky Way. There are street lights but luckily the direct line of sight is blocked. My best views are straight up obviously and anywhere but SW and NW. There are slight orange domes from Harrogate to the S and Ripon to the N. I have invited neighbours over for star parties and now if I tweet that I'm heading out for a session they either join me or switch off their lights and drop their blinds. I've just invested in a third hand 12" Dob and once the clouds finally move away I'm interested if it gives me better views than my other gear. I fear it may not be quite dark enough but let's see.

post-35542-0-65638200-1410695516_thumb.j

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I'm a back garden watcher at the moment, not so good to the West, east is ok and North and South are fine. Next door neighbours security light can be a pain, but otherwise it's fine. Planning to go to some darker places, like Ranmore Common, Newlands Corner, and Emmets Garden now I'm getting to grips with finding things in the night sky...

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I observe from my terrace which is a pretty useful spot but it can also be highly impractical due to the heat of the Spanish sun in summer time. I can still feel the heat radiating from the ground and walls at midnight so it doesn't do a lot for the thermal currents.

Still despite having 4 or 5 close by and bright street lights in my FOV I can still faintly make out the milky way so it's not all that bad. 

We have another impending move though so I'm not sure yet what turn my observing will take.

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So far, my two "outings" have been to my drive and back garden (Hartlepool) - lots of light pollution, but still saw enough of the moon to leave me awestruck. I have a caravan in North Yorkshire where it's far darker - I'm heading there next weekend and looking forward to clear skies :-)

I'm planning a trip to Kielder later in the year with a friend - can't wait!

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Garden with urban skies. I used to be able to see the milky way years ago but LP has gotten much worse lately. Hopefully the new led streetlights going up everywhere here will improve things.

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Why do I have my scope so low? The fence shields me from a streetlight about 50 yards away... ;)

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I assume the lights are for the pool and terrace area for entertaining at night. It's been a bit over a year here and I couldn't even tell you how to switch them on, I have no idea where the switch is and have no desire to find out. :wink:


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well i live in the usa, north dakota and population is only 600,000 in state so i guess pretty lucky...and live about 5 miles south of bismarck and only north sky is a little bright from city or town as only 50,000 population....i took out my yard light bulb and wife says put it back in as she goes to gymat 5 am and to dark...and we do have or have seen mountain lions and such and she has to use flashlight or be scared....i store my evo 8" in the detached garage..so jsut carry it out...i did just get this and had 130slt before...i really like our skys here...when go on vacation and last time to spokane ..man you can see the city 60 miles out easy....

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mostly in my yard since it is dark. The headlights from cars make it difficult to try and see early. Occasionally I have gone to the front, but it has to be way after midnight. I live in a rural area with NO streetlights so when cars come through they have their high beam lights on. There have been time when I just open the back or front door, pull my scope in the middle of the doorway and point it somewhere interesting. I'm still new to this and quite enamored with anything I see through my scope.

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I live on a 6,000+ acre farm up on Exmoor, (not mine though), and have great views of the sky with no lp whatsoever, on clear nights the sky is absolutely littered with stars but as I've only just got into the hobby I've only been in the garden a few times and not really sussed much out yet. There are a few high points within 10 minutes drive from me that I intend to visit although I'll probably encounter lp from Bristol and a few other places up there.

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I live in the South Wales valleys in a valley not great views from my backyard so my observing is limited here, but I am a warden of a caravan and camping park in the Brecon Beacons with superb views and no LP. so I have the worst and the best!!

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Interesting to see the responses.  Most do it from home with the occasional trip out.  I am also a back garden person as the idea of driving anywhere and having it cloud over doesn't appeal! Am reasonably ok with both light pollution and the views though restricted in the north and west.

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I observe and image from my back garden which fortunately for me is in a streetlight-less village a few miles from Colchester, so it works out quite well. I also regularly travel to a slightly darker site when the North Essex Astro Society has an observatory and a nice paved area outside with good views in most directions.

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The Astronomy Centre and Tenerife. Although by no means perfect, the sky at the Centre is better than most of the visitors have at home and we have several telescopes up to 30" aperture. The Tenerife location is within 3 minutes walk from the sea so none of the legendary mountain top views, however the Milky Way can still be seen, lunar and planetary images are often awesome and it's clear most nights with comfortable temperatures. My main interest there is solar observation.   :smiley: 

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