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Total observation nights per year?!

uhb1966

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uhb1966

uhb1966

Posted
Posted

I have the feeling that there are sometimes almost months between really good observation nights. I realize there are many people from the Uk here which is not really known for good weather. Your opinions? (I know we can't all live on the Teide :-) )

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ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

I suspect a strange case of more then many think.

The problem is defining an "observing night".

Assuming work that really can knock on the head Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.

What time is an "observing night" ?

1:30AM to 3:30 AM, or as I suspect 9:00PM to 11:00PM - are you going to get up, look out the window at 1:30AM and go observing if it is clear, or stay in bed warm, fast asleep and never even know if it is clear. I know which I do.

There is a professor in Cambridge who regularily observes double stars and he checks the weather and is a spell during the night then he waits in the observatory for the sky to clear immaterial of the time of the clear spell.

Worst case is if clear from Midnight to 4:00AM on a Tueday and a Wednesday and you work then you will very likely have walked away from 2 observing nights. I will say for quite understandable reasons. However if cloudy on a Friday + Saturday we say No chance to observe all week.

We very likely miss observing nights more because of the time the clear bit occurs then anything else. So I would say more then talked about but the timing of them is the problem.

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CCD Imager

CCD Imager

Posted
Posted

A rough quote is about 1 in 6 and remember it rains 1 in 3 in the UK. But this does depend on where you live. Also you can get even more picky and say I don't want to observe with the moon in the sky or with poor transparent conditions. Does 2 hours of clear sky per night count?

Adrian

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christhebrit

christhebrit

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Posted

Spot on with the 2100 - 2300 comment. I've only managed a couple days this year until 0200 on a weekend.

There's also many cloads here, mainly as I live on the wrong side of a ridge.

To be honest though, I do all my observing from a balcony with street lights near by, I'll soon start looking for a darker space when I get my car back from the garage.

With dark skies and nicers views, I may push my observing times and just be a bit tired at work.

No doubt I'll be able to sleep the next evening when the clouds come back.

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mjpfc

mjpfc

Posted
Posted

44 solar obs sessions and 73 sessions with the 8" at night so far this year, some 6 hours long, some, like

tonight, less than half an hour before it all clouded up.

even the short ones will do me, and of the moon is up and big, observe the moon.

Funnily enough I actually spent a night up on Tiede earlier this year and it stormed on me.

best stay at home I say.

Mick

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Vox45

Vox45

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Posted

Well, there IS a clear sky alarm clock... from FLO! And it can even forecast dew :) check this out:

http://clearoutside.com/forecast/50.15/8.26?view=midday

Absolutely amazing :)

(Now i'm already expecting the 4569 replies "ohhhhh knew that already" :/

I did not know about http://clearoutside.com/ thanks mate ! This is a life saver for me :)

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Scott

Scott

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227 Solar sessions and 100+ night time sessions in 257 days so far , all ranging from minutes to several hours , I spend more time observing than moaning it has to be said ...  :rolleyes:

227  :eek:  :eek:  :eek: . if you duck in for a coffee does that make it 2 sessions?  :evil:

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