So how many nights were you able to observe in 2014?

[almcl]

In the title, really.

My observing diary records 71 nights of observing.  Is this really poor or did you mange even fewer?

Surprisingly this December tied with August as the most productive month, with ten nights each and I even managed a almost recognisable image of the Orion nebula (below) with the point and shoot non-DSLR bridge camera!

On the subject of observing forecasts, has anyone else found the Clear Outside ap to be a bit off these last few days?  We have had several days of unbroken sunshine stretching into clear nights where it has consistently maintained that we have 100% cloud cover all day.  Does it require 'tweaking' by human intervention?  And has that been missing this last week, I wonder?

[Moonshane]

My log indicates 57 night sessions and 92 solar sessions. I don't think 71 is that bad :-)

[webboid]

Pretty happy with 93 sessions 2 hours or longer plus 15 grab & go sessions. Here's looking for more clear skies next year.

[ArmyAirForce]

I managed 72 sessions including solar imaging. 1/5 of the year with my eye or camera to the scope is pretty good I feel.

Here's the breakdown....

Observing/imaging number of nights.
Jan 13
Feb 9
Mar 9
Apr 3
May 2
Jun 3
Jul 5
Aug 1
Sep 8
Oct 7
Nov 4
Dec 8

[Mr Flibble]

Crikey have you guys got your own clear skies micro climate?! lol

I don't know how many sessions I've done this year but its nowhere near those totals. Def done five sessions this winter which I thought was good considering the cloud, rain, cloud and more cloud. I need to move.

[southernman]

Just did a count up this morning. 188 sessions with less than a dozen white light solar viewing sessions in that number.

Approximately 63% with my grab'n'go setups (either 80mm f/11.4 refractor or laterly my120mm f/5 refractor) with most of the remaining sessions using the 10" dob. Sadly I've only had my 6" f/8 Frac out 9 times generally for lunar work.

Peter

[cotterless45]

114 sessions, one short of last year. How ?

Just don't take any notice of the weather forecasts, get a red lined black cape and pointy canines !

After all broken sleep is supposed to change your DNA !

Happy New Year !

Count Nick.

[Scott]

don't keep records but if its 30, I'd be surprized 

[Bart]

Very, very few. Disappointing, in fact

Barry

[Mr Spock]

Only 3 or 4 But that is due to my bad back stopping me from lifting my kit.

Never mind, the universe isn't going anywhere

[ronin]

Suppose 71 is sort of "average", about 1 in 5 which sounds right.

114 is no problem either IF you check the conditions at say 2:00am.

71 will be 71 clear nights at about 9:00 to 10:00pm, when you look out and think you can set the stuff up. 71 is also I suspect when clear at 10:00 and no work the next day. 114 is when it is poor at 9:00pm but looks like being clear at 2:00am and you spend the effort to get up and find out, and then use the oppertunity if it is there.

We tend to count "clear" as clear at 9:00-12:00, but clear at 2:00 to 5:00 is also clear and also an observing session (usually missed). Will be honest and say that absolutely nothing is going to get me out from under a warm duvet at 2:00am immaterial of the clarity of the sky.

[Stridor]

Only 22 , which I thought was ok until I read what some of you guys manage!!

[Steve Ward]

100+ in the dark ... 307 solar ... 

[RikM]

Not as many as it could have been but still a satisfying year. Last year was the first that I put work and health considerations before observing, and I feel better for it. The observing sessions I have had, 20-30 probably, have been great. Quality over quantity has worked for me.

[pete_l]

Can't say how many I did observe, but the stats below show how many I could have.

I've just run the end of year summary for Spain's local "Met Office" data for our nearest large town (Baza)

and it looks like this:

max temp 39.3, min -8.8. 301.6 mm rain, 261 sunny days

Since it's an agricultural region, the government weather station collects "sun energy" totals in MJ per sq metre per day.

This varies with the intensity  of the Sun, from about 33 MJ/m²/day in high summer down to about 12 in mid-winter.

So I reckon a day counts as "sunny" if the received sunlight is more than ¾ of the theoretical maximum. And if the day

is sunny, the night will be clear . Not very scientific, but the best I can do so far.

[r3i]

I'm impressed with the level of record keeping you all do, I think I need to raise my game .

Looking back at the number of images that I managed to create, I did 9 last year compared to 11 the previous year, so I was a bit down which sounds about right. I bought a Mak halfway through last year which fills in gaps between imaging sessions and is enabling me to make better use of those precious clear nights.

[JB80]

I stopped keeping track around July/August and was up to about 150ish and the other day I was looking just on my flickr and there were conservatively around 450 finished images this year. I'm going to say around 300 sessions. A lot of them have been solar sessions though.

Maybe I should keep a log book.

[Scott]

100+ in the dark ... 307 solar ... 

just because you got in for a coffee/beer,doesn't mean it's a new session when you come out... I still haven't forgiven you for your colonial quip on gary's fb   

[Steve Ward]

And a happy new year to you Scott ...  

Guess I should have specified 307 days of Solar images captured since 1st Jan 2014 , and over a hundred night-time observing sessions ... 

Not my fault I happen to live in a sweetspot ... 

[SteveNickolls]

Last year I managed 59 observing nights so 71 sounds good going. Blimy, only 59 sessions that's only just a little over one night in six-ouch. I'm so glad I moved into radio meteor detecting this summer turning every night and day into a worthwhile hobby. 

Chins up!

Cheers,

Steve

[nightfisher]

I am not so organised to keep records, maybe i will create some kind of desktop log for 2015, so i have no true idea but it will only be 30-40 short sessions with an emphasis on Luna imaging, what i am pleased to be able to say is both my A-focal and DSLR Luna work has improved, still a good way to go with it till i get to a standard i am happy with.

I know i missed a good amount of clear nights due to being tired or feeling poorly, also 2014 was a lot of change for me, moving to a house i now hate, moving in with a partner i love (Claire) changing my job and settling with this most impressive company.

I am in the process of trying to find a better house, this will give me a garden, so will have an area to observe from and a possibility of putting a pier down of some kind. Also i seem to be undergoing a transitional stage with my present telescope line up, i will eventually decide on some scopes to stick with

So all things considered i am looking forward to a better year 2015

[StarcrazyGeoff]

Just 1 night I'm afraid and that was on 26th December, using my Sunagar 20 -160 x70 binoculars. This is a new found hobby, so one has to start sometime. Once my new scope arrives, I hope to at least add 100 to that score for 2015. I spent over an hour, just viewing the Moon and Jupiter.

If the night had been a bit warmer, I would have spent more time, but it was a very cold frosty night and my fingers were starting to go numb. But it was quite enjoyable while it lasted.

[Lowjiber]

I had 78 recorded dark sessions.

I didn't count the solar sessions, nor did even record the quick grab-n-go "looks" at easy targets in the morning hours with coffee & cigs... easily another three dozen.

[mjpfc]

I had 136 day on which I managed some sort of Observing (Incl daytime-Solar), including 89 nights out with the 20cm.

Not all of those nights were very long or under a great sky, but some where all nighters.

Mick

[Bart]

I must be in a massive black spot or I've lost the urge!!

Barry