Problem for English observers

[The Warthog]

I was just looking at some of the statistics for England (Ulverston) and my home, and noticed that, at the summer solstice, it never really gets dark in England. There is no end to astronomical twilight. In my environs, we have four hours between the end of evening twilight, and the beginning of morning twilight. It may sound like a silly question, but do you notice this, really in summer observing?

I got thinking about this when I made my comment about the other night, going inside to wait until it got properly dark...

[FLO]

WH,

In mid summer, there are only two hours dark enough for observing, 12-2

[GazOC]

Yes WH it's very noticable from the June until August. It's a right royal pain in the.....

[GazOC]

Caz, I guarantee you'll be suprised how little time there is in the summer months when the sky is "astronomically dark"

[FLO]

At least we don't freeze

Mind you, I bet Jamie suffers with those Scottish Midges...

[GazOC]

A little refractor or Mak?

[Naz]

Yes WH, the English do have to suffer a very short night through out the summer, even a sky that isn't truely dark.

Up here I don't have that problem, just near enough 24 hours of day light for the months of june / july and twilight from april to end of august.

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/skynotes/archive12.htm There is a piece about half way down the page on twilight here in Orkney.

nabban

[Ant]

I normally don't do any observing during June or July. May and August are fine though.

I sometimes pop out for a laze in a chair but that about it - maybe a planet or the moon.

Ant

[daz]

No poblem.

I've heard there's a bloke in Canada willing to put up several sky-starved Limeys - he does a mean pork chop on the BBQ

[The Warthog]

Hmmm. Yeah. I hear he has three spare beds, and likes single-malt scotch, too.