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Your Astro Holiday Plans

scarp15

By scarp15
in Observing - Discussion

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Beulah

Beulah

Posted
Posted

@Uranium235 Try the Brown Clee Hill as well as the Titterstone Clee (used to walk these frequently).

From the summit of the more rural and wild Brown Clee, you will be treated to pretty much the whole of the South Shropshire countryside and into Wales... :). You will see Snowdonia (which is amazing with a snowy peak in the winter), Cader Idris, The Brecon Beacons and even the Malverns.

On the Eastern side, you will be treated to views of... Wolverhampton...  :D

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Uranium235

Uranium235

Posted
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@Beulah I'll add those to my list of places to go, thanks :)

I think its probably best done in late Summer or early Autumn being as its so exposed, it will probably get a bit windy up there. Great thing about Clee hill is you can pretty much drive to the top and there are a few spots where I can park and set up the gear without being hassled. But before I entertain the thought of any imaging I would have to sort out a reliable power supply.... Im thinking of getting a few Tracer Lithium batteries  - one for the camera, one for the mount, and one (or two wired in parallel) for the netbook, that should do me for a night out :)

 

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kegstar

kegstar

Posted
Posted

howdo,

I've got 2weeks in august in the Cotswolds looking after a friends farm.

By day looking after sheep, cows, 6dogs (3off are mine) & repairing dry stone walls.

By night dark skies, 360degree views, milky way overhead, perseids, wild duck cluster & everything else I can find.

doubt there will be enough room for scope but will have camera & bins.

All else fails & the clouds roll in I've unlimited access to their drinks cabinet.

happy days & happy hols to all

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FenlandPaul

FenlandPaul

Posted
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A couple of weeks in late August in a cottage overlooking the Longships Lighthouse at Lands End / Sennen Cove.  Unfortunately probably only space for the bins, but should be a great south and west horizon and sunsets over the lighthouse and Atlantic.

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DirkSteele

DirkSteele

Posted
Posted

Just back from a week in Namibia. The skies and conditions did not disappoint. Also at that latitude Mars and Saturn were passing near the zenith so was good to have some views out of the murk near the horizon that we currently have to endure in the UK.

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mcrowle

mcrowle

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Namibia sounds fantastic, Matthew! I long to see the Southern sky again - my only time was 15 years ago, when I joined the Explorers trip to Zimbabwe for the 2001 solar eclipse.

I try to fit some astronomy into a holiday if the location and conditions are right. One very pleasant surprise was Saas Fee in Switzerland, a small ski resort at around 5000ft and surrounded my mountains, where I stayed briefly in 2012. Very luckily, the skies were beautiful on 6 of the 7 nights! My sky is not too bad at home in Cornwall, but in Saas Fee, when a short walk from the village, the Milky Way overhead in early September had to be seen to be believed!

This year I'm heading to Kandersteg, also in Switzerland. It's quite small again, but at a lower altitude. I've booked around the new Moon to take advantage of any clear skies :).

Regards,

Mike.

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Paul73

Paul73

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On 31 May 2016 at 13:26, Paul73 said:

A week in the Lot Valley for us. Everyone else wants to fly. I'm voting for driving so that I can bring my baby scope.

Paul

The flying lobby won in the end.

But, there will be a 10" scope ready and waiting!!! ? The owner (a friend of my aunt) has volenteered his scope. What a lovely chap.

Paul

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laser_jock99

laser_jock99

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On 11/06/2016 at 18:36, Beulah said:

@Uranium235 Try the Brown Clee Hill as well as the Titterstone Clee (used to walk these frequently).

From the summit of the more rural and wild Brown Clee, you will be treated to pretty much the whole of the South Shropshire countryside and into Wales... :). You will see Snowdonia (which is amazing with a snowy peak in the winter), Cader Idris, The Brecon Beacons and even the Malverns.

On the Eastern side, you will be treated to views of... Wolverhampton...  :D

Another vote for Brown Clee (no street lights or floodlit quarry on this one!) good view of the lights of Birmingham from the summit though....

Otherwise another hours motoring westwards will take you well into the Dark Heart of Wales.

 

Holiday wise we have a couple weeks in the mountains of Sicilly at the end of August. Doubt I'll get much observing in though.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Posted

Yesterday a former guest and now friend, who bought a house in this area, called round to introduce us to a New Zealand couple who run an astro B and B in NZ. http://www.stargazersbb.com/

They couldn't have been nicer people and their place looks terrific. If ever I manage to head down that way I won't hesitate to spend some time there.

Olly

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niallk

niallk

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Posted

Hope to spend a long weekend down in Ballinskelligs at the end of August - camp just on the sand dunes and tie in with the Skellig Star Party all going well! When the sky is clear, the sky is amazing down there ... and the beach is beautiful during the day :)

IMG_20160615_225319.jpg

 

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iapa

iapa

Posted
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Orkney, for 10 days mid Oct.

Taking the CGE-DX and 200P-DS with the usual ancillary laptops, tabled, DSLRs etc.

In March I managed to get this, unguided, image of M27 with the 200P-DS on the AVX with the Canon 70D.

 

image.jpeg

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

Posted
Posted
On 15/06/2016 at 22:56, niallk said:

Hope to spend a long weekend down in Ballinskelligs at the end of August - camp just on the sand dunes and tie in with the Skellig Star Party all going well! When the sky is clear, the sky is amazing down there ... and the beach is beautiful during the day :)

IMG_20160615_225319.jpg

 

I might just aim for that myself as a weekend away..I'd stay in a local hotel though. Its one of the most beautiful parts of the country and if the weather plays ball even better. Do you have a date for the star party? 

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niallk

niallk

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12 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I might just aim for that myself as a weekend away..I'd stay in a local hotel though. Its one of the most beautiful parts of the country and if the weather plays ball even better. Do you have a date for the star party? 

 

Hi Paul,

Yeah, love it down there.

Check out:

http://skelligstarparty.com

All the best,

-Niall 

 

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Roy Challen

Roy Challen

Posted
Posted

I have a week in Georgia in September, probably around the Tbilisi region, really looking forward to that. Will take binos only.

I was in Kazakhstan late May/early June. With my wife and  in-laws, we went hiking in a remote part of KZ, literally at the end of the road heading into Kyrgyzstan - the nearest city, Almaty, is over 200km away, and only 2 (yes 2!) small villages within 30km! Altitude of 1800-2000m. Absolutely zero light pollution. I honestly thought the Milky Way was a cloud it was so bright. I only had binoculars with me then, but I got my best ever view of M81/82 through them. I could see the dust lane in 82 with ease. These were truly, truly dark skies. Unforgettable.

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DRT

DRT

Posted
Posted

I'm off to the Douro Valley in northern Portugal next week to stay on a vineyard in the base of the valley. With daytime temps of up to 40 degrees and huge thermals in the valley it's not worth lugging a scope but I'll take my Canon 15x50 IS bins. 

Then it's Skye in late August and early September. Will probably take my 6" Evo F8 as it sits across the back window of the car and will make a brilliant spotting scope as well as some big light grab at night if the weather is kind. 

Probably best if I don't ask Mrs T to stay at home so that the OO VX12 can fit in the car :rolleyes2:

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Beulah

Beulah

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Roy Challen said:

I have a week in Georgia in September, probably around the Tbilisi region, really looking forward to that. Will take binos only.

I was in Kazakhstan late May/early June. With my wife and  in-laws, we went hiking in a remote part of KZ, literally at the end of the road heading into Kyrgyzstan - the nearest city, Almaty, is over 200km away, and only 2 (yes 2!) small villages within 30km! Altitude of 1800-2000m. Absolutely zero light pollution. I honestly thought the Milky Way was a cloud it was so bright. I only had binoculars with me then, but I got my best ever view of M81/82 through them. I could see the dust lane in 82 with ease. These were truly, truly dark skies. Unforgettable.

Dust lanes with binoculars? Amazing!

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Roy Challen

Roy Challen

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23 hours ago, Beulah said:

Dust lanes with binoculars? Amazing!

Yep, I was amazed too, shocked even! What really got me was the apparent size of the two galaxies - it was more like looking at one of my attempts at imaging the pair. Couldn't make out the spiral structure of M81 though.

Pentax 12x50 SP's, excellent bins for the money - I need to get another pair as I gave that pair to my brother in law when I left KZ. I might go for the 20x60's but not if I lose the convenience of the smaller (but not lesser) ones.

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Beulah

Beulah

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6 minutes ago, Roy Challen said:

Yep, I was amazed too, shocked even! What really got me was the apparent size of the two galaxies - it was more like looking at one of my attempts at imaging the pair. Couldn't make out the spiral structure of M81 though.

Pentax 12x50 SP's, excellent bins for the money - I need to get another pair as I gave that pair to my brother in law when I left KZ. I might go for the 20x60's but not if I lose the convenience of the smaller (but not lesser) ones.

I hope you have since been able to re-adjust to the humble UK skies...

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Stu

Stu

Posted
Posted
On 19 June 2016 at 18:59, DRT said:

I'm off to the Douro Valley in northern Portugal next week to stay on a vineyard in the base of the valley. With daytime temps of up to 40 degrees and huge thermals in the valley it's not worth lugging a scope but I'll take my Canon 15x50 IS bins. 

Then it's Skye in late August and early September. Will probably take my 6" Evo F8 as it sits across the back window of the car and will make a brilliant spotting scope as well as some big light grab at night if the weather is kind. 

Probably best if I don't ask Mrs T to stay at home so that the OO VX12 can fit in the car :rolleyes2:

Roof box?

I'm sure you could make it quite comfy for her..... ???

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iapa

iapa

Posted
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17 hours ago, Stu said:

Roof box?

I'm sure you could make it quite comfy for her..... ???

Good idea - I just measured the car boot, and the CGEM-DX mount will not fit, but will fit in passenger space.

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