cloudy weather diary log

[nightfisher]

I am always saying how bad the weather can be up here, so today i bought a little diary and devised a simple 1-5 rating, 1 being very poor and 5 being very good, so this year i will log the night sky and then i can look back and see just how good/bad its been

[Pete Presland]

It will be an interesting read by the end of the year, especially regarding the amount of clear nights.

I have a diary for my imaging sessions, but forget to fill it in every time. I have promised myself this year will be different!

[nightfisher]

I plan to add a little entry if i actually get a scope out

[Starlight 1]

+ a W for weather apps was right , that save 6 pens by the end of the year.

[johnfosteruk]

What a great idea. Off to the stationers in the morning. 

[nightfisher]

First sign of possible clear skies and man flu/cold/lurgy has struck, i feel like a zombie

[Alfian]

37 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

First sign of possible clear skies and man flu/cold/lurgy has struck, i feel like a zombie

Sorry to her that Jules, you'll need to add other keys to the diary that indicates incapacity. It's what nots law too that clear nights occur when you've got tickets to a gig or some other social encumbrance, not forgetting when life's just too much that day and you just want to crash out!

[JOC]

Oh, who'd buy a telescope in the Winter (me!).  I have had it since 8th December and have used it three times including put together day about 3 days after delivery (lost just the odd clear night over Crimbo), I make that over a month of mainly cloudy skies - just the three clear nights + anything I lost over Crimbo (and I think we even used it boxing day).  The trouble is 'cos I can't use the telescope, I keep buying bits for it.  Powertank, boxes for bits, connectors for cameras and its all getting rather costly.  OK I've accepted the fact that, on the whole, I will have to probably wait years for decent planets at decent times of night (at the moment I will get royal kicked if I wake up at heaven knows what hour to watch Jupiter and wake others up in the process) - though venus is rather splendid atm, but I just want to play with it all - even the moon is a rewarding target when you first start out.  I've got what I think is a lovely telescope, but the weather won't play ball,  Maybe I shall have to practice things like daytime photography techniques (its OK I'll be careful that I mind the sun) and play with my collimator to see how it works, but I really want to star watch!!!

[nightfisher]

So far January is looking very poor, we have had 2 clear nights and that had to coincide with me being of work sick with man flu, this is the first time i have taken sick time in nearly ten years, there was no way i was going out in minus 3 feeling like i was

[Alfian]

Did the mists part over your way last night Jules? Here, early to mid-evening, was spectacularly clear. I'd had quite a busy tiring day and all I wanted to do was flop down in front of the TV, but just could not waste those skies so went out with my newish binoculars that I had not yet properly test driven. Came in out of the cold after an hour or so, went back out at 10pm to find that the oh so  familiar frosty mists were forming and that was that. However, just to be able to get  under good clear skies, even for one hour, certainly gave the grin factor a boost. Lets hope we get a few more windows like that.

[nightfisher]

It was clear but with 10-15% mist about tea time, i hoped i might get a scope out a little later but it clouded up, at about 7.30 there was a great bank of cloud forming to the west (very common) this became full cloud by 8.15

[laudropb]

Hi Jules. I have jotted down sky conditions in a diary for just over 3 years. Right now it makes pretty dire reading. 2 clear nights in December and only 1 this year. It's the worst spell since I began taking records.

[hawklord2011]

After not observing since last May I returned to the back garden between Xmas and New Year and have been sitting on my hands ever since! My records of last January show two or three sessions a week. I was very excited to have a superb clear sky last night with really good seeing, but note it will cloud over later and set in for the week. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so each observing night is at least a treat!

[Alfian]

14 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

It was clear but with 10-15% mist about tea time, i hoped i might get a scope out a little later but it clouded up, at about 7.30 there was a great bank of cloud forming to the west (very common) this became full cloud by 8.15

Looks like it was better here  and was just fortunate to catch that sweet window of clear skies. It just shows how local conditions can get. Earlier in the week it was thick fog here (1000 ft) and right down into the valley. I travelled over the top of moor (1200 ft) and soon after dropping down of the top towards Keighley it was clear, not blue skies, but no fog!

[JOC]

Last night and the night before I've just had 2 clear nights on the trot (though sub-zero temps) in deepest Esex - Yay!

[Gina]

And if it's not a social event, bad cold, exhausted etc. then it's gear failure of some sort!!!  Like I had last night

[AKB]

2 minutes ago, Gina said:

And if it's not a social event, bad cold, exhausted etc. then it's gear failure of some sort!!!  Like I had last night

Yup, me too.  All set up and then the PC screen failed.  Now I have to decide: new Windows (10) machine or RPi, etc...  no AP for a while, whatever the weather

 

[johnfosteruk]

I've been recording too and because I like spreadsheets I decided to chuck it into one to graph it, nothing too rigorous but it's a record.

Figures for 2017 to date attached for giggles. I'll keep this going for posterity.

[LukeSkywatcher]

27 minutes ago, johnfosteruk said:

I've been recording too and because I like spreadsheets I decided to chuck it into one to graph it, nothing too rigorous but it's a record.

Figures for 2017 to date attached for giggles. I'll keep this going for posterity.

You are doing well this year.

[nightfisher]

So far January gave me 2 clear nights, and i have to confess to seeing a couple of unexpected clear early mornings when setting of to work, the clear nights coincided with Man flu so nowt happened 

[faulksy]

i have tried this jules for the last 5 years get bored after a week. but this year i have only missed 1 day up to now, quite happy with myself

[faulksy]

stevenant has a good one in the sw forum. he has done it for years

[domstar]

The January count has been done, and it's 8(eight!) clear nights for me. I think December was 3. Freezing cold though.

[JOC]

I totted up on my comments thread and January gave me 4 clear nights, a single and then three on the trot later in the month.  All of them consistently with temperatures below zero   That's about 13% clear nights for January.

[nightfisher]

YAY, i must be due some clear skies, reason........i am down with another dose of man flu again, having only just got back on my feet so to speak