Permacloud

[mikey2000]

I had a gap last night and this evening.  Last night, I managed to discover that Guiding presents a number of new issues and this evening, I discovered that 5 min gaps in the cloud are not long enough to help resolve them Grrr.

Amusingly, yesterday felt quite sunny and warm during the day but I had to give up outside at night due to inappropriate footwear.  I nearly froze my toes off!  Brrr.   I had no more patience for waiting for gaps while my feet felt so cold...

[BRUN]

im starting to wonder if ive bought an expensive ornament, just cant seem to get a good night

[mikey2000]

Permacloud update...

We had a few sunny afternoons recently.     I think I even saw the moon one evening through a fuzzy layer of cloud.....

 

My expensive ornament is still nicely ornate in the garage.

 

 

I have become a compulsive weather app checker!

[Roysten]

46 minutes ago, mikey2000 said:

Permacloud update...

We had a few sunny afternoons recently.     I think I even saw the moon one evening through a fuzzy layer of cloud.....

 

My expensive ornament is still nicely ornate in the garage.

 

 

I have become a compulsive weather app checker!

I know the feeling Mikey, I check Clearoutside several times a day. It's sad that I'm beyond being surprised when the 100% cloud cover stretches off into the future.

Sometime I wonder about recommissioning my scope as a coat hanger!

[laudropb]

It has been a very frustrating winter, but hang in there. Tonight I have a clear sky for the first time in weeks. The seeing is not great and the full Moon means that what can be viewed is very limited, but it is much better than clouds. I am waiting for Jupiter to clear some trees in my garden. Don't worry your turn will come.

[mikey2000]

My time *will* come!    It's just so annoying!   Apparently I'm due a clear spell at 3am tonight but with school runs tomorrow, I will be fully asleep then.    

 

Maybe in 20 years, I can retire and set my own timetable....

 

 

 

[mikey2000]

46 minutes ago, Roysten said:

I check Clearoutside several times a day. 

What? Only one app? If you download a few more, it is possible to be disappointed multiple times.

 

but they all disagree, so it can still be a bit of fun comparing the met office to all the other sources...

[mikey2000]

I just popped outside to feed our rabbits.   The Stars Are Out!  (In a hazy kind of way but the full moon looks splendid...)

 

Its amazing - the whole sky has moved!  All of Ursa Major is now visible (normally obscured by the roof next door). And where is Orion? Sunk below the treelike!  Goodbye winter, hello spring.  And a 7am

alarm so no real fun tonight :-)

[JOC]

The thing is the longer the cloud persists the more than bank balance gets hammered and the more kit I seem to collect - the trouble is that one night is not sufficient to experiment with it all, what I really need are several sessions all in one hit.  I've probably got enough new filters and lenses to keep me busy experimenting for a week or longer and at the rate I'm going I just don't seem to catch up!

[AKB]

8 minutes ago, JOC said:

the longer the cloud persists the more than bank balance gets hammered and the more kit I seem to collect

I've never heard of that problem before ... (Ahem)

[rockystar]

I bought a new bit of kit the other day, and the first clear night we get, I forgot to use it!!

[kiloran]

I think one session in February, and nothing yet in March. The most frustrating thing at the moment is down here this week there have been three spring-like days with at most 25% low cloud cover only for it only to completely cloud over as night approaches. I think we were spoilt early on around Christmas as we got several nights of perfectly clear skies and got complacent. Dreading the clocks going forward as that will mean no chance of observing with my son on a school night

[PESKYWAABBIT]

I've had 3 sessions this whole year so far.

Sometimes it pays just to have a pair of bino's to have a quick look without all the faff of setting up the scope. Although for me, tonight is looking like the best so far since owning my scope! (See signature) 

[kiloran]

This thread reminds me of the incredibly maudlin Ray Bradbury short story "All Summer in a Day" - although they're waiting for the sun to appear through clouds, not the stars. 

[JOC]

57 minutes ago, PESKYWAABBIT said:

tonight is looking like the best so far since owning my scope! (See signature) 

 

You won't go wrong with that I think ;-D

[kiloran]

Sigh. Beautifully clear all the way from work (Venus looking beautiful as usual) until I plunged into 50yd visibility blanket fog which is due to stick around all evening...

[mikey2000]

Totally clear here tonight!  Very calm too.    I just had it all setup to go with PHD2 when I accidentally knocked out the power cable and the computer died.

 

Then it said "please wait while we finalise the updates" as Windows took over.  Bah!

 

all up and running again, gathering data on what I hope will be the cone nebula....

 

but, I have an early shift tomorrow so will need to pack it all away in a few minutes.   SCope Nights on my phone shows a glimmer of hope for the middle of next week and I have a few days off work then...

[mikey2000]

This thread has gone all quiet!  I really hope you have all been enjoying some fine clear nights!  

Not so here - I had a run of clear nights a few weeks back but it's been grey-grey-a-go-go for a while now and nothing decent forecast until next week.  Jupiter is just clearing my neighbour's roof at the moment - I really want to have a look!

[rockystar]

I had 3 nights in a row  last week, and tonight and last night were ok (can't get out tonight though)

[brrttpaul]

got a new camera coming so add a few more weeks of cloud on lol, strange though never really took much notice before ( it was either dry or wet and warm or cold) now though I,m like Michael Fish watching the weather

[Astro Imp]

Haven't been out nearly enough lately. Yesterday was lovely all day the moon was showing in a clear blue sky at 17.30, by 18.30 there was 100% cloud cover which lasted all evening. Has been like this all week. Sooo frustrating.

[davehawkins]

Finished work at 9 last night, beautiful clear sky. Got home about 9.35 quick bite to eat went outside clouded over . The last time I got out was 2 weeks ago, did solar in the afternoon and observing in the evening it was a good day even got the wife a bit interested in the sunspots.

[DHEB]

On 02/20/2017 at 14:58, Nyctimene said:

Here in southern Germany, seven sessions up to now for me (about four or five more would have been possible). 2013: 44; 2014: 72; 2015: 49; 2016: 88 sessions (retiree; purely visual; almost no solar). So, about one observation a week or so - your count doesn't seem to be so far off.

Be patient; some day, you'll have a streak of 6, 8 or even 10 clear nights with little or no moonlight, and you'll be lacking sleep and seeking arguments not to go out once more..... have been there August/September 2016 with 38 observations!

Stephan

Wow! 88 sessions! You live in paradise ?!

Joke aside, the ballpark estimate of an average of one session a week is also about the same for me.

[DHEB]

21 hours ago, Astro Imp said:

Haven't been out nearly enough lately. Yesterday was lovely all day the moon was showing in a clear blue sky at 17.30, by 18.30 there was 100% cloud cover which lasted all evening. Has been like this all week. Sooo frustrating.

Here we have had the opposite a few times in the last week: cloudy at 23, go to sleep, wake up to a beautiful blue sky and Sun ... Nevermind it does not get dark anymore, otherwise it would be serious matter

[Nyctimene]

3 hours ago, Cinco Sauces said:

Wow! 88 sessions! You live in paradise ?!

Joke aside, the ballpark estimate of an average of one session a week is also about the same for me.

Well, really quite favourable conditions here in rural Odenwald at 49°37' Lat/ 8°55' E Long a dark area between the light flooded Rhein-Main and Mannheim-Heidelberg regions; have a look at this: https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=12&lat=6384022&lon=990748&layers=B0TFFFFF

Up to now, 27 observations this year (including some 15 min peeks at comets), an unusual high rate for the first four months. Hope this will continue.

Stephan