A tropical night

[Nyctimene]

What an extraordinary warm and balmy midsummer night yesterday! At 22h15min CEST the temperature was still at 26° C, the sky partly cloudy, and the lawn (usually a dew magnet) completely dry - I've never met such conditions here up to now.  But, pointing the 5" Heritage at Jupiter, I found the seeing to be really awful; the two equatorial belts could just be made out with V=81x, without any details. Saturn was not better. The celestial disappointment was, however, compensated by the lights of up to six fireflies hovering over the lawn and along the garden wall; a lovely sight, that always indicates to me the beginning of the (for me) most beloved time of the year. Half an hour later, the fireflies suddenly disappeared - why? - seeking shelter from a upcoming thunderstorm? - going to bed with their freshly found mating partnesse -- ?? (Some of them reappeared later, but not the whole group). I savoured these precious  tropical evening hours, that brought back memories of the Seychelles and the southern skies with their wonders, many years ago.

Hoping the summer will hold more  such enjoyable nights for all of us!

Thanks for reading

Stephan

Edited June 23, 2017 by Nyctimene

[Pondus]

Am I envious?  Oh yes!

 

I think we`ve had rain every single day in June. Today its 12C and, well raining.

Bergen, north of me have had rain 135 out of the 172 first days of this year (pretty similar here)

Last cloudfree night was Saturday 27. of May....

Last crisp cold Winter : 2014

 

I am soo into the wrong hobby. Or right hobby, just wrong location.

 

Rune

PS Sorry for the sour reply there Stephan, enjoy the fireflies, while I`m out in the garden slug hunting

[Pondus]

Had to read up a bit on the term 'tropical night' / Tropenatt :  German term 'tropentage'.

Night temperatures >25C have only occured twice  in Norway. Ever.

So they lowered the limit to 20C, so that we could record some tropical Nights too. .

 

Enjoy the summer   (and forgive my rambling)

Edited June 23, 2017 by Pondus

[Nyctimene]

1 hour ago, Pondus said:

Or right hobby, just wrong location.

I feel for you, Rune, and am hoping for some better nights in Norway during late summer and autumn.

 

1 hour ago, Pondus said:

while I`m out in the garden slug hunting

The only working anti-slug method (in my eyes) is an anti-slug fence (keeps them away since 2007):

 

[Stargazer McCabe]

Great report. It makes quite a difference being able to observe without being wrapped in down jackets and big thick boots...