Clear Nights

[Bramisheu]

Guys

Is it always this bad in the UK?  Not a clear night up here in Cumbria for weeks, or my part of Cumbria anyhow.

I even bought a solar filter as it was that bad.... Since that day the sun hasn't broken thru the clouds...

A very mierable

Bram

[Knighty2112]

Sadly, it seems to be getting worse all over in the UK over the last few years too, so not just restricted to Cumbria alas! 

[Art Gecko]

The UK is well known for cloudy weather... Hopefully the autumn frosts will bring some long clear nights!!

[DavidJM]

29 minutes ago, Bramisheu said:

Guys

Is it always this bad in the UK?  Not a clear night up here in Cumbria for weeks, or my part of Cumbria anyhow.

I even bought a solar filter as it was that bad.... Since that day the sun hasn't broken thru the clouds...

A very mierable

Bram

A couple of hours last Thursday here in Newquay, the first time in what seems eons. I have the dreaded sea mist to deal with too. Does seem to be cloudier these days though or is it just that I spend more time staring at the sky?

[ronin]

The West side of the UK is simply the most cloudy and Cumbria is I think the worst. Know those big lakes? Guess what fills them.

Think that N Devon is the start of it all - not sure of Cornwall but it will catch some - after that it is Wales, the N West, Cumbria and the West of Scotland.

One of the programs on industrialisation said they built a dam in Wales to supply water to Manchester because it rained at the given location on average 260 days of the year. Now that was "rain" the rest of the days would not be crystal clear most likely cloudy but not raining.

I lived in Wiltshire for some time and I recall most that: "It was raining often". Basically it was WET!. Someone came up here for a while from mid-Somerset and their first comment was about how clear it was so often.

Why people go hunting for a dark sky in a cloudy location is a bit of a mystery. Half the time it is dark as the cliouds are so dense with water they block any light out. Half guess that is why Kelling Heath is a good consistant star party gathering.

Think a fairly simple setup for easy use and as you have dine a solar filter for alternative ideas is a good approach.

As this is in Imaging an OSC is another possible plus. At however some negative aspects.

[Moonshed]

I have to agree with the comment about Kelling Heath, it is a good dark sky site where the weather is pretty good too. I live 5 miles from there and I am enjoying a dark sky for the first time in my life. I have lived in London, Essex, Scotland, Spain, and now Norfolk. I know how lucky I am, without a dark sky you are starting off with a heavy handicap and some DSOs will not be possible to see. Light polluted skies have been the bane of my life. Now if I could only manage to get an observatory......

[Bramisheu]

luckily winter is normally fantastic, especially down ennerdale which is a dark site... roll on winter

 

Bram

[TareqPhoto]

Good, so i can have an opportunity to catch up, so hope within 1 year i can do what people in UK can do within 2-3 years, heheheh 

[TareqPhoto]

So between a light pollution area no clouds at all for long time say for nearly 10 months [only 2 months cloudy] or a clear dark sky but it is cloudy for nearly 10 months not continuously [so the free-clouds nights total about 2 months], which one will you choose?