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Observing Meet - December 15th


L8-Nite

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I would like to propose an Observing Meet for Friday December 15th, with Saturday December 16th as an alternate pursuant to the weather; please mark your calendar's.  It's been quite awhile since we have had a get together.  The dark skies have returned, and it would be nice to catch up with familiar faces and also meet some new observers.  For those who have not been to the Blaenavon observing site before, it is located next to the radio masts northeast of town at the paved "Fox Hunter" car park. The coordinates are.......

On Google Earth:  51* 47' 25.74" N  by  3* 4' 10.74" W

On Google Maps:  51.790573 , -3.069705

Check this thread for updates, on the day, in the afternoon, to see if the observing session is a "Go" or a "No Go" based on current weather forecasts.  If its a "Go", as a courtesy to the group, please post your intentions here if you do plan to attend.  Its a long drive for many, and I'm sure nobody wants to arrive and end up observing alone, especially me, lol.  :wink: 

Cheers, and clear skies to us all !

 

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Early update.....

Traveling conditions do not looking favourable at the moment. A television news report regarding Blaenavon this evening stated, that currently only main roads in the area will have priority for snow clearance, so it's quite possible our route to the site may not be accessible ? ? ?

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I seem to remember from memory that there is a bit of a hill when you come out of the village before you turn right onto the track that takes you to the car park. Both would be interesting to negotiate if they werent cleared. Is there anybody from the Blaenavon area we could ask?

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Update:  I phoned the Riflemans Arms pub which is just down the hill from our observing site. Presently the main roads are open, including the B4246.

Other local roads have not been cleared, and presently there is about a foot of snow. I was told they are expecting more snow tonight, so check back tomorrow for another update.

 

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Hey,

I will be in Brynmawr for a rehearsal tonight (so long as the roads are ok there also), will take a little detour on the way home and go through Blaenavon to have a look at the roads etc near the car park.

If able I will take a couple of pictures of the road for all to see and upload tonight :) 

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3 hours ago, SimonS said:

Hey,

I will be in Brynmawr for a rehearsal tonight (so long as the roads are ok there also), will take a little detour on the way home and go through Blaenavon to have a look at the roads etc near the car park.

If able I will take a couple of pictures of the road for all to see and upload tonight :) 

 

3 hours ago, Astralstroll said:

I willl check later tonight and tomorrow morning to see what the roads look like. Fingers crossed thay stay clear.

 

:thumbsup:  Thanks !

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4 hours ago, SimonS said:

Hey,

I will be in Brynmawr for a rehearsal tonight (so long as the roads are ok there also), will take a little detour on the way home and go through Blaenavon to have a look at the roads etc near the car park.

If able I will take a couple of pictures of the road for all to see and upload tonight :) 

Take care though Simon!!

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SitRep.....Main roads in the area are clear including the B4246, but there is quite a bit of surface water tonight following some rain and there are a few spots of black ice on paths, but I didn't notice any on the road itself. 

I didn't venture any further than the turn off the B4246 as I couldn't see much ahead of myself in the dark. Although the main roads are clear, it was obvious that there is still a lot of snow and ice around, it is possible to drive the track to the car park but it did look pretty icy at the time and my wheels quickly lost traction when i left the track for a moment.....plus it was pretty windy.

I would advise packing a shovel just in case, with plenty of warm clothing. Personally, I would also feel more comfortable driving that track with some daylight left (I have never driven it before, other people may be more comfortable than me) which I wouldn't be able to do tomorrow sadly.

Please excuse the poor quality of this picture, although I love the camera on my mobile, I don't believe it is very good at night time photography....anyway, this shows the starting point of the track up to the car park, straight off the B road.20171214_215240.thumb.jpg.5d0de8bf5ed9e695f27b502797d8ea9c.jpg

Hope that helps a little bit, looking forward to a meet up :) 

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Thanks Simon :smile:

That looks like it could get a bit 'interesting' if it is clear and cold tomorrow night!  I'm not sure I'd feel very comfortable personally :icon_neutral:  How do people feel about meeting somewhere more accessible/less exposed?  Say the Mountain Centre?

Helen

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Good morning all,

if the general consensus is that the road to the Blaenavon car park is a bit too treacherous then I am happy to meet at an alternative venue. I am off th meet some ex work colleagues now, but will check back by lunchtime to see what the latest information is.

Dave

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Update: The consensus of the weather forecasts for Blaenavon suggest there will be clear skies from dusk until after midnight, and an average wind speed of about 11 mph., which I am confident can be doubled at the site.

I would like to thank Simon for the feedback and the photo showing ice at the track entrance. It raises very strong concerns about black ice in the level parking area, which I have experienced a few times, even without there being snow. The track to the site has a few dips and twists along the way, which as Dave points out is likely to be treacherous. I can't speak for others, but personally I would not want to negotiate it in current conditions even though observing conditions predict a clear night. So, I would like to make an early call as a " NO GO " for the Blaenavon site this weekend.

As for an alternate venue, I will let others chime in here and make that decision.  I haven't been to the "Mountain Centre", but checked the website and understand that it is closed at 4:30 pm this time of year. 

 

Clear skies to us all,  Mike

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Agree with Mike regarding Blaenavon.

I also haven't been to the Mountain Centre before, but I know there is a dark sky observatory based there, that is run by one of Helen and my past lecturers (Martin) and does events some evenings, so not sure if the car park stays open throughout the night.

@Helen have you been to the centre before?

As for other places, I was going to meet up with some people in a car park at Pontsticill reservoir (51.807550, -3.373268) in the past, I am not sure if that might be an option, I know it has a number of wooded areas around it which will block horizons, but I haven't been there myself to see how much is obscured.

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Mike,

Many thanks for the Blaenavon update. I think its a good call as we are better off being cautious in the current conditions. Fingers crossed that we have more clement weather for the next meet.

Whereabouts is the Mountain Centre? I have just checked and the reservoir is a good hours drive from me, but feasible if the roads are OK.

 

Dave

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