JANUARY 22ND - ITS ONLY GONE AND HAPPENED AGAIN !

[paulastro]

Well, it's only gone and happened again, all the weather indicated 100% cloud or fog this morning.  Up at 6 am anyway to set up the 80ED on AZ5 with the Olympus, as it was the last chance I would have before the Moon would be too low for me and in a bright sky.  I set up and fetched a seat from the garage to wait.  I couldn't believe it when I though I could see a sliver of light  very low down at 6.58 am and the altitude according to both SkySafari and the Vurtual Lunar Atlas was only two and a half degrees.   I then had views off and on through a thinning of the cloud close to the horizon until 7.23 am when the Moon had risen to a giddy 5.9 degrees.  The seeing was of course poor and the exposures were fairly long, between 1/3 and 1/5 sec for the single frames below.  Never the less, I was over the Moon (sorry!) to even see the Moon this morning and am pleased that at least I have a record of it.

The Moon was 7.0% and 27.09 days.

In the next day or so I'll post a summary of my Lunar marathon I'm been attempting during this lunation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2020 by paulastro
Anoher picture added.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Nice captures. The weather forecasts seems to be off a lot lately. Frequently Clear Outside says there is 100% cloud, but I get pretty decent skies, other times Accuweather gives "Clear Skies" when it is totally overcast. Most annoying

[paulastro]

5 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Nice captures. The weather forecasts seems to be off a lot lately. Frequently Clear Outside says there is 100% cloud, but I get pretty decent skies, other times Accuweather gives "Clear Skies" when it is totally overcast. Most annoying

Many thanks Michael.  It's funny, I had been thinking how off the mark the weather forecasts I use have been in the last few days.  I always considered Accuweather to be the most reliable of the ones I use, but in the last two days it has been the dead opposite of what actually happened.  Total cloud forecast for early am yesterday when it was a perfectly clear sky, and fog up to 9am this morning, when despite being nearly totally cloudy a clearish patch down on the E horizon allowed me about half an hour of patchy sky.  I have to say though, none of the other forecasts I look at did any better - but then they often don't.

I really try not to take much notice of weather forecasts if there is something I particularly want to observe on  a particular night.  I generally will just get ready and go out anyway.  Even if the forecast is right and it's cloudy, it's surprising how often I get a brief unexpected  observing window.

[paulastro]

Just added another picture.

[mikeDnight]

They're beautiful! It sends a shudder down my spine to think that I actually know you!! 

[Mr Spock]

Moon looked great from here this morning. Sadly the only view I had was on the way to work.

[paulastro]

mikeDnight said:

They're beautiful! It sends a shudder down my spine to think that I actually know you!! 

 

I know  exactly how you feel Mike !!  🤪