Jump to content

Narrowband

It has to be said.........


Tim

Recommended Posts

As I type, the last satellite pic shows 70% of the country to have clear skies. The seeing is good, transparency fair, and there is a near full moon about to set, and Saturn on high.

The kind of night we all wait for, no?

Strikes me as a tad odd, that out of a couple of thousand members, only 3 are actually online at the moment. (You other two know who you are!)

Out of interest, I'd love to know how many actually ventured out tonight? Even for 30 mins say.

Yes its cold. Yes there's ice. But isn't that what it's all about? What are we, men (usage = humans, girls), or mice? :tweety:

Star parties are the same, more than half the camp sleep through most of the best hours......

Then again, it IS friday night, so a few may have been out I suppose? Any other excuses? :( (Work doesnt count, I have work in 3.5 hours)

Cheers

TJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply

I've never been to a star party but, speaking as one who is online at the moment, I resent the implication that I am a fair weather lightweight.

1. My wife not only has no interest in astronomy, she display an altogether unhealthy loathing for the subject.

2. I finished work tonight at 22:00

3. My wife is possessed of the idea that when I get in from work late, we should "communicate". This means that she prattles on for a couple of hours, telling me in excruciating, painstaking, obsessive detail of her day at work, the heroic efforts she made at eating healthily even though she was on her own tonight, the Rubbish she watched on the TV, and other mind numbingly tedious detritus.

4. By midnight, when we have "communicated" to her satisfaction, she toddlles off to bed, leaving me downstairs to "unwind" for a while after my tough evening at work.

5. "Unwind" includes most things that can be done indoors and nothing - I'll repeat that - NOTHING, that can be done in the garden that is telescope related.

6. We have learnt by bitter experience that attempting anything telescope related is sure to awaken her from her slumber and is thus best avoided.

Please be aware that it's not just the clouds that keep some of us from pursuing this hobby with more vigor. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I set up at about 1730 and fed the kids...Earlier in the day the wife had cleared a patch on the patio for the mount...What a star.. :(

I had a couple of hours out there but it froze quickly leaving the patio like an ice rink so I packed up about 10ish...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hiya Tj

I was one of the hardier souls bedecked to the nines in thermal fishing suit all quilted and also wearing a pair of thermal lined fishing mitts and thermal lined boots and woolly hat to complete my winter outfit see being an angler does have its uses when I'm not catching fish I can be catching glimpses of stars nebulae and more exotic species stayed out for well over and hour till a warm snuggle pit and a nice warm back beckoned me inside some nights just don't get any better than that

Pete

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Was up at 05.30 to catch comet Lulin before the Moon messes up the viewing. Bit of thin cloud to start with but that soon went. All the Summer constellations visible. Thankful for the observatory keeing the freezing wind off me.

A satellite pic on the new last night showed Galloway as green not white like the rest of the the UK.

Just off to make the wife a cuppa.

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I looked out at 6.20pm and the sky was beautiful and clear. The Moon was High up in the South East, Venus still fairly high in the South West. Weather very cold. Dried the dishes (wife washed them) and put them away.

Flew out and set up HEQ5 mount, put my Celestron C8 on it, and went back in to let it cool for 20 mins.

Came out at 7.05pm, Moon was brilliant. Venus had sunk below the roof tops. Weather was freezing.

Stuck it for 20mins.

Wife was calling to say Coronation Street was coming on, so I put everything away and went in to watch the two episodes!

"Better to be a live mouse than a dead Lion!" I thought.

Regards,

philsail1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My nights til about 3-am belong to FLO, on the helpdsek, updating the site and answering emails and PMs :(

It is ironic as I took up astronomy as a diversion to my 'work' back when I was in photo-retail... Not that I should complain, any new company startup requires long-hours and I'd rather this than return to a job that made me unhappy! It won't always be this way, already we have James full-time and the two Steve's help on the Helpdesk. Nette and I are also moving this year and the new home will have a bigger garden, big enough for an observatory or roll-off :mrgreen:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15K, Steve :shock: 8)

Thin cloud for most of the night here, but the moon did peek through a bit.

I don't have the energy to stay up much past 12 (2 at a stretch) most nights. Really need the sleep and there's no knowing when Nalu will have a bad night.

Andrew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was out from 6:00PM untill 11:00 ish :laughing2:

I was playing about the my new home made camera mount rail ... It works! Oh and I have a new mains power supply which is a gem.

The conditions should have been wonderful but a veil of winter mist lit up by the moon put all but the brightest stars to bed.

Anyway the experience was worth the effort. I can now align 3 stars much quicker and more accurately which is going to help in the long term. :(

.

Guy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never been to a star party but, speaking as one who is online at the moment, I resent the implication that I am a fair weather lightweight.

You were one of the hardy three I was referring to :( (Im sure you took the odd glance outside....counts as stargazing to me...makes you very definetly a heavyweight observer I reckon....)

Having read your comment though did highlight the fact that my post could be read as being overly critical. That wasn't the intention at all, rather, it just got a bit lonely and I was hoping to find a few more of us online for a bit of company. Helps pass the sleepier hours. Also, I realise that quite a few dont need a laptop or internet access for their astronomy (heaven only knows how they cope :) ) and so I wondered how many folks were actually enjoying the night. As it was, it clouded right up about 4.30 and so I packed up and went to bed. In my sleepy state, forgot to take flats, so will have to do those later. Having checked the results this morning, I might have been better going for the moon! The local weather station recorded a low of -9.4, and had the visibility as being fairly poor too, but even so, it was just nice to be out there again.

Should be clear again tonight maybe ? ? ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i was out from 6.30 till about 8.30 with my lad and his new scope and then at 11.25 for a quick glimps of saturn but but what showed on sat as a clear sky with some patches of cloud in fact was a lot of thin cloud with patches of clear sky. add in the glow off the moon and for a lot of the time the whole sky was like a giant light box. a similar sky happened once over germany in WW2 and it was the worst night for bomber command casualities during the war with the cloud being too thin to hide in and either providing llumination from above or below dependng on height, day fighters were actually able to operate against them it was so light. wasn't blumming great for looking at stars last night either in fact it was so light you couldn't see where the red light torch was pointing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I set up ar 20.00 after I got home from work.

Only looked at the moon as DSO's are a waste of time with such a bright moon.

Gave my ortho's a good test out. Cracking eyepiece's.

Bitter cold though :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went out from 6.30 to 8.0pm to try out the new 10 x 50 from Lydles. Great views of the Hyades, Pleadies, Orion and the moon. By the end I couldn't hold bins still. Wife is now convinced she married a complete lunatic (pun intended).

Terry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out last night from 8-10 snapping away at Luna.

Wanted to have a peep at Saturn but after a couple of hours, the thought of a warm bed won me over.

The other half was not impressed climbing in to bed nicely chilled :laughing2:

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Legion48.....No3 on your list strikes a chord with me :):(

TJ........as for work not being an excuse,well some of us cant really afford to be up and about 3.5 hours before we go to operate machinery,so i think work is a valid excuse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shopping ,pick up from nursery, pick up from school, prepare tea,tidy up after tea, bath the kids, read stories for the kids, wait for the little one to fall asleep in my arms in the absence of mommy's milk, put her to bed, and then on constant alert for her waking. THE FIRST clear night in over a month and it happens to fall on the night my wife's away at an award dinner- How do yer think I feel ????

Just had a look at the forecast for tonight and well.............................. I doubt I'll get another chance this wk/end. GUTTED !! :(

Popping out for a rolly was the only chance I had to view any celestial bodies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.