Observing: home or away?

[Richard136]

Just wondering how many of you observe away from the house / garden, e.g., to a dark lane nearby or other dark place.

My garden is relatively dark, but the nearby houses and trees mean the view of the sky is quite obstructed in certain directions.

How many of you venture off into the night to find a dark spot without obstructions?

[Stu]

I’ve recently moved home and now have much darker skies (Bortle 4), and a much better southern horizon to enjoy from home, so I expect most of my observing will be at home.

Previously I had more light polluted skies (Bortle 7) and a fairly obstructed garden which made planetary observing a challenge. Even so, I still spent most observing sessions at home, making the most of it by doing a fair amount of lunar, solar and double star observing. I occasionally ventured up onto the local Heath to catch the comet for example, or one session to see all the planets in one go.

Outside that, it’s either group meets on the local green, the odd trip to a darker site, or camping holidays on Dorset or Devon. In fact over the years most of my deep sky observing has been done whilst on these camping trips with my children, I’ve seen plenty on those breaks. 

[Saganite]

17 hours ago, Richard136 said:

Just wondering how many of you observe away from the house / garden, e.g., to a dark lane nearby or other dark place.

My garden is relatively dark, but the nearby houses and trees mean the view of the sky is quite obstructed in certain directions.

How many of you venture off into the night to find a dark spot without obstructions?

My situation is similar Richard.

I retired 8 years ago and we moved from the edge of fairly large town to a Cambridgeshire village with a South facing rear garden and Bortle 4 sky, about the only two things I had a say in (   ).

I set up a permanent pier and a secluded observing area.  My Southern sky is hampered and observing over rooftops is not perfect in winter with heat plumes, but my first love is Lunar followed by planetry , double stars, and  Globular Clusters so I don't feel too restricted, and to be honest I like being able to observe at home.  I do the occasional trip to places like Kelling star party, and sometimes take a scope on holiday within the UK.  I have a fairly large Dobsonian so I can and do observe plenty of deep sky at home.

I have not felt the need to seek out a dark site , yet.......

Edited November 4, 2021 by Saganite

[Spile]

I check for clear skies. Carry my Dob into the garden along with accessory box and chair. Invariably the clouds have rolled in and I repeat the process in reverse. Therefore not inclined to drive to a remote location. I am normally a glass half full type of person!

[Paz]

I observe from home the vast majority of the time. There isn't much of an observing community where I live and I don't like being out on my own in dark remote places!

I can't plan sessions in advance due to the unpredictable weather a d due to other commitments and I don't have time for long sessions and these things also make going out more difficult.

My skies are poor but I enjoy making the most of them, with mostly short and opportunistic observing sessions.

 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Despite the usual obstructions surrounding an urban garden, I stay at home usually. To block out local light pollution, an eight foot+ rear fence has been erected, the council has shielded a troublesome LED lamp and I've a made a tarp light shield to sit above a dividing fence. The local parks are probably brighter and it's not beyond reasonable to assume I would be harrassed, robbed or assaulted!

A nature reserve approximately thirty minutes drive has granted me permission to observe there after writing to them earlier in the year however I've yet to visit. 

Otherwise it's camping trips to dark areas with swmbo or astronomy camps.

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[ollypenrice]

I chose a house (and a country, even) with the darkest, least cloudy sky I could find while living at a close enough proximity to amenities for a normal life to carry on. It was a lot harder than you might think but I got here in the end!  (I also needed it to be in a country whose language I could speak, which meant 'probably France' but 'possibly Spain.')

Olly

Edited November 4, 2021 by ollypenrice
Typo

[Orange Smartie]

I'm in a Bortle 4 area of semi-rural oxfordshire. The garden has a pretty good southerly view and my neighbours have indicated that they will turn off extraneous lights when and if I ask. It's about 30 or 40 minutes drive to my nearest club, so so far I've only observed at home.

[Ouroboros]

Observing away? I have and have come to the conclusion that the only really satisfactory way to do astronomy in the UK is to live somewhere where you can take advantage of the rare opportunities of clear skies when they occur.  The occasional expedition to dark skies is OK, but a drag if you had to do it regularly.  Even as in our case where we are fortunate in having a little cottage under darker skies in Cornwall, Sod’s Law dictates that I‘m often here in Oxfordshire when skies are clear down there, and it’s cloudy when we’re there. 

 

[woldsman]

Currently home is semi-rural. Main issues are building obstructions and some light pollution. A few miles away there are some local glamping businesses and one of the owners has a photography interest. In winter there is often availability at short notice. Set up with WiFi and electricity, with a lodge to shelter in is pretty good for all night sessions. Only snag is I can’t take a large reflector so rely on  4” f10 refractor for observing and as faster refractor for imaging.

During the week I work away from home and am a lodger in the Cotswolds. Skies are wonderfully dark with hardly any light pollution. My landlord is often away and I can set up as I would at home in the glamping lodge. When he is not away, to avoid late night disturbance, I go to the local sports ground on the edge of the village.  There is a football dug out for shelter and I use my phone for WiFi. Thinking of getting a power unit but I am not very knowledgable about electrical circuits, so on the sports ground I currently rely on just the star adventurer for photography. 

The pandemic has given me more flexibility. Around new moons, I arrange to work at home Fridays if the weather forecasts look promising and if the glamping lodge is an option. 

 

[Alan White]

I do both.
My home location is on the edge of suburbia, but blighted by local spotlight pollution.
After much thought, I accepted the limitations of the lights and blocked horizons and built a shaded area to observe from.
This is the spot that about 80% of my observing time is spent at.

I have access to darker locations through my astronomy club and about once per month,
life and weather permitting I go observed with others at a darker site.
Very much worth the effort as I can star hop easily from here, but not at home,
targets pop and the shared experience is a big plus.

I rarely venture out alone to observe, just do not like it.
When Neowise was about last year, I did keep wandering off to get darker views and clearer horizons.

So I think convenience wins for me, observing at home within limitations, but the joy of the lesser excursions is much worthwhile.

I have a broad church of interest target wise, I have to with the challenges from home.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Alan White
typos of course

[Richard136]

Thanks, all. Great responses

[mikeDnight]

Fourty years ago I'd happily venture quite some distance in my quest to get away from town lights. Back then, the first twenty years or so, my interests lay mainly in comets and fuzzy hunting. I also had a small number of like minded observing buddies who would make venturing out a much more enjoyable experience than it would be if I were on my own. I was the youngest of the bunch, and today some of the team are sadly no longer with me. Now, the last twenty years, my interests drifted into lunar and planetary observing, for which I nolonger need to leave home.

Observing from home means I don't need black skies, and can take advantage of creature comforts such as nipping in for a warm when needed. Now I'm lucky enough to have a comfortable observatory which makes the whole experience more enjoyable. I still enjoy comets and fuzzies and have a reasonably dark sky often with steady air, but I am softening as I age, and long for those milder spring Moonlight nights, as I observe from a comfy chair in my observatory.  What a whimp! 

 

[Muc]

Mostly in my bottle 6 garden  for hour long peeks. But I'm lucky that I can throw a 120mm acrho and Skytee in the car and go to a bottle 4-ish spot on the coast or river estuary within 25mins. Nice eastern and southern skies. It's enough of a difference to allow me to see M33 which is not possible from the garden. I might make that trip once a month. I like the two options 

[SuburbanMak]

Quick peeks, iffy forecast, moonlit nights, gas-giants = home or local park (better horizons & less security lighting).  SQM 20.2, Bortle 5. 
 

Moonless nights with a good forecast & Messier hunting = 10 minute drive to a spot on the South Downs. SQM 21.04, Bortle 4.  (Armed with a big maglite for personal security!). 
 

 

[SuburbanMak]

On 03/11/2021 at 20:24, Richard136 said:

Just wondering how many of you observe away from the house / garden, e.g., to a dark lane nearby or other dark place.

My garden is relatively dark, but the nearby houses and trees mean the view of the sky is quite obstructed in certain directions.

How many of you venture off into the night to find a dark spot without obstructions?

Great thread btw - really interesting, real astronomy topic! 

[scarp15]

Personal preference is to venture to a dark sky location for uninterpreted views and potentially taking very good SQM readings. Quite at ease to go solo and take the larger dobsonian. The past two years, well frustratingly the best times; that is equate to a clear transparent sky, during a new moon phase, when not impeded by work patterns, we were all in lockdown. Since lockdown restrictions have lifted and returning to more regular work but on a largely reduced basis, therefore more potential free-time, mostly the forecast here has not been very reassuring to go on an hours drive somewhere just to set up and then likely become disappointed - done that too often. 

Can only agree with some of the comments above concerning the commitment to go to dark sky locations risking not the best forecast as it could go either way. Therefore to stay connected, setting up in the backyard often with my refractor has been a conduit of involvement for now. What I may consider is to not disregard periods when the moon is partially up for going on a dark sky trip, widening far more opportunity and something years back, in my eagerness I had done anyway. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by scarp15

[callisto]

I mostly observe at home... I'm on the outskirts of a small town, bortle 4ish skies so quite good...I've just joined the local Astro club so hopefully will be going along to the nature reserve where they have meetings/obs sessions and its literally 3 mins drive away...will be nice to meet new Astro buddies 

 

Mark

Edited November 5, 2021 by callisto
change wording

[badhex]

I have spent the last 15+ years in two capital cities, so reasonably dark skies have always eluded me at home, and short distances are not much better. That said, since I put together a travel kit consisting of a small but high quality APO, I've been able to take advantage of several darker skies on local or international holidays, mostly Bortle 4 or better. Sadly astro clubs seem to be thin on the ground here.

[Richard136]

Really interesting responses, guys. 

I've been scoping my village and found some darker spots quite nearby; and that give a wider view of the sky, too. May try them at some point. The road is my cul de sac would actually be pretty good once all neighbours are in bed, but we have two street lights that stay on all night.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Richard136

[Dave scutt]

I can't travel my dob is too big and heavy for me to get in my car. And there's a dark site 40 minutes away,  I'm observe from my garden bortle 3 ,a few trees facing south or should I say forest  but if I wheel my dob 5 minutes up the road I have this.

[Richard136]

3 hours ago, Dave scutt said:

I can't travel my dob is too big and heavy for me to get in my car. And there's a dark site 40 minutes away,  I'm observe from my garden bortle 3 ,a few trees facing south or should I say forest  but if I wheel my dob 5 minutes up the road I have this.

Nice!

[domstar]

For me it depends on the season and the moon. I have a south-facing balcony and it's great in the winter, when it's too cold to be outside for a long time without a break. When the Virgo galaxies are back at a reasonable time around March, then I go for a short drive. I'll stay outside until around October. Winter, for me, is mainly about double stars and open clusters. It's great to be able to pop inside and look at the Cambridge Atlas of Double Stars. On the other hand, it's a shame that I don't usually see the Ursa Major galaxies at their highest.

[Username556]

On 03/11/2021 at 17:23, Stu said:

I’ve recently moved home and now have much darker skies (Bortle 4), and a much better southern horizon to enjoy from home, so I expect most of my observing will be at home.

Previously I had more light polluted skies (Bortle 7) and a fairly obstructed garden which made planetary observing a challenge. Even so, I still spent most observing sessions at home, making the most of it by doing a fair amount of lunar, solar and double star observing. I occasionally ventured up onto the local Heath to catch the comet for example, or one session to see all the planets in one go.

Outside that, it’s either group meets on the local green, the odd trip to a darker site, or camping holidays on Dorset or Devon. In fact over the years most of my deep sky observing has been done whilst on these camping trips with my children, I’ve seen plenty on those breaks. 

I’m fortunate enough to live in bortle 4 so I can just go out to my deck and look at the sky, but the road is better since I have a wider view. I haven’t seen anything super cool besides the Milky Way tho, I’ve seen lots of shooting stars tho since I’ve been here. 

[niallk]

I used to observe from my back garden, but neighbour's lights means that I now travel 20 mins for Bortle 4 (or maybe better): but no light domes to the south, being on the coast.