Cloudy Week Ahead UK

[bosun21]

When I checked CO on Monday it was solid red all week apart from Sunday, which was solid green all night! Alas on rechecking just now (Saturday morning) it’s regrettably vanished, only to be replaced by a solid red bar😭

 

[OK Apricot]

7 hours ago, bosun21 said:

When I checked CO on Monday it was solid red all week apart from Sunday, which was solid green all night! Alas on rechecking just now (Saturday morning) it’s regrettably vanished, only to be replaced by a solid red bar😭

 

There's a 'tell' on CO for me. You can get an idea of the forecast accuracy by looking at the numbers for cloud cover for example. It might show green for a several hours with 6 being the cloud cover value, then it goes to red for another several hours straight to 100. At a few days' distance it's clearly very low resolution. I don't really pay attention to it until max two days out where the numbers representing cloud cover start to look more realistic. When it, MetOffice, Ventusky and Sat24 come to some level of agreement you know you're probably good to get the rig out 🤞🙂. 

The past 13 days I haven't so much as seen the night sky behind all the fog and cloud - it's been relentless! There's a signal of some clear sky towards the end of next week 🤔. 

[900SL]

On 29/11/2022 at 11:46, gorann said:

You guys in the UK seem to be lucky compared to my part of Sweden for the coming days. Here you have a chance to learn the names of week days in Norwegian. www.yr.no is an excellent site for weather forecasts all over the world:

Over here in Helsinki I'm about to start drinking heavily in despair over the incessant heavy cloud cover 

I've been here 5 weeks and I think there's been one clear evening. 14 day forecast more of same

[PeterStudz]

For me there were some clear spells during some nights this week and I managed to get out twice before, in both cases, fog rolled in and killed off any more observing. Although having to work the next morning resulted in me not getting enough sleep and being far too tired. Worth it though. I suspect that the same will occurs in the near future despite the current unfavourable forecast. 

[thekwango]

It’s threatening windows of clear sky here…….still undecided if it’s worth hauling the scope out for. Wife thinks I’ve lost my marbles as I’ve been ‘looking out the blinds every 5 minutes for the past 2hrs’

I’ve been told to either sit down or get out - though she put it much less politely 😂

[Ratlet]

29 minutes ago, thekwango said:

It’s threatening windows of clear sky here…….still undecided if it’s worth hauling the scope out for. Wife thinks I’ve lost my marbles as I’ve been ‘looking out the blinds every 5 minutes for the past 2hrs’

I’ve been told to either sit down or get out - though she put it much less politely 😂

Same here.  Threatening something worthwhile going out for.  Got the scope out for about 5 minutes and managed a very quick squint at Jupiter.  Coming to enjoy the 8mm for x80 for jupiter.

[IB20]

Not sure if I have developed an astronomer’s bias or if I paying more notice to conditions but compared to when I was a lot younger I’m sure UK Autumn/Winters are yielding a lot fewer frosty, clear nights. If true seems quite a noticeable impact of climate change in a relatively short space of time.

[scotty1]

Next week will be frosty in most areas at night, but I think clear intervals will be likely, rather than completely clear. 

Sleet and snow showers could be quite frequent too. 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by scotty1

[fwm891]

Clear Outside is showing clear Thurs/Friday this week (Full Moon!) Although showing as 90% low cloud for now but skies are very clear? C.O. can be quite hit-n-miss...

[Sabalias]

4 hours ago, fwm891 said:

Clear Outside is showing clear Thurs/Friday this week (Full Moon!) Although showing as 90% low cloud for now but skies are very clear? C.O. can be quite hit-n-miss...

Unfortunately, my experience of CO for my location has tended towards miss and miss by a mile 😂. To be fair though I don't think any other apps are any more accurate.

Stu

[PeterStudz]

15 hours ago, IB20 said:

Not sure if I have developed an astronomer’s bias or if I paying more notice to conditions but compared to when I was a lot younger I’m sure UK Autumn/Winters are yielding a lot fewer frosty, clear nights. If true seems quite a noticeable impact of climate change in a relatively short space of time.

I don’t think you are imaging it. Eg according to the Met Office this autumn was the third warmest on record. 

And in Southampton November was frost free. As far as I can tell that has only happened a couple of times in the last 12 years.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2022/very-mild-autumn-keeps-2022-on-track-to-be-the-warmest-year-on-record

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by PeterStudz

[paulastro]

Nothing like being positive is there 😁.

Really, if people take weekly forecasts seriously then  they can't have been active astronomers for very long.

Many astronomers moan about how inaccurate forecasts are, well they are quite right.  So how come  astronomers take a weeks forecast seriously?   I suppose if the weeks forecast was for clear skies the same people wouldn't believe it.

People who don't check out forecasts on a daily basis are going to miss out on an awful lot of good observing opportunities.

[Elp]

Exactly right. CO is only a guide and must be checked closer to the day on the day prior to the hour, then use another to cross reference even whilst outside and make sure it's a few hours clear, not just one hour.

The infrequency is annoying though, it's a miracle any achievements have ever been logged historically from the UK.

[PeterStudz]

Yes, forecasts are by definition a “predict or estimate”. I thought that was obvious! 😀.

I had assumed that much in this thread wasn’t really 100% serious and people were just having a little moan. As one might do down the pub. Nothing wrong with that! 

[Peter_D]

After  a few weeks of endless cloud, I was delighted to see some clear nights coming up on Clear Outside..until (doh!) I realised it was for Exeter 😂

Edited December 5, 2022 by Peter_D

[Alan White]

14 minutes ago, Peter_D said:

After  a few weeks of endless cloud, I was delighted to see some clear nights coming up on Clear Outside..until (doh!) I realised it was for Exeter 😂

Ah that old trick 😉 
Be pleased for those in Exeter of course, but it will be Full Moon and Clear so you can a least snigger....

[Grant Fribbens]

I have my fingers crossed! I expect I will do some narrow band due to moon. So typical that it is quite often clear on a full moon!

Trouble is that I need to remember how it is all set up because it has now been a while 😂

Edited December 5, 2022 by Grant Fribbens

[geeklee]

2 minutes ago, Grant Fribbens said:

I have my fingers crossed! I expect I will do some narrow band due to moon. So typical that it is quite often clear on a full moon!

[LOTS OF GREEN]

Trouble is that I need to remember how it is all set up because it has now been a while 😂

Where is this mythical place with so much green?! 🤣

[thekwango]

3 hours ago, Alan White said:

Be pleased for those in Exeter of course

i'd be pleased for no one - if i'm under cloudy skies., so should everyone 😋

[Leo S]

Looking quite good here too. Glad to see the back of the last couple of weeks or so!

[paulastro]

Well, I'm choosing to believe the forecast for the Mars occultation in the early hours of Thurdsay morning, and staying at home to observe it 😁.

 

[scotty1]

Frosty and clear hereabouts from about 5am.

7 hours ago, paulastro said:

Well, I'm choosing to believe the forecast for the Mars occultation in the early hours of Thurdsay morning, and staying at home to observe it 😁.

 

Stayed in a holiday let in Providence Lane years ago  , could see the trains from the bedroom window.

Edited December 6, 2022 by scotty1

[scotty1]

Too cold and tired to check for Geminids last night. Not sure if the peak has gone. I may have a short try tonight if I don't freeze. 

Edited December 14, 2022 by scotty1

[andrew63]

It's peeking tonight - get out before the moon rises!