Bother, that was frustrating!

[LondonNeil]

Well that was frustrating. First time in 2 months I manage to get the telescope out. Mainly cloud but also having bought new stuff and missed a few clear evenings while sorting stuff out... or with 3 young kids just couldn't get out.  So i was very much looking forward to a session.   Still learning so just setting up on the drive/ pavement out front so i can rush in for anything ive forgotten and to get the kids to look at something.... despite the cars and a street lights... far from ideal but only temporary.

Right, plan was to try and spot Mercury first (as it sets soon after 8pm) then the pons brooks 'devil comet' visible for another hour ish. Then try for a a satellite for my youngest. I checked just before sunset where the sun was.. . Hard as some clouds to the west..... trying to work out where to set the tripod so I can see past next door's tree and the 2 cherry trees on the street... OK... set up, level tripod, align new gtix on Jupiter and 2 stars for accuracy, right... Mercury...hit goto and.... round the mount slews to point directly at the lamp post. OK comet, goto.. up it slews to... the light at the top. OK satellite, what's visible..ISS is, ooo. Oh no... it’s behind the house across the street.... and so it goes on really. I managed a quick look at Jupiter, and a few stars ...I suppose it was a teenie bit of practice with the new mount but all in all... very frustrating!!!! 

I'm going to have to start heading to the dark bit of park at the end of the street.... this has always been the plan to get better views but I did hope to become a bit more proficient ... still,  other than a red torch I I've got my kit moderately well ordered.... fairly confident I'd remember..... nearly everything!

[engstrom]

I know your pain. Last week I used Astroberry with virtually no problems. Tonight I spent 3 hours wrestling with it (and Indigo A1) and captured exactly nothing. Last week platesolving went pretty much without a hitch and was solved within a few seconds. This week…it just seemed to stall. Up to 5 minutes with no results sometimes.

After some false starts with indigo I got the platesolving working, got it polar aligned and all seemed good but then it would slew off to weird sky positions that certainly weren’t what I was expecting. Anyway it seemed to sort itself out and pointed in the right part of the sky but always just off the target…and despite the PA error being reported as within acceptable limits there was obvious tracking issues.

Bah!

Edited March 30 by engstrom

[LondonNeil]

I'm just venting I guess.   I'll get the hang of it....I do get most things...

I'm just finding the theory and the practical aspects are conspiring to defeat me with this hobby!

 

Oh and the seeing must be rubbish tonight..... or I'm doing something very wrong.  In desperation to get a look At something I shoved a stellalyra 30mm super view in the st120 (I had a Mak127 on the other side) just to get a view of the orion constellation.... no... no...no.... I could see about 3 stars.  I honestly wasn't sure what I was looking at.... still,  so least the ep came into focus (it's new and after a comment elsewhere I wasn't sure it would)

[mikeDnight]

 If it makes you feel any better Neil, I spent 20 years observing the Moon and planets on the front street of the house where I lived with my wife and kids, from 1984 to 2004. There were towering sodium lights to contend with, but on the positive side, the pavement outside our house was very wide and nothing overlooked us because of the gigantic crevice gouged through the town for the M65 motorway directly opposite and hidden from sight by a stone wall. The front of the house faced south, while my deep sky escapades were carried out from a large backyard from which I could see east and west and straight up. It was dark at the back of the house as the house itself shielded me from the street lights. Despite these unfavourable conditions, and through perseverance, I saw many wonderful sights. My various refractors over the years never failed to deliver great views straight out of the house, and to date the best view of M81 & M82  (particularly M82), has been through my 4" F13 Vixen achromat and a 40mm Kellner eyepiece. That was in 1986 and the memory of the moment stands out as something particularly special. I didn't have to battle with go-to or any of these modern day gadgets, instead I battled along with sweeping up fuzzies using a German equatorial. As a consequence I now struggle to think in altazimuth mode.

  Anyhow, I'm certain you're not alone in finding out that everything you want to look at is hidden behind a tree or a lamppost. It seems to be a regular occurrence with me. And even if theres nothing to obstruct the view, a heat plume or a small lone cloud will intentionally station itself between the scope and whatever it is your wanting to observe. Yet, somewhat miraculously, we keep on keeping on, and eventually get one of those excellent nights that super-charge us, so we can endure the not so good nights.

Edited March 30 by mikeDnight

[LondonNeil]

Thank you Mike.  It's good to be reminded I'm not alone and with perseverance I'll eventually earn some good views of something.  I am somewhat dejected this morning but it's forecast to be clear again tonight..... I'm heading to Essex to visit my brother and his garden offers darker skies and a whole new set of trees and houses to block my views. 😂

[PeterStudz]

You aren’t the only one. It does take time and patience. When I started out (only a few years ago) I was blessed with a fine spell - I assure you that they do exist - and for ~3 months most night were clear. So much so that I was literally getting exhausted from lack of sleep. I also had a number of disappointing sessions but got there in the end. However, the good nights became more frequent and on some I was so chuffed with what I’d seen and how things went that I found it hard to sleep, despite being very tired!

If it was that easy I would not find it so much fun!

It might also be worth writing this kind of thing in the “observing - reports” section. It doesn’t need to be a blinding success or a massive list of “what I saw” to be useful. When I started out this was my goto section of this site. Well, it still is. 

And good luck… I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end. 

Edited March 30 by PeterStudz

[saac]

9 hours ago, LondonNeil said:

I'm just venting I guess.   I'll get the hang of it....I do get most things...

I'm just finding the theory and the practical aspects are conspiring to defeat me with this hobby!

 

Oh and the seeing must be rubbish tonight..... or I'm doing something very wrong.  In desperation to get a look At something I shoved a stellalyra 30mm super view in the st120 (I had a Mak127 on the other side) just to get a view of the orion constellation.... no... no...no.... I could see about 3 stars.  I honestly wasn't sure what I was looking at.... still,  so least the ep came into focus (it's new and after a comment elsewhere I wasn't sure it would)

Trust me you are doing everything right. This is the rite of passage we face, each frustration that you encounter, piece of kit forgotten, each lamp post acquired is adding to your knowledge, skill, muscle memory call it what you will. It does get better and it is worth it, keep going.   

Jim 

Edited March 30 by saac

[wookie1965]

I waited up until 10.45pm as it said it would be clear from 9pm as I had been up early like every morning 4.50am could not keep my eyes open. Come down this morning son left me a note saying when he came in at 12.30am it was clearer than he has seen it in months, checked and I was well away and he didn't want to disturb me.

So a session missed until I dont know when.

[Swoop1]

Astronomy is all about patience- and finally realising that the gods spend most of their time laughing at us as we set up under beautiful clear skies and perfect seeing, spend a few minutes calibrating our mounts and Go-to, then looking up to discover that they have clicked on the "Cloud the buggers out" icon whilst we fettled.

[LondonNeil]

I did at least get out I guess.  This was a great feat in itself and thanks to finally having a dry spell the other day.   I needed to align the 2 scopes so when it was dry I set up in the street,  took aim at the top of the crystal palace transmitter and went to work.....I got some good views of that structure and after cutting bits of coke can and packing between dovetail and mount I got the 2 scopes pretty well aligned.  2 tubes kinda meant I could take aim with one or change an ep while one of the kids looked in the other.     They just need to learn not to grab at the EP/scope/tripod etc  grrrr!

[Starfazed]

If it's any consolation, since getting my "new" scope a year ago I've had probably three clear nights i've ma aged to use it more than half an hour without giving in to cloud. Even spent a fortnight staying in Bortle 2 and 3 areas away from my usual city sky, and got maybe alf an hour between clouds.  Do we ever have clear skies in the UK?

[doublevodka]

On 01/04/2024 at 23:19, Starfazed said:

If it's any consolation, since getting my "new" scope a year ago I've had probably three clear nights i've ma aged to use it more than half an hour without giving in to cloud. Even spent a fortnight staying in Bortle 2 and 3 areas away from my usual city sky, and got maybe alf an hour between clouds.  Do we ever have clear skies in the UK?

It has been a particularly crappy year for weather, stick with it, I'm sat here listening to the rain, in previous years have had bbq's this time of year.

I'm beginning to think the biggest tool in the UK astronomers kit is patience, it can be damn frustrating sometimes, but when it all comes together the payoff is totally worth it 👍

[AstroMuni]

12 hours ago, doublevodka said:

I'm beginning to think the biggest tool in the UK astronomers kit is patience,

Previously patience was (and still is) needed for all drivers using the M25 and now astronomers have to contend with this additional aspect of waiting for clear skies 🙂 

Edited Tuesday at 10:09 by AstroMuni

[TiffsAndAstro]

Clear outside tells me RED for the entire week, while I sit here and stare at 80% blue sky. 

All four of my weather sources same similar.

I'd hate to be a meteorologist in the UK. Might as well just look out the window

Edited Tuesday at 13:48 by TiffsAndAstro