Is this a normal thing with this hobby?

[abumuhannadh]

Hi,

tonight at 1:30 after midnight i went out to see how was the sky, and saw it was clear with very few clouds (its dark, so no clouds are seen but i guessed by the visible stars)

my target was Jupiter and i checked Stellarium before i went out and it showed Jupiter should be about 36 degrees up in the sky. and i was glad it has just come out over my neighbor's roof. went in and came out with the binocular and spent some 10 minutes observing.

with binoculars i checked the western sky for any big cloud (i could see about up to 30 degrees up before my roof obstructs it) and i was able to see that it was pretty much clear (west side because in this monsoon, the clouds come from the west. and east side was clear already)

so i went in and prepared my small refractor for a session, i took about ten minutes to get ready and come out with it and >>>

i saw the last glimpse of Jupiter going behind the cloud that shrouded the entire sky. i had not even removed the caps. frustrated, i went in with the scope didn't even bother to put it on the ground.

this happened even last night, but last night i was able to see it between clouds for about 15 minutes.

is this a normal thing in this hobby? so frustrating.

i know we get clear skies later to this month and during next month. but since i have bought the scope, i doubt about it now

[brantuk]

'Fraid so - the hobby is as unpredictable as the weather - if I could fix it for you I would

[Moonshane]

this is how it would go in England.

put my scope out in the vain hope that the current cloud might clear. amazingly it didn't. we know there's going to be cloudy for the next few weeks but we'll keep looking out and hoping that the clouds gathering at the end of each sunny day will not arrive this time

seriously, the sky seems to mock us sometimes but we get the odd cracking night as a reward. one thing's for sure, the stars and planets are going nowhere fast so they will be around next time.

[JamesM]

I like the fact that you will know that you will, "...get clear skies later to this month and during next month" Such bliss!!!!!

There are a lot of good things to be had living on this island but clear night skies, its not even on the list.

Clear skies

James

[Llamanaut]

i havent observed in almost a month, combination of nightshifts, mist and low cloud.... one lesson you need to learn first with this hobby is patience!

[Tddun]

I remember when I waited up for Jupiter last summer, the first time I was going to see it through a telescope, was clear when I was waiting for it to come up.. noticed less and less stars in the sky, and realised 30 minutes later it had completly clouded over, I had noticed the sky was different, assumed it was just light pollution. Was fairly gutted!

[msinclairinork]

Yes it is nothing but frustraiting and happens all the time (at least to me) but when it is clear...well you forget all those frustraiting nights. ( i do anyway)

I think the only thing that would make it less frustraiting is having an observatory of some kind, where everything is all set up and ready to go. If you're lucky and you can observe from your garden, you could even knock up a secure shed to keep all your gear in, then it will just take you seconds to set up and seconds to put away if the clouds roll in?

Michael

[klytus]

Patience is a virtue,seldom seen in men and never seen in women as my old dad says . Though i starting to run out of it of late and think the clouds are a permanent fixture round me , its been a month or so of promising skies during the day then come evening those clouds taunt me by rolling over

Nil desperandum (never despair)

[Mike Hawtin]

It all depends on where you are I'm afraid, when I lived in the UK it was not unusual to go for weeks on end without a clear sky, however since relocating to Cyprus on June 13th every single night has been completely clear from dusk to dawn! I would have considered myself fortunate to have had this many good nights in six months before I moved. Don't be discouraged, when you do get good skies you will see some wonderful sights and all will seem worthwhile.

[just looking]

Dont get me started on this

Your not on your own.

I Have seen Nothing yet.

its a good job im patient (not) I Have took up knitting waiting

for the long dark evenings and clear skies

In fact knitting a thick woolie jumper to wear while sat out in the winter cold.lol

Be patient like me. ;o)

[Dave Smith]

This is one of the main reasons I have just set up an observatory. Too many occasions cooling the scope down, setting it all up in time for the clouds to roll in and then by the time you have cleared it all away the clouds vanish.

Dave

[Michael Rapley]

This is one of the main reasons i moved to a dob that i keep in the garage, it doesn't take much longer to get going than grabbing my binos does. As others have pointed out the good nights make the cloudy ones seem like a distant memory.

[RichieJarvis]

This is one of the main reasons I have just set up an observatory. Too many occasions cooling the scope down, setting it all up in time for the clouds to roll in and then by the time you have cleared it all away the clouds vanish.

Dave

Ditto! Too much time spent setting up and tearing down (followed by tearing hair out!)

Oh, and watch the clouds roll in when you buy new kit as well!

Enjoy!

Richie

[Astro_Baby]

Happens all the time and last year was so bad lost of people considered exiting from the hobby.

[richbyers]

things are pretty crappy at the moment, itl get better dont worry

rich

[acey]

is this a normal thing in this hobby? so frustrating.

Certainly is in UK. Somehow it's comforting to know that the Maldives has the same problem. Just got to be patient and make the most of whatever clear skies you get.

Because of the time it takes me to get to my observing site, I generally just go there and hope for the best, if the weather forecast looks to give me any chance of decent conditions. So I've often driven a long way and set up my scope, only to have zero viewing. And of course on the way back, when I'm nearly home, the clouds part and the sky is crystal clear. Equally, though, I've had times when the forecast and the sky both look iffy, yet I've ended up with hours of clear sky and good observing.

In this hobby you've just got to be philosophical about such things!

[simon955]

Its always cloudy when new equipment arrives, or when i tell friends to come for a viewing session. As others have said, planets and stars will wait for you. Be patient.

[Vega]

What's even worse is when you pack everything up in anger, then 20 minutes later it clears up for the remainder of the night grrrrrrr

[pvaz]

Yeah it happens more often then not.

That's one of the reason why I chose a dob. It takes me 2 min tops to open the garage door and get it setup so I don't mind doing it a couple of times per night.

If I didn't had the ability to get ready that fast, I doubt I would have been able to see as much as I did, in only 10 months in the hobby.

[Ags]

I just carry my whole 4" mak tripod and all out as soon as the weather looks good. It's easy. But the weather never looks good any more!