hello again everyone!

[Ags]

I've been offline for a while because I have been moving from the UK to Holland.

Well, I've made my move to the bright city lights of Amstelveen (part of Amsterdam), and I'm blown away by the amount of light the city manages to pump into the sky. If it wasn't such an appalling and indefensible waste it would be impressive.

I've only had half an hour of clear skies but managed to make out Casseiopeia at the zenith with a full moon nearby, and confirm that the eastern half of the ecliptic is visible from my garden, from about 14 degrees elevation to due south.

I'll have to drag myself out to better observing sites, but I do like the immediacy of setting up in my back yard. I'm itching to try out my telescope on some targets - my main anxiety now is that the seeing will be wrecked by the central heating plumes from the houses around me.

[PortableAstronomer]

Hoi Ags, welkom in Nederland.

I live just round the corner in Hoofddorp, you'll be welcome to drop in for a lekker bakkie. From what you mention (seeing just bright stars at the zenith) it sounds like your sky environment is similar to mine. Hopefully you can at least do some planetary work from your back yard.

The worst offender of lighting the skies here are the industrial greenhouses that grow veggies for export all day&night. I went to an observing site near Enkhuizen on the Ijsselmeer which seems to have darker skies which is about 40 mins drive North. I think many astronomers from NL drive down to southern France to give Olly a visit. I might join them!

Clear skies.

Regards, Chris

[Ags]

Hi Chris, I'm mostly interested in planetary observing at the moment so hopefully the city environment is not too much of an obstacle, as long as the seeing is OK. After I have settled in I will try drive out to better observing sites.

I'll have to find out what a lekker bakkie is... In Afrikaans that means a "pretty pick-up truck". :-)