Hi
Where is the DSC being held next weekend? Do we have to book pitches in advance?
Cheers
Delphine
Rother Valley I believe but someone had better check.
Meteoblue indicates Northiam is looking promising for Friday night but not so good on Saturday, dry though.
I'll contact Jackie and find out the status of the field.
So who is going? The last DSC was 2nd to 4th August so it's been a very long time since we last had one.
I can't make it! Something else has been arranged for this weekend. Really annoyed!
The ground round here is quite soft so I wouldn't be too optimistic about Rother.
Mark
I'll be going if there is a chance of clear skies. Meteoblue still gives a hopeful forecast for Friday night. The Countryfile weather forecast last night showed a front coming south on Sunday, if it hurries up there is clear air behind it when the rain stops. Never thought I would be hoping it will rain!
I'm planning on coming on Friday, I just need to move a meeting to Thursday my boss's boss has just requested.
OK the DSC will be at Blacklands.
blacklandsfarm.co.uk (http://www.blacklandsfarm.co.uk/)
Email from Jackie this morning...
Dear Mike,
We note you have a booking for this weekend, as you might imagine the field is too wet for anyone to stay.
We expect it won't improve now until the Spring.
Best Wishes
Jackie
Mike
I might well be making my debut if my camping gear arrives in time :roll: will only be Saturday night though :cry:
Mike, is it essential to book at Blacklands?
No not for Blacklands. Just turn up and have cash ready to give to Keith when he comes over to collect.
We want to arrive early afternoon on Friday or maybe before. Where should we pitch if we are the first there? I have never been to Blacklands so don't know where you go.
Delphine
If the weather is ok, then I will be going. :D
Delphine, it doesn't really matter as long as you are near the hook-ups. However, I personally prefer to be somewhere away from the toilet block as it has a lights on it. Either of the left hand corners are fine.
As you enter the field South is to your right.
Thanks Mike
Quote from: Mike on Nov 25, 2013, 20:32:16
Delphine, it doesn't really matter as long as you are near the hook-ups. However, I personally prefer to be somewhere away from the toilet block as it has a lights on it. Either of the left hand corners are fine.
As you enter the field South is to your right.
Bugger ...hook ups I forgot that campsites have hook ups. I've gone for all battery and I didn't need to. And I've got all the appropriate connectors in the garage :roll: :roll: doh
That's fine. Mark S also runs everything from batteries and a few of us still have battery gear if we go somewhere without hookups. Not all campsites have them so it's useful to have.
I hope to come as well. Last time we setup at the wooden fence just on the right as you enter the field. You can park on the road side and setup on the field side of the fence. Forecast is looking good.
Roy and me are planning to arrive on Friday and get set up before dark.
Quote from: Roy on Nov 26, 2013, 17:26:07
Roy and me are planning to arrive on Friday and get set up before dark.
See you there while it's still light :)
See you lot there at about 8pm.
I may bring 2 500 watt flood lights so I can set up in the light! :twisted:
Does Blacklands lend itself to capturing ISON? I've never tried to capture a comet before and would be interested in giving it a go.
(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/11/25/1385396850310/Comet-011.jpg)
The adjacent field towards the East has a bit more SE horizon than than the main field.
All depends on the time really - and the clouds - and the rain etc., etc.
Recent reports suggest ISON has already started to break up and indeed may have exploded into a giant dust cloud already so I wouldn't hold out much hope for viewing it.
Currently, NASA is receiving reports that molecular emission from the comet has fallen dramatically. Meanwhile, the dust production seems to be enormous. This could potentially indicate that the nucleus of the comet has completely disrupted, releasing an enormous amount of dust while reducing emission rates. This means that the comet has essentially broken apart which, in turn, means that it likely won't be present in the skies in early December.
You can keep track of ISON's approach to the Sun almost live with the SOHO LASCO C3 camera images......
So far it seems to have broken up but may still be in large pieces so some may survive the encounter with Sol.
ISON is at the 3.30 position.
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime/c3/512/
Thanks Mike, looks like it will be missed opportunity. Love the fact you can track it, that's pretty impressive. Maybe I'll have to persuade Duncan to help me with Capturing Jupiter instead :) Registax is the tool of choice, right?
BTW is there WiFi at the site?
Quote from: Ivor on Nov 27, 2013, 11:44:45
Thanks Mike, looks like it will be missed opportunity. Love the fact you can track it, that's pretty impressive. Maybe I'll have to persuade Duncan to help me with Capturing Jupiter instead :) Registax is the tool of choice, right?
BTW is there WiFi at the site?
Hi Ivor,
No WiFi unless they have added it since last time. For capturing planets you can use a variety of software, it depends what camera you are using. I use a bog standard SPC900, 2x ED barlow on 2000mm SCT and Sharpcap. I have tried Firecapture a while back, must get the latest version. Also Castrator is useful for cutting file sizes.
Registax, Autostakkert or AviStack2 are the free tools of choice for processing. I tend to try all three and see which comes up with the best result for given video stream! I like to use Registax wavelets for final sharpening.
Hope that helps!
Thanks I'll download Sharpcap and registax ready for the weekend. Genius name for an application Castrator.
Ivor, Comet Lovejoy is still around in the mornings. It's about Mag 4 at the moment. There is still a small chance that ISON, or a large part of it, may survive.
Just to let you know it has not rained down here for a week and the ground is pretty good, also the local weather forecast seems to suggest some clear skies early morning Friday and Saturday.
Thank you for the update - let us hope the trend in forecasts later today go with lessening cloud!
or more beer
Forecast is looking good :)
Seems to have suddenly changed now hmmm
http://www.meteoblue.com/en_GB/weather/forecast/week/henfield_gb_13623 (http://www.meteoblue.com/en_GB/weather/forecast/week/henfield_gb_13623)
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=uk7dayx7;ct=14039~Henfield;sess=#forecast (http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=uk7dayx7;ct=14039~Henfield;sess=#forecast)
Let's see what the morning update brings.
METEOBLUE (http://www.meteoblue.com/en_GB/weather/charts/seeing/henfield_gb_13623) is looking a little more promising.
Whatever the weather, i'm going anyway. Last DSC was August and last time the usual crowd attended was April.
I vote for a pub lunch on Saturday.
I'm with you Mike, seems like this societies ethos suits me :D
A pub lunch sounds a very good idea and if the pub has a roaring fire probably all the better :D
I'm reading full cloud cover for Friday, so I'll skip tonight and save on the babysitting costs. It looks like it will be better tomorrow evening so I might head down then as the car is all packed.
Hopefully my decision will trigger sod's law and clear the sky.
Anybody there yet?
I'll answer my own question. There are 8 of us all set up and the sky is starting to clear!
Just popped outside and the sky here is fantastic. So it wont be long before you get it.
Mac.
Yep. Great sky here too :)
You made a big mistake Ivor!
Good call - had occasional cloud going through most of the night here in Orpington. The forecast is for clear this evening though :)
Bromley council have just replaced a nearby sodium lamp with a LED version. Unfortunately it's much taller, brighter and white :( It does have a very good cutoff but even so the garden is now nicely illuminated and I can read a paper in the observatory whilst simultaneously trying to image :! They'll be getting a call on Monday !
Robert
Quote from: RobertM on Nov 30, 2013, 08:32:46Unfortunately it's much taller, brighter and white :( It does have a very good cutoff but even so the garden is now nicely illuminated and I can read a paper in the observatory whilst simultaneously trying to image :! They'll be getting a call on Monday !
Yeah, do get onto the Bromley lighting engineer. They should be able to fit a baffle to screen your garden.
Well, it was a great night between about 10:00 and 2:00, lovely and clear. Everyone was rushing about looking at stuff through different scopes and bins. Julian, Jim and myself were imaging. We saw comet Lovejoy to the north just below the end of the Plough handle, several really good meteors and many airplanes!
Not bad here this morning, even saw the sun for five minutes. Field is a bit soft but not too bad.
Excellent - how was Qhy Dunc? Did it make first light or should I say first guide..... John
I should be clear all night tonight
Can I say a big thank you to Duncan, Julian, Mike and everybody else for making my first dsc a wonderful event so enjoyable and so much information :o :D
It was a great weekend. Clear nights for two nights! The forecasters were wrong again.
I can't wait to see the images that Duncan, Julian and Jim produce. The single frames on the laptop screens looked great so the final processed images should be fantastic.
We had a total of 11 people in the end including two newcomers so a very successful last DSC of 2013.
I would have popped over but I was mainly welding.
Was a big muggy last night, not great for around here but not bad.