Observing evening weather

[Ivor]

Trying to decide whether ask for the gate to be left open for tomorrow, I'm seeing rain and clear on the forecasts with only medium confidence, what are others seeing?

[Carole]

On yr.no it says clear this evening and clear after midnight tomorrow:

http://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/London_Borough_of_Bromley/hour_by_hour.html

Carole

[Ivor]

This is the strangest one clear skies and raining

http://clearoutside.com/forecast/51.37/0.09

[RobertM]

Strange this one, my forecast was showing clear but that was before someone mentioned an observing evening

I should have realised the chance of getting a clear observing evening is somewhat akin to finding rocking horse do-do !

I think I'm going to have to take up knitting

Robert

[JohnP]

I think I'm going to have to take up knitting

Can I have your astronomy kit....... 'pretty please'...

[doug]

I remember the days when we used to turn up, irrespective of the weather, just in case it cleared, for a chat and sometimes discussion about astronomy and other things. This seems to have gone by the board now and the observing evenings are a thing of the past. What a shame.....

Perhaps one days they will return and we can celebrate an observing evening again..... 

Doug.

[RobertM]

I think I'm going to have to take up knitting

Can I have your astronomy kit....... 'pretty please'...

I'll consider your request .... if I take up knitting 

Doug - I'm not aware that observing evenings have stopped ?

Robert

[MarkS]

Clear tonight but too windy here for imaging

Mark

[RobertM]

Windy but imaging would be possible if I wasn't right in the edge of this belt of cloud.

[MarkS]

I've also been left pretty disillusioned by my struggle with the Sony A7S - a  struggle resulting in defeat.  It may take me some while to get my imaging mojo back

It's so ironic that I could take a 50 hours of a data with my old Canon 350D but can't take more than 2 hours of data with the Sony (using the same scope and same sky conditions) without sensor artefacts dominating the image.

Mark

[Ivor]

I remember the days when we used to turn up, irrespective of the weather, just in case it cleared, for a chat and sometimes discussion about astronomy and other things. This seems to have gone by the board now and the observing evenings are a thing of the past. What a shame.....

Perhaps one days they will return and we can celebrate an observing evening again..... 

Doug.

I'm bit confused here Doug, we had a successful observing evening only last month. I'm sorry to hear the social evenings haven't been so well attended, personally I find it hard to guarantee my attendance regularly to social evenings with working in London and my young family especially this year with GCSEs, A levels and ongoing University search.

If there is anyone else with more free time who fancies doing the observing officer's role it's there for the taking in February.

Windy but imaging would be possible if I wasn't right in the edge of this belt of cloud.

I managed to escape the band of cloud and managed to capture some more of IC410, I plan to capture OIII tonight and the have a go at M31 as it's one I've never captured properly before.

I've also been left pretty disillusioned by my struggle with the Sony A7S - a  struggle resulting in defeat.  It may take me some while to get my imaging mojo back

It's so ironic that I could take a 50 hours of a data with my old Canon 350D but can't take more than 2 hours of data with the Sony (using the same scope and same sky conditions) without sensor artefacts dominating the image.

Mark

You have rather blazed the way with the Sony A7S, so where frustrating, problems were likely and I think most people will agree what you've produced to date with the camera hasn't been too shabby. That's the problem with high standards come back down to mortals' standards and you'll be fine

[JohnP]

I've also been left pretty disillusioned by my struggle with the Sony A7S - a  struggle resulting in defeat.  It may take me some while to get my imaging mojo back

It's so ironic that I could take a 50 hours of a data with my old Canon 350D but can't take more than 2 hours of data with the Sony (using the same scope and same sky conditions) without sensor artefacts dominating the image.

Mark - your images with A7S have been stunning - 2hrs of data from that camera is amazing - I guess you are pushing the limits of what the camera was designed for & if artifacts are down to things like lithographic patterning of the CCD itself there is not a lot you can do other than contacting the chip manufacturer & telling them to change their manufacturing/ patterning process Definitely feel your frustration though - I lost my mojo about 2 years ago & the abundance of 500W automatic search lights around my garden & LED street lights isn't helping me get back on track... Keep on taking the 2 hour images - they are fantastic & really enjoy viewing them..

John

[MarkS]

I've also been left pretty disillusioned by my struggle with the Sony A7S - a  struggle resulting in defeat.  It may take me some while to get my imaging mojo back

It's so ironic that I could take a 50 hours of a data with my old Canon 350D but can't take more than 2 hours of data with the Sony (using the same scope and same sky conditions) without sensor artefacts dominating the image.

Mark - your images with A7S have been stunning - 2hrs of data from that camera is amazing - I guess you are pushing the limits of what the camera was designed for & if artifacts are down to things like lithographic patterning of the CCD itself there is not a lot you can do other than contacting the chip manufacturer & telling them to change their manufacturing/ patterning process Definitely feel your frustration though - I lost my mojo about 2 years ago & the abundance of 500W automatic search lights around my garden & LED street lights isn't helping me get back on track... Keep on taking the 2 hour images - they are fantastic & really enjoy viewing them..

John

Thanks John.  I forced myself back out there again tonight and already I'm glad I did.  I can take a couple of 2 hour images.

Mark

[Fay]

Doug, I think the problem is, regarding observing evenings, everyone has moved away. its very sad. a lot of regulars used to turn up for a  chat.

I think Ivor, does his best, and this has nothing to do with him, just most of the old group has now gone

Oh Mark, I understand how you feel. you will find a way of filling the void the Sony has left.

I forced myself out last night, on the patio as garden too muddy. it was quite windy, so fruitless. again I was out there tonight, but problems with PHD, dont know what is going on there, i reckon it is the hub!!!


Fay

[MarkS]

Fay,

Replace your hub!  Life is too short.

Mark

[Fay]

You are right Mark. I cling onto it as I like its physical convenience.

[doug]

The last Observing Evening was held, courtesy of Miriam and Jeff, at their house, for which I personally would like to thank them and it was very good and interesting evening. And Fay, I think you are correct saying that people have moved away and the journey is a bit too far to come, especially if people are working and don`t get home until later in the evening. Rose and I will hopefully continue to go on a Tuesday evening, hoping that someone will turn up, and if it`s clear we will find a venue, perhaps the park opposite the pub for a shufti at the evening sky.

Doug.

[RobertM]

Mark,

I'm glad you forced yourself back out, I went though a similar thing a while back.  Nothing would work properly and could not get decent images.  You're right though, life's far too short and precious and I'd wasted too much time sorting things that were intractable (at least to me).

Fay, the hub is good just make sure you power it before connecting the USB to your laptop !

Robert

[Rick]

I remember the days when we used to turn up, irrespective of the weather, just in case it cleared, for a chat and sometimes discussion about astronomy and other things.

Yes, the "not turning up unless it's clear" attitude does seem to have come to the fore of late. Way back when, there were two reasons for starting observing evenings in the pub. First, because the Landlord held the Key to The Gate, and second, because when it was too cloudy to observe we could have a good chat over a pint. The first of those reasons went a long time back when we stopped using the top field down Skibbs Lane, but the second remained important.

This seems to have gone by the board now and the observing evenings are a thing of the past. What a shame.....

It does seem that the "have a chat over a pint" side has waned considerably, probably pretty much in step with the waxing of the "not turning up unless it's clear" attitude.

Perhaps one days they will return and we can celebrate an observing evening again.....

Perhaps it's time to formally cut the ties between the observing and social functions observing evenings used to fulfil, and instigate a regular monthly informal social evening?

[Fay]

I was thinking, last night, I did not realise that Doug & Rose have kept turning up at the pub on Observing Evenings, and no one ever turns up. they still live in hope. it is a shame

[doug]

Thanks Rick.... you understand where I was coming from ..... But Rose and I will will still turn up on THE Tuesdays. And as the drinks these days are very expensive, we just "buy our own". Hope to see you there on the next Observing evening, or social chat evening .... or whatever.
Doug. (and Rose)....

[RobertM]

Fay, The observing evening has never disappeared from the calendar as far as I'm aware.

I do turn up from time to time but that isn't dependent on the weather, more due to time (and remembering).  Rick may be right, perhaps more should be made of the observing evening as social events at the meetings.  We can't really do 'proper' Observing evenings without an observing officer present with the keys.

Another thing are the imaging evenings for which I'll open another thread...

Robert

[Fay]

No I know it has not disappeared. it is just that things change over the months and years, and that has had an impact on observing evening attendance, its one of those things.

[Carole]

Another thing are the imaging evenings for which I'll open another thread...

That's a good point Robert, I did not put them on the calendar because last year Miriam contacted a few people before the calendar was made up and got some dates, but that didn't happen this year.

That is no reason not to have them though, we just need some volunteers and a few dates during the year.  I'll wait for your thread.

Regarding observing evenings, I personally do not go to them for the following reasons:

a) I feel that I am just looking at the same stuff every time, and the skies are not that great around Bromley/Orpington. 
b) I don't know if I can be bothered to hack all the way down to Bough Beech for observing. 
c) I don't particularly want to spend the evening just chatting and drinking in the Pub, I am not much of a Pub person.
d) Yes, I forgot this one until I read Fay's next post, if the skies are clear I would most likely be imaging at home.

Carole

[Fay]

Yes, for me, i would not go if the sky was going to be good. would be at home imaging.

if not a scope owner, or just starting out, I think observing is more attractive to them.
After having imaged and been around for a while, 2 planets and the moon and a fuzzy blob, are not interesting.
it is nice to have a chat and a relax for a while, keep in touch with others.

Some people love observing. at Kelling etc , I have had a look at what everyone is raving about and it does not move me very much. imaging has ruined all that, I think. 

Do I sound harsh??

[Rick]

Seems to me there are probably quite a few folk who'd turn up to a social evening if it happened in a regular predictable way, but who won't turn up to something as movable as an observing evening. That observing evenings hop around the month depending on the phase of the Moon is all very Astronomical, but hopeless from a planning point of view, as pretty much everything else happens on a monthly schedule. (To be honest, the present "Tuesday nearest the New Moon" scheme is good from an astronomical perspective only if you're only interested in dark nights. It cuts Lunar observing right out of the equation.)

[Carole]

After having imaged and been around for a while, 2 planets and the moon and a fuzzy blob, are not interesting.
it is nice to have a chat and a relax for a while, keep in touch with others.

Some people love observing. at Kelling etc , I have had a look at what everyone is raving about and it does not move me very much. imaging has ruined all that, I think. 

Mostly agree with this too.  I do do some observing when I am at Kelling and look through other people's scopes while the imaging is chugging away.  Only rarely do I see anything that I haven't seen before and am impressed. 

I do think observing evenings are important for new members joining though.


Carole