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Kelling Heath

Started by Carole, Mar 29, 2011, 22:50:19

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Carole

What days is every-one else coming?

I am there from Thursday to Tuesday. 

Carole

The Thing

#1
Leaving Friday morning. Friday to Sunday courtesy of Mark. (Good luck with the move!)

Mike

Thursday till Sunday. Leaving early Thursday morning.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

MarkS

Quote from: The Thing
Good luck with the move!

Thanks. 
Everything is now boxed except what we need for the next 2 days.
Just waiting for the big day now ...

Delphine

We are arriving Friday afternoon and leaving Monday

Delphine

Sue

Roy amd me are also going up on Friday and staying until Monday. Forecast looking rather more promising for the weekend, 8/8 cloud cover as I write - hope folk already in Norfolk having better luck!



Mike

Report from Kelling- Day 1 - Thursday 31st March.

it was very windy when we arrived. Fay was already there we then set about putting first Doug's then my tent up in high winds, which was fun.

The weather forecast said cloud all nght with a possibiity of a clear patch for around an hour starting at 9pm. Well, at 9pm the clouds rolled away to reveal stars. we all legged it out of the pub back to our pitches. We then had pretty much clear sky (with the occasional thin line of cloud scooting over) till around midnight. it was a bit too windy to image but there was plenty of observing going on, with some stunning views through a dob owned by one of Julian's mates. In amongst all this we were treated to a very bright lime green fireball that lit up the field.

All in all a pretty good night.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Rocket Pooch

I can just imagine the locals faces in the pub when someone rund is and says "It's clear!" and everyone scarpers outside bino's and red lights to hand :-)

Mike

Day 2 - Friday 1st April

Last night the same thing happened. We were all in the pub as it was total cloud cover. Next minute it is clear and we are all rushing back to our pitches. I gave up near to 2am, but  a load of our gang were still up.

Images were taken, though the gusty winds made guiding a challenge. I was over an hour trying to figure out why my guiding wasnt working, only to discover EQMOD has tracking set to off as default.

Today (Saturday morning) it is nice and sunny and we have less wind forecast.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Mike

Day 3 - Saturday 3rd

Saturday started off sunny but windy. The wind died down throughout the day and by the time it got dark there was no wind at all. The night started off cloudy but it slowly cleared until around 10pm it was completely clear, but a bit hazy. It then remained clear until the early hours of the morning.

Sunday is starting off as a nice sunny day with a gentle breeze.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Fay

I got there first on thursday, after a run in with a big lorry on M25, took the far side wing mirror away, pushed me into the fast lane but luckily the car in that lane was a few yards behind me.

Got there & the wind was ferocious.  chaps from Ashford Soc  came & helped me, then 3 more arrived from elsewhere & it was still hard to hold it down. I then went & helped the chaps put their one up, and another 3 chaps came over & we could all just about hold the tent. A lot of pegs were banged in but it went into the air like a big parachute & we nearly lost it, it was  so hard to hold it down.

All night it was a nightmare, I felt like I was in a ship in full sail, all the floor was rippling like waves & the tent was bowing in & out all night, I never slept a wink. Have not got over Tuesnoad episode of the fly away tent yet & knew that if it was going to go, then it would no matter how many pegs or people were inside!!!!

Not a lot of images taken, Julian took some wide field star fields, which I think will be very nice, & Robert did a couple with the Hyperstar.

Last night was clear from 12.30, but as I was not prepared to stay up until around 3am, I packed up, as had to go home today.

A great time was had by all, great company, nice site, restaurant, toilets, showers & bar, trade stands on saturday.  Lot of laughs with lots of nice people & lots of visits from others around the site.
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Carole

Sunday Evening:

Mike and Cris, Fay, Julian, Robert and Duncan have all gone home.  
This leaves, me, Delphine and Sue and our respective husbands and Rose and Doug.

Delphine, Ian, me and my husband went on the steam railway today.  

Quotenever slept a wink
I never slept a wink that night either, Fay and I commiserating with each other the next day.  

Wind was terrible Thursday and Friday, and tonight looks like some rain coming in, although not reached here yet.  

A nice sociable few days.  Not managed any imaging as yet but fabulous skies for observation. 

Carole

Mike

A great weekend. I've booked up 6 days for next year :D
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Mike

Hope the people leaving today didn't get caught up in the massive delay on the M11 due to a 9 vehicle accident.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Fay

That's what I was thinking, Mike
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

The Thing

Wasn't caused by a wing mirror on the road was it? ;)

Fay


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


That wing mirror is going to cost £300!!!
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Mike

Serves you right for trying to drive whilst applying mascara.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Delphine

Quote from: Mike on Apr 04, 2011, 14:59:09
Hope the people leaving today didn't get caught up in the massive delay on the M11 due to a 9 vehicle accident.

We came back with no problems - via Norwich - thanks to your timely message Mike.  The M11 between J8 & J10 was still closed according to the overhead message thingys.

Delphine

Carole

QuoteHope the people leaving today didn't get caught up in the massive delay on the M11 due to a 9 vehicle accident
Delphine and Ian and Sue and Roy left today, I think it happened before they left, but could have caused a tailback.
(Ah, Delphine's post was typed as the same time as mine. 

Just Doug and Rose and me and Adrian here today.  Overcast, then windy again, then rain!!!

Tomorrow it will be just Doug and Rose.

Carole

MarkS



So ... did anyone manage any imaging at Kelling?

Carole

Last night (monday) was overcast, then all night it was raining with a howling gale (as bad as Thursday), not looking forward to packing up today.

Carole

Delphine

Sunday night was very clear after some rain.  I wished that I had hung onto the camera that Mike lent me as I actually managed to find a fuzzy with my simple telescope.  It turned out to be the M3.   I also got a clear view of Saturn and the Beehive Cluster.  Thanks to Doug's knowledge of the night sky I found out what I was looking at!

Delphine

Carole

Adrian (husband) tells me that Monday night was actually worse than Thursday night but as I had now bought, and was using some earplugs I could not hear the difference. 

Packing up was awful as the wind was so strong I thought my hatchback on the car was going to be blown off, so every time something was put in the car Adrian had to hold on to the hatch which slowed things down considerably.  (Not sure whether it would have blown the hatch off, but wasn't taking a chance).  Then Doug and Rose kindly hung around to help us get the tent down and it was a good job they did as even folding up the ground sheet we were like a ship in full sail.  We took down the inner tent first which is really a back to front way of doing it and despite removing all the poles, the tent was still standing up like a balloon due to the strong winds.

Finally got my DSC Mount working on Monday evening, but it was making a very strange noise when it slewed.  Tracking was not good and guiding was off the graph, so only managed to get some very short subs of M51.  The following day I got talking to some-one about it and a 3rd person offered to take a look at it (he runs an Astro business in Sheffield).  He said that the motor was loose and has now tightened it.

I took a gamble taking this untried Mount with me (did try to test it before I went but not had much chance to try it out with the weather etc), but did not want to remove my main mount from the Observatory which is nicely polar and drift aligned.

Back on Thursday, visiting friends in Norfolk.

Carole

Rocket Pooch

Quote from: MarkS on Apr 05, 2011, 07:33:52


So ... did anyone manage any imaging at Kelling?

It should like a no apart from some wide field stuff.

mickw

QuoteI took a gamble taking this untried Mount with me

You've had that mount for ages and hadn't even tried it ?

Still at least you got someone to fix it for you
Growing Old is mandatory - Growing Up is optional

Carole

QuoteYou've had that mount for ages and hadn't even tried it
I know, but there have been so few clear nights I didn't want to waste them on trying things out.  Also a bit of a chore having to set it all up from scratch after having it all "laid on" in the observatory.  Yes, Lazy I know and only myself to blame. 

I did actually give two evenings over to trying it out before Kelling, but clouds rolled in before I could complete the job.

Carole

Fay

#27
AT least I got a sunset. Panorama of 3 Canon 350D. Came out better than I thought, being it is jpeg





It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Delphine

Stunning images Fay.  I must say it was a beautiful sunset.

Delphine

Rick

Impressive sunsets, even if they do illuminate an all together excessive amount of cloud.  :brolly:

Mike

I don't know what you are using to create the panorama Fay, but the joins are visible.
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. Carl Sagan

Fay

Thanks, it was a really rush job, did not know what I was doing.

I am in the garden, now, practicing with my Leitz lens & Canon. You quickly forget how to do things like this on the spur of the moment, so I was quite pleased, thought they would be a writeoff   
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

Fay

I will have to get my glasses on then Mike!!!! :o
It is healthier to be mutton dressed as lamb, than mutton dressed as mutton!

JohnP

Fay they look good to me... If I blow it up 300% in pshop I can see a diagonal stepped line through cloud top left (about 1/3 in) dont know if this is what mike means.. I cant see any vertical lines (as I would expect from stiching photos together).

Very nice pics - John

Rocket Pooch

I can't see them either?  Nice pikkes Fay.


Carole

That was a fantastic sunset, glad some-one managed to image it.  Well done Fay, I can't see any joins.

Quotethey do illuminate an all together excessive amount of cloud
Yes there was a lot of cloud, but it also cleared up for short spells to reveal some lovely dark starry skies, just a pity about the wind.

Carole