Deep Sky Camp - 2nd to 4th August - Blacklands

[Mike]

We are just watching a huge thunderstorm off to the west and heading roughly our way.

[Rick]

A fairly heavy thunderstorm has just arrived here in Orpington...

[Delphine]

How are you all?  Did you get the thunderstorm last night?

Delphine

[Mike]

We had an epic thunderstorm last night and very heavy rain. However, it is nice and sunny and everything is already dry.

We are looking through the solar scope at the moment at a fairly active sun.

The forecast for tonight is looking really good so far.

[Delphine]

That must have been scary!   Hope you have clear skies tonight.

Delphine

[Les R]

That must have been scary!   Hope you have clear skies tonight.

Delphine

Well it's been clear skies this afternoon..... Toms first image on the neximage.

[Delphine]

Wow! super image, fantastic detail.

My weather forecast says clear skies this evening.

Delphine

[Les R]

Wow! super image, fantastic detail.

My weather forecast says clear skies this evening.

Delphine

It is so far! Probably 98% cloud free.

[Mike]

Well the skies conditions look like they will be great.

All we need to contend with now are the planes from Gatwick, the smoke from the BBQs, the lights from the megawatt torches, fairy lights over all the tents and annoying people with the same question over and over "Are you here to look at anything special tonight?".

Time to open a beer.

[Tony G]

Mike,

Make up something that could possibly pass directly overhead like a Large Meteor which only missed the moon a few days ago and tell them they have to be watching between 9.00pm and 4,30am but that it could pass at any time that way they'll all be knackered tomorrow while you have the day solar watching.

Les tell Tom what a great image as well. 

Tony G

[Fay]

Ha Ha Funny Mike. Who is Tom?

[MarkS]

All we need to contend with now are the planes from Gatwick, the smoke from the BBQs, the lights from the megawatt torches, fairy lights over all the tents and annoying people with the same question over and over "Are you here to look at anything special tonight?".

It was never like that at Tuesnoad ...

It's certainly clear tonight - with the naked eye I can see the Milky Way down to 15deg above the horizon here at High Halden.  

I spent the day digging a trench, laying an armoured cable for the electric supply and filling the trench back in.  Plus I laid a spare tube to run a cable for a possible future data connection.

Who's Tom?  It's a great solar image!

[The Thing]

It's amazingly clear in Beckenham. I can see M31 naked eye. Did you see the ISS going west to east about 20 minutes ago, followed by  a lovely orange meteor. And I'm imaging the Eastern Veil. First time I've had a go at it. Shame I couldn't make it to DSC but I had to work today... Still no smoke and fairy lights here!

[Les R]

Who is Tom?

Who's Tom?  It's a great solar image!

Meet Tom...

[Mike]

Well that was a very enjoyable weekend, despite a whole series of technical issues that plagued me.

However, I set my Nikon with 10.5mm fisheye up to do a series of 30 second exposures whilst I was imaging as everyone kept shouting "Oooohh!!" as another Perseid shot over (must have been well over 30). Anyway, I only managed to capture one and here it is: