Mt. Parnon - report

Hi Dave,

I am hesitant for the simple reason that we have a 300 km drive each way and I am disappointed at the fact that we have just over six hours of darkness and which translates to one or two targets per evening ... assuming no problems and unforeseen issues which would cut into this time as well.

By staying home, I can pursue targets at the zenith with very good results and without unforeseen problems since my set-up is standard and stable.

An excursion at the end of August (new moon) and/or September is much more reasonable for me since the available number of hours increase and I can squeeze in an extra target each evening.

I have a lot of desired targets involving the southern sky (especially in Oph/Sag/Sco) and I must get away to dark skies since my southern sky at home is a serious mess thanks to the lights from the national highway a few kilometers away.

Paul, most of the time the moon is higher in the sky as seen from the Canaries compared to Ireland

To my untrained eye it looks to be about the same but OBVIOUSLY.........IT IS HIGHER. Hard to tell when a cresent moon in Irish skies appears as a smiley face in the canaries.

btw the moon can never rises in the west.

Maybe i just miss it at times rising it in the east and see it setting in the west...............and think it rose in the west and set in the west.

sky brightness with a full moon is down to atmospheric haze, from what you're saying the skies in the canaries are less hazy, its not solely a matter of moon altitude.

I wasnt saying it was purely a case of altitude (although i did wonder)........i was saying it was more a case of atmospheric conditions.........while wondering if altitude was an issue.

... I am disappointed at the fact that we have just over six hours of darkness and which translates to one or two targets per evening ...

There is a way out of this mess and that would be to use two and three telescopes each session so that my net catch is effectively doubled or tripled and in spite of the 6.25 hours available.

To make this scenario possible, I would need a second AP Mach1GTO and this is something I am working on ( ) since I do have the two APO telescopes (AP160 and Tak FSQ) that would be used. I also already have a second SBIG filter wheel complete with imaging filters.

Ahh Anto.
Sometimes it's all (well, maybe not all ) just about meeting new friends and having fun!

Just remembered,
there was a few bad fires around that area last August
how did all that pan out?

Ahh Anto.
Sometimes it's all (well, maybe not all ) just about meeting new friends and having fun!

Anthony, Frank and Michael are absolutely right. Just like moonless nights, having fun is also a precious aspect of life. And I can assure you the Irish guys are the best kind of people one could possibly meet. We would all be happy if you can make it!

Just remembered,
there was a few bad fires around that area last August
how did all that pan out?

Frank, thank God the fire didn't reach our side of Parnon.
Last year me and Kyriakee were at the observing site, just the 2 of us, the day the fires started. We couldn't know that because we had no radio or TV. I remember, there was a frightening wind blowing so strongly, that we couldn't stand or walk properly, and the wind made our ears hear "ringing bells". So we decided to leave, and just about then, we listened to the car radio about the fires. From the refuge, we could see white smoke coming from far south. So we departed. Finally, luckilly for us, only the far southern slopes of Parnon were hit by the fire.
This year, we will take security measures for fire prevention. Water tanks, smoking rules, etc.

Ahh Anto.
Sometimes it's all (well, maybe not all ) just about meeting new friends and having fun!

Hi Frank,

I would be lying to you if I did not agree with your statement above! We will be together in Novo at the end of next month anyway for a few days and we can make up for lost time then ... I promise you.

As for Novo, I will be arriving very early Wednesday morning and leaving late afternoon on Saturday. There is no question we will be able to squeeze in a lot of time together ... we are also at the same hotel which helps even further.

This year so far has been one HUGE nightmare. We are into June already and our weather is still far from normal. During other years you could count with the fingers on both hands the number of days with bad weather during the first six months ... this year it is precisely the opposite and I seriously doubt if we had ten good nights so far for 2008. You have no idea how frustrated I am with all of my down-time this year strictly due to the weather.