SDAS Observing Saturday 3rd January CANCELLED

EDIT: Weather is C%$p so I've admitted defeat for tonight .

Hi all,

As Friday was a washout we're trying again.

Meet up at the usual place at 8PM.

Directions to the meeting point and observing site may be found here:

SDAS Observing Site

If anyone is interested, let me know.

Michael.

Despite the cloud we had a good old chinwag. Life, the Universe and everything was put in some perspective (sorry - although the answer is 42 we still haven't figured out the question). Participants tonight were - Michael Murphy, Dave Brannigan, James Kelly, Keith (Calibos), and myself. Just for Seanie - the clouds were spectacular and here is a shot for the Cloud Appreciation Society (CAS). Sorry but being so Dark it was tough to find focus:

Regards and Clear Skies (just don't depend on MetCheck),
John Murphy
http:/www.flickr.com/photos/jcmurphy

I know the lads said not to pay any attention to the infrared sat images but looking at the 2am British metoffice sat image it would make you want to cry. Why couldn't that huge clear patch have arrived 5 hours earlier. : angry:

Why wouldn't you pay attention to IR sat pics?

Dave Grennan wrote:

Why wouldn't you pay attention to IR sat pics?

I think the lads said it could be decieving, that what looked like a clear patch on the infrared might be hazy in reality?? Or something like that?

Bloody typical!!

It looked like a superb night on the east coast Sunday night, ie. a day too late. Skies looked pristine, calm, no star scintilation, freezing etc, especially when the moon set in the AM.

The entire rest of the country blanketed in cloud except for a 40 mile wide sliver of clear along the coast and inland a few miles, cept a day late for an SDAS session and absolutely no use to me. As limited as my new tiny 14'x8' back yard is with two storey surrounding buildings limiting me to 65º or above, I would have loved to easily brought the scope out with Ursa Major right overhead at 2am. Unfortunately the scope base doesn't fit out the ultra thin back door so I would have had to bring the scope out the front door, down the road, opened up an uber loud and sqeeking metal gate, up the back lane and into the back of our yard....all at 2am.

Front is out for serious observing because of the streetlights making it as bright as daylight there and atm there is nowhere for the scope to sit anyway till its relandscaped. [B}ALL[/B} flowerbeds at the moment. Limited backyard is out till the house is renovated and we replace the tiny back door and fit the patio doors..

To say that I am disgusted is an understatement that the dark site observing that I can do was clouded out and the very next night at home where I can't really use the scope atm was stunningly clear.

Typical!!