Clearest sky in weeks tonight

We need more nights like Sunday night. It was simply stunning.

WOW tonight is clear......................BUT COLD.

No way...not going out there.

Normally, I'd be out there in a flash. Its not so much the cold but the seeing that is keeping me inside. All the stars are twinkling away, even the dims ones high up and Mars.

While Sunday was absolutely fabulous there was another clear night (or part of a night) last week. I went out and set everything up and when I looked in the EP I realised what bad seeing really is. At first I thought I had put in a high power EP by mistake. I hadn't, I had my 17mm @ 88x and just looking at a starfield I could see the wavey effect like looking through water. Had to pack everything away again.

I wasn't making the same mistake tonight, what with the twinkling stars and my new found knowledge that the clear skies just after a front moves through is invariably like looking through a pond!

Keith...........i dont live THAT far from you and i have to say tonight is one of the best skies i have seen in a while (not including sundays spectacular).

You guys in Bray seem to be seriously plagued with light pollution or maybe the thermals where you are are completely different to where i am.............OR maybe i know nothing about seeing conditions and what i deem as GREAT..................you see as bad.

The latter is most likely the case.

But i'm not convinced cuz when i point my scope south (in your direction).............all i see is yellow haze (LP) extending pretty high up.

Damn the development in Cherrywood on the N11.

You are most welcome to visit my backgarden any time you want to get a different perspective of things and maybe get answers to questions.

You could be right Paul. I wouldn't be suprised if the experienced lads post tomorrow about what great seeing we had last night and I'll be kicking myself for not going out. That has happened with the opposite. Weeks ago there was a night I thought the seeing was great and all the lads posted the next day about how lousy the seeing was.

It could be geography I guess. Bray being in the shadow of the wicklow mountains might mean turbulance that just isn't experienced further north towards Dublin where the weather has a clear flat run from the midlands and conversely maybe there are other types of weather that cause bad seeing that are deflected away from Bray by the mountains but which can create bad seeing over Dublin unhindered.

The seeing appaars to be pretty good in Waterford tonight. Very little apparent twinkling.Unfortunately, I'm in BLOODY WORK! So I suppose I'd better do some then.