It’s always interesting to read this thread each year.
I find it interesting to correlate the responses above with the number of images submitted to the BAA’s online image gallery over the year (using the histogram button in the gallery; screenshot attached below).
In 2023, we saw 2,967 images uploaded by BAA members (excluding section archives), slightly down from 3,240 in 2022. But curiously, the month-by-month rate of image submissions doesn’t seem very strongly weather dependent – it was actually slightly increased during the wet autumn months, possibly driven by the start of the new deep sky season. And of course, some observers are using non-UK-based telescopes. There are some clear spikes marking the dates of eclipses and major meteor showers.
One of the most prominent features is a very clear dip in BAA observing activity over the past couple of weeks, presumably driven by a combination of Storm Gerrit, Storm Henk, and excessive mince pie consumption! 🙂
