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Observing statistics for 2024
Gary Poyner (Birmingham)
Following four pretty decent years with over 120 observable nights for each one, 2024 has been a big disappointment with just 93 observable nights. The cloudiest year since 2019.
Second half of the year has been marginally better than the first, with a 45-48 split. Only 11 nights were totally clear from dusk to dawn in the whole year.
I’ve been recording clear/cloudy nights since 1978, and during those early years I classified them as Clear = less than 50% cloud, Partially Clear = more than 50% cloud. Although not a perfect method, I still use it for continuity.
2024 (2023 in parentheses)
Clear nights 11 (29)
Partially clear nights 82 (101)
Totally cloudy nights 274 (235)
Total observable nights 93 (130) with 38% of these nights having Moonlight interference.
I made VS observations on 90 nights.Total hours at the telescope 177.5h (257h)
Best month August with 12 nights, 10 partially clear and 2 clear.
Worst month December with 3 partially clear nights.Weather predictions from various sources gave incorrect information on cloud cover for 58 nights during 2023. Once again, my ancient ‘weather owl’ out performed the Met Office.
Total visual VS observations for 2024 is 7,466 (11,043). My worst year since 2019. CCD single measures using remote telescopes COAST, SLOOH and the AAVSO MPO-61 are 3,245 (2,996).
Happy New Year!
Gary
A miserable spring and dreadful Oct-Dec here in cloudy Wiltshire…
The number of clear all night instances has been very low.
Hopeless here in the UK (Jan, Apr-Jul, Oct-Dec) and poorer than usual in La Palma (Jan-Apr, Jul-Oct). Water clouds in the UK; dust clouds and high winds in LP. Some months were split over two locations but something like 24 weeks were spent in LP and 28 in the UK.
Still managed to do some useful photometry of VS and asteroids though.
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