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Posted by Paul A Brierley at 16:07 on 2011 Jul 24
I’ve just been looking on the internet, for the latest weather.It makes grim reading so I won’t depress you with the detail’s.Whilst searching the net. I found this.http://www.meteoblue.com/en_GB/maps/united-kingdomAnd thought it might be useful to member’s planning an observing session. Apologies if this web site is known by some of you.
Posted by Gary Poyner at 17:09 on 2011 Jul 24
Thanks for the link Paul. The BBC monthly outlook is pretty grim on the surface, but those guys couldn’t predict night time cloud cover if their lives depended on it!The Met Office have a nice desk top widget which can be downloaded…http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/desktopwidget.htmlFirst clear night since Jly 14 here in Brum last night, and chances of another one tonight! Life doesn’t seem that bad after all :-)Gary
Posted by Paul A Brierley at 20:36 on 2011 Jul 24
Hi Gary,If I had a pound, for every Sunday the skies are clear. I’d be rich by now.Unfortunately. I will have to await the dark Autumn sky’s, before I can do any VSO or general observing, during the week. At the moment any observing is done on Friday’s and Saturday’s.Roll on September.I have a dark sky visit planned on Saturday 30th, with members from Macclesfield AS. Hopefully I can begin to make some observation’s of V Sge, from our observing site on the Derbyshire moorlands. But of course all that depends on the weather.Good luck with any variable observing your doing tonight. Have you seen Comet Garrard yet, through you’re 20"?
Posted by Robert Januszewski at 13:28 on 2011 Jul 25
Hi All,In defence of the Meteorologists, precipitation, wind and temp. are usually pretty accurate but cloud cover is more more complex to predict.Having a view that it’s always cloudy in Britain depends on your perspective -like gary I am a variable star observer and not fussed by the moon or even a fair bit of cloud. Over an eight year period I have averged 150 nights per year, and I find that it’s rarely more than two weeks without some clear spells. I have experienced many occasions when it does not clear till after midnight, which for many is too late as work often dictates an early start the next day.Rob
Posted by Gary Poyner at 13:58 on 2011 Jul 25
Hi Rob,Good to see you on the forum – at last :-)I guess it helps being away from the City. 150 observable nights on average is pretty good for the Midlands, but your a fair distance from a major city. My observable nights can be as low as 69 (2002) or as high as 135 (1995) and that includes gaps in cloud and early mornings. I’ve never had more than 135 observable nights in any one year since I began keeping weather records back in 1978.Just goes to show the difference a few miles makes!Might come to live with you :-)Gary
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