So I generally enjoy the yearly firework display which is the Leonid Meteor shower, but this year will prove the exception. A week of poor weather has taken the shine right off my usual ebullient mood for sitting in a deck chair in the garden, raising my eyes skyward, looking like the Michelin Man has been to the fake tan salon in my orange snowboarding jacket. The weather is conspiring against me this year, cloud interspersed with heavy rain showers do not make for an enjoyable evening. So it may be that I keep my fingers crossed for tomorrow that the forecasted low pressure weather system blows through the South East of England and is followed by much calmer, high pressure with excellent seeing properties. Failing that, I think I’ll just read the reports from the International Meteor Organisation and become rather envious of those who submit fantastic records of sightings from all over Northern Europe.
Scotland Lands Dark Sky Award
So West Scotland has some of the Darkest Skies in Europe. Fantastic. I can’t wait for it to be lit up by all the dumb tourists who read about it in the paper and want to come and see what all the fuss is about. Of course, they will come at night in their 4x4s with their extra spotlights to navigate the difficult roads that they have up there in the North, pointing their 6000 candle maglites in the general direction of the astronomers so they can see what they are doing. Hmm, sometimes, not winning an award can be the best thing.
To Dig or Not to Dig
I’m really not getting the best use out of my SkyWatcher 150mm Newtonian. It’s currently in the conservatory waiting for a clear night, where I have enough time to get it out to cool down before 10pm. Lately I’ve not had a decent opportunity so I’ve been using my binoculars instead. The downside is that I’ve missed out on some of the best viewing opportunities of Jupiter and the moon. So, in my mind’s eye I’ve been planning a permanent structure in the middle of the garden to site the scope. I’m thinking of digging out a foundation and laying concrete to site a pedestal for the scope so it can be permanently sited in the Garden. I just have to find the right pedestal and a set of plans for the footings and mountings for the damn thing. Any ideas?
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