Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My Favourite Website


Here is my favourite web page. It shows the cloud cover over South Eastern Australia in visible light. There is a short delay to the pictures being available and the images can be animated. I can see if there is an opportunity to do some observing. A lot of clear sky means the telescope can be used, patchy cloud maybe the camera, or in the near future a CCD/Lens combo.


You can see that this morning was a clear morning over Sydney, although now at 8am it's clouded up again - another week of rain and cloud predicted. Maybe another one of those years no clear sky until March and then cloudy again in April.


I've recently been looking through the Catalogue compiled by James Dunlop, some fantastic objects to be seen. He worked assiduously out at the then Parramatta Observatory - he must have had some clear nights.


Also, over the last few days, I watched an old recorded session of the BAA NSW, where Sir Patrick Moore spoke on his love of observing the Moon. It's a fantastic talk even if the 1985 quality is a bit low, and Sir Patrick bobs in and out of view from the dark side. It's labelled as 1985, although I thought he came out for Halley's Comet. I remember that year as on the 14th March 1986 - I opened the back door at about 4am - and there was Halley's Comet - just hanging in the sky - so I took a photograph. That year though - I recall - was also a cloudy year.

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