From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: February 23, 2011 9:42:49 AM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Satuuurn agaaain!


Hi Jim;


On 23-Feb-11, at 6:14 AM, jimchung2338 wrote:


CSC predicted really good seeing this morning in Toronto, and it was wrong again.



http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4852049/SaturnRGBFeb23.jpg



Taken at 3:40 AM at -12C, one of the most miserably overcast and cold winter on record and its nearly March!


It has been a really horrible snowy cold winter here too. The few nights I have been out since November , the turbulence makes the stars jump +/- 6 to 20 arc seconds between 30 fps frames.


My unofficial notes indicate we have been -5°C below norms for December, January, and most of february in the west. Last week we were in the 15°C to 20°C below normal temperature ranges (highs of -18°C when norms are supposed to be -1°C). With wind chill is has been as low as -49°C here and we have set new record low temperatures on multiple occasions in December and January in Alberta.


And on the few clear (but unstable) nights it's been -20°C to -35°C and equipment just doesn't work reliably at those temperatures for doing DSO.


Last week I did take possession of the new AT8RC scope and managed to do some first light 1 second exposure images at -18°C, but that's it. I'm waiting on a 2" to SCT Male adapter so I can use my OAG rig with it, so expect even worse bad weather as soon as it arrives :)


Milton Aupperle