After three successful solar viewing sessions in a row this August, we were clearly due for a weather-disrupted one - and, naturally, the British weather delivered! In what can only be described as “The Clouds Strike Back,” our last solar viewing session of the season was dominated by grey skies and stubborn clouds. I was the one who called the event “on,” so I’ll take full responsibility for tempting fate!
Despite the optimistic Met Office forecast suggesting gaps in the cloud cover, those breaks never materialised (thanks for nothing, MetOffice!). Our only fleeting glance at the Sun came courtesy of one of the Seestar smart telescopes. But hey, we’re British - we still managed to have a laugh, some banter, and a good-natured chat with visitors who were curious enough to ask what on earth we were doing there.
We had 12 dedicated volunteers on site: Eddie, Tej, Jo, David, John, Simon, Clive, Mike, Tony, Richard, and Steve, with a special mention for first-time volunteer Thomas, who got to experience the full joy of British weather! And speaking of curses, we found out Eddie had bought a new telescope last week, so naturally, the clouds were out in full force - classic new gear jinx.
Realising that the Sun had no intention of making a proper appearance, we packed up around 1pm, conceding defeat to the overcast skies. But no hard feelings - despite this session’s weather woes, it’s been a fantastic season overall, with over 3,500 people enjoying views of the Sun at our events.
Onwards to our “thank-you” drinks for all our solar viewing volunteers on Thursday evening, and the start of our evening Blackheath observing events, kicking off on 14 or 15 September. We may have been clouded out today, but there’s always another night sky waiting!
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