On February 7th we have the first of the Buchan Cold Periods
of the year, this will run from February7th until February 14th. What is
interesting is that the weather appears to be getting ready to become colder.
As an astronomer knowing what the weather is going to be
like is important to me. I need to know if it is going to be clear in the evening
so I can get my cameras set up to photograph the stars. Today the weather
forecasts are made using state-of-the-art equipment but are there still old
ideas that we need to be aware of.
These Buchan periods of the year formulated by Alexander
Buchan an eminent meteorologist in the 19th century who working from
his Edinburgh base, found that there were throughout the year periods when the
temperature and conditions were either cooler or warmer than average, hence the
names cold and warm periods. They appear to be quite reliable.
www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk