That week in January when the clouds finally broke over my backyard, and I got 4 clear nights in a row

Paige Carter · 2026-10-14T11:25:04.829955+00:00

I live in northern Ohio, which if you know anything about lake effect clouds, is basically a punishment for anyone who likes looking up. From November to March I'm lucky to get one decent night a month, and most of those are barely worth dragging the mount out for. But back in January I had this stretch where a dry cold front parked over the region and just sat there, and I got four nights in a row of dead clear skies, temps around 18 degrees, no moon until late. I shot Orion, the Pleiades, and finally got a decent Rosette after two years of trying. Then the flip side: last month I drove 90 minutes to a dark site near Findlay, set everything up over 45 minutes, and the clouds rolled in 20 minutes after I got focused, so I just sat in my car eating a gas station sandwich. So here's the debate I want to start, is it better to live somewhere with steady mediocre skies you can shoot most weeks, or somewhere with rare but amazing nights that make you feel like you won the lottery? I honestly can't decide. What's your setup, do you chase the good nights or just take what your backyard gives you?

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That week in January when the clouds finally broke over my backyard, and I got 4 clear nights in a row | Astronomy Photos - Thought Shares