Now I have a little experience I generally plan for at least one new object and hunt it down, tonights was Eagle Neb, still not sure if I found it, also found Dumbbell neb, then I try and find others that I have already succesfully hunted down before, Eta Carinae, Lagoon, Alpha Cent, Centaurus A, also have some star maps with a heap of DSO on them, but I need a laptop.
I set my 10 inch DOB up with a home made inclinometer and have a 360 deg graduated disk for Az. I have "Starry Night" on the laptop with a red screen in front of the normal screen. I pick an area on Starry Night and use my push to if conditions are poor ( near a City) I then star hop to the target. A big advantage is I can zoom in on the lappy to suite what I see, I can also reverse the lappy view to suit the eyepiece. It works great, I can find anything within the conditions and scopes ability.
I voted random, but i will start planning, using RTGUI.
I keep a diary of observations. I use a cheap small tape recorder to record my observations and enter them later. Its interesring to listen to coments.
Geoff
Lovely sky's down there at Penola, I stay with friends at Nangwarry about twice per year. Much better than Adelaide viewing. Only prob is you have to watch over your shoulder. Clear one min, cloudy or raining the next.
Geoff
FWIW, I have two observing modes. One is pretty random -- I just look up and pick things I want to look at out of the rats-maze I keep in my head. Most are favorites. This presently occupies about 50% of my observing time and practically all my "home" observing. Sometimes I record these observations, sometimes not.
The rest is structured. As Rod said (above) I like to look at new things all the time so I plan using two tools -- A piece of database software known as Deepsky and the planetarium software Megastar.
Back a few years ago constructing lists of things to look at probably took twice as much time as actually observing -- it was all done manually.
Deepsky holds my entire logbook now (took a while to transcribe it from paper hard-copy I can tell you).
I have a simple A4 folder with plastic sleeves and I print my lists out hard-copy onto paper -- I have a printed list of things to do for every constellation visible from Sydney. Every year I update those 60-odd lists and it takes about 90 mins to generate them for the whole sky.
Using Deepsky I ask it to generate a list of, for example galaxies brighter than mag 15.5 (or of unknown magnitude) and larger than 20 arc-seconds (that aren't already recorded as "observed" in my log) within a particular constellation. It instantly generates a list of "fresh prey" and I print it and tuck it in the folder filed alphabetically by constellation. I presently have lists with 1500-odd objects in the to-do pile consisting of several dozen planetaries, a handful of globs, some pairs and 100s of galaxies.
In the field I turn on the laptop, bring up Megastar, get out the folder and pick a constallation. Take the first off the list, dial it up on the Argo, bring a map up on Megastar, observe it, record the notes on a solid-state dictaphone, and cross it off the list. Back home I type the notes from the recording into the log on the laptop using Deepsky.
I am phobic about loosing my log due to a computer crash. It is backed up on the home PC, the laptop, on a CD which I keep in a safe at the office at work and on a CD kept at a friends home (I update the CDs every other month). So, unless there are two computer crashes plus two simultaneous fires, I'm safe (I think).
Very occasionally, I construct a special list of things to re-observe as resource notes for something I'm writing.
Since buying a decent scope, I have become more organised.The new scope hoodoo continues to follow me longer than usual, probably BECAUSE of the non random method. For the given month that I can create the opportunity to head for dark skies, I consult the trusty old planesphere for which constellations will be nicely placed at various times of the evening.For those constellations, I will make a list of objects that books , star atlas or magazines suggest might be interesting to observe. I will then have in ruled columns the NGC or Messier number(for the goto), the type of object(oc, gc, neb,gal etc),magnitude and occasionally a brief description. Eventually, I should be able to obtain info on suggested eyepiece. If I ever get my act fully together, I intend keeping objects of the same angle of view together in their constellation groupings. Obviously, planets and other noteworthy items are on the list. The great thing is that the list can be used from one year to the next- strange how the ancients stuck those celestial objects on fixed spheres! I also find the need for my observing eye to have time out and gawk up at the milky way and look out for meteors.
I used to be pretty ad. hoc., but in the past twelve months I've tried to add a bit of structure to my planning.
- I keep a running list of objects I want to hunt down.
- The list contains stuff like object type, atlas references, RA/Dec, magnitude, notes, and space for me to take notes/sketches at the eyepiece.
- I'm always adding to this list, via reading observing books, observing reports, star atlases, magazines, etc.
- If an object is likely to cause me trouble, I'll print out a finderchart from Carte du Ciel.
- I write up my notes in a log book, and check them off my list, as I bag them.
I like to plan a bit before I get my scope out - I check through my "atlas of the southern night sky" which lists/maps interesting and attainable objects in each constellation and I also look for objects discussed in the latest AS&T or Sky & Space. I love finding constellations that are new to me and star hopping to find DSOs. After I find a few new things (which could take quite some time, but who cares), I go back to some old favourites and just gaze.
I'm a sticker for organization! I use the book Hartungs's Astronomical objects for southern Telescopes. It has 1000's of object by constellation, so i pick a constellation near median so start reading. i has lots of interesting details about each object and special things to look for. I used to star jump, but now just type in the designation into the goto. I've had the book 7 years and i'm still try to get thur it all! It definely worth getting.
I picked up Sue French's "Celestial Sampler" a couple of days ago. I was reading her introduction, and really like how she organises her list of targets. She maintains her running list, grouped by hours of right ascension. No matter what time of day/time of year it is, she has her list ready to go. I think I'll adapt my "to do" list this way.
I converted the SAC 7.70 database into a very crude MS Access database in which I can mark objects for observation and also report the observations afterwards.
I am an inveterate star-hopper (no GoTo for me...) so I print CdC maps of whatever objects I have on my list, with horizon limitations marked in (there is a humungous tree in my East), so I appear at the crease fully prepared...
When night falls I set myself up on the roof, finely tweak the scope's collimation and then look at whatever is visible through the tiny holes in the clouds, plan or no plan....
i've been working on the NGC/IC for 30 yrs.... today i'm at 3,535.*
The total is 13,000 and change! Started before digital setting
circles... yea i actual know the sky and can HIT 100's of deep
Sky Objects from memory with any 10" or better scope.
So, when i'm in the hunting mode, i open the Atlas to the hour
that's just before the meridian, along with the NGC catalog and
just go down the list.
Also have Mega Star installed and thats a kick! You can zoom
down to stuff that is even beyond the 28 incher!
I look for objects of the beaten path, Terzan Globulars, Faint Supernova remnants, obscure Planetaries etc etc. To do this I have an observing schedule arranged in RA and Dec. Finder charts from programmes like Megastar or the Guide with an image from the DSS are essential. I keep notes on all objects observed and will re-observe faint objects again and again to confirm what I have seen.
I use its log feature to keep track of what I have observed, and the nightly observing list function to find what is available on nights when I observe.
This is an excellent program. It can either be a stand-alone program from which you get the settings for moving your telescope, or it can be connected to a variety of goto/pushto telescopes.
The new version has many more features than version 2.2h. You can either use the base features only for nightly observing, or make use of as many of the other planning features as you wish.
Hey Geoff Skytools looks great, but is there no demo version to download?
Yes, it is great. Greg Crinklaw doesn't have a download trial because of the size of the file. However, if you purchase a copy and don't like it, he has a 30 day refund option - I have not had to use this option.
However, I would advise against ordering the present version as v3 is due for release soon. While generally similar to 2.2, 3 has many more features which make planning much easier.
Yes, it is great. Greg Crinklaw doesn't have a download trial because of the size of the file. However, if you purchase a copy and don't like it, he has a 30 day refund option - I have not had to use this option.
However, I would advise against ordering the present version as v3 is due for release soon. While generally similar to 2.2, 3 has many more features which make planning much easier.
Cheers
Thanks for the info. Size of file isn't really an issue these days with high speed broadband. How big is it anyway? I've downloaded game demo's of around 2Gb in about 1/2 an hour. Unless it's served from a slow server.
. For the given month that I can create the opportunity to head for dark skies, I consult the trusty old planesphere for which constellations will be nicely placed at various times of the evening.For those constellations, I will make a list of objects that books , star atlas or magazines suggest might be interesting to observe. I will then have in ruled columns the NGC or Messier number(for the goto), the type of object(oc, gc, neb,gal etc),magnitude and occasionally a brief description. Eventually, I should be able to obtain info on suggested eyepiece. If I ever get my act fully together
, I intend keeping objects of the same angle of view together in their constellation groupings. Obviously, planets and other noteworthy items are on the list. The great thing is that the list can be used from one year to the next- strange how the ancients stuck those celestial objects on fixed spheres!
I also find the need for my observing eye to have time out and gawk up at the milky way and look out for meteors.
.
) so I print CdC maps of whatever objects I have on my list, with horizon limitations marked in (there is a humungous tree in my East), so I appear at the crease fully prepared...
Started before digital setting
Looking to move the above observatory to
