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Hi All,
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.
Best,
Les D
Contributing Editor
AS&T
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