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Any tips for getting your astro mojo going again?


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I've got a decent scope, decent mount, decent eyepieces, a guide scope, camera mounts and all the other accessories needed but I get home from work wanting to get out and have a look but it's too cloudy. Then when I do have a clear night I'm GOING to work or have something else planned that I can't get out of. It's hit my astro mojo! I'm making a serious effort to get out and being stopped at every opportunity ! I might have the kit of someone that knows what they are doing but I swapped a load of stuff I had for most of my kit and just picked up the guide scope stuff separately! I'm still an absolute beginner :)

Any tips for getting your astro mojo going again?

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Really it is expectations, and coming to grips with reality.

Owing to the "normal" work hours forget observing Sunday night to Thursday night inclusive.

That leaves 2 night out of seven.

Bet that wasn't explained when you asked about getting a scope.

Next how many will have cloud/rain/wind on a Friday or Saturday night at about 10:00pm, because if not clear then I would say you will not set the alarm for 3:00am to get up and check if it has cleared. No way am I getting out from under a warm duvet.

Why do astronomy societies around me have club observing nights on Mondays and Wednesdays?

What is the prevalent weather for where you live, I seem to recall Margate being the clearest place in the UK, are you near Margate?

West coast of the UK is generally wetter and cloudier (Now where is Preston? :grin: :grin: )

Next can you set up the equipment you have easily or is it a long labourous job, more then 15 minutes is too long.

How well organised are you, by the time it is set up do you need a stiff brandy to relax after all the hassle.

A small easily set up scope will mean you use it a lot more.

EQ5 tripod, SkyTee and an 80mm refractor. Forget cool down, make sure it is solid, stick your eye to the eyepiece. Get looking.

This is a hobby, not a job or career.

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We all feel your pain on the not getting out much bit. BUT, they days are short now. For instance, I expect this evening to be nice and clear all night, so Im planning on not working on too much this evening and getting a nice couple of hours in observing before being tucked up in bed for 11.30ish ready for work in the morning.

This time of year might be rainy etc but it does open up opportunities in the early evening. Oh Yeah! this is our tiime of the year and we're only getting started. Mojo - its rising!!!

Barry

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I feel your pain regarding other things getting in the way, tonight looks like it will be clear but the kids want to go to a fireworks display!!! I find that when i cant get out watching the various TV programs that are on bbc4. After reading or watching stuff about the night sky im normally chomping at the bit to get back out there. :grin:

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I am adopting three strategies to help me get my astro hit :) -

1) planning on setting up a permanent pier + shed in garden to allow rapid setup times to make most of clear night on those limited time work nights.

2) I got myself some Binos for casual observing, I use these more than my scope atm.

3) for trips to dark sites I only take my Binos and I my DSLR which I mount onto an old lightweight driven EQ mount, means I dont have to lug the Eq6 and MN190 about.

Certainly get a lot more observing time in now, although serious imaging is still restricted to those long clear nights that we seem to get only once a month.

Keith

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My life experience has shown me that motivation comes from within. We can all get pumped up by motivational speakers, enthusiastic groups or people. But to be self motivated we need something that is more important to us than all the everyday stuff that makes our lives tick, like work, family or what ever else we have to do.

So my advice is think about what inspires you to do something. Often it is the results that we strive for. There is never a perfect opportunity to do something but there are always opportunities.

I'm relatively new to this hobby but I take every opportunity to participate despite light pollution or possible weather or tiredness or whatever. If it looks clearish out side my house I'll set up & have a go. I sometimes have a great time sometimes just ok. I have thousands of objects yet to see or try to find so I'm always motivated for the next opportunity.

I'm inspired to see what is up there & can't wait for the next time.

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A small easily set up scope will mean you use it a lot more.

EQ5 tripod, SkyTee and an 80mm refractor. Forget cool down, make sure it is solid, stick your eye to the eyepiece. Get looking.

This is a hobby, not a job or career.

Completely agree. I have not been able to get my scope out for a few months until last week. Due to that thing called unexpected circumstances.

But it doesn't mean I did not go out and sit under the occasional clear sky with a pair of bins. That takes about 2 minutes, sometimes I am probably only out for a few minutes.

It does not have to be a big hit all the time or complicated or full of great expectations. Sometimes its just grand to be out under a starlit sky. Most of us have busy lives and our hobbies are suppose to be for relaxation. Take a bit of the pressure of yourself and keep it simple at the times you don't have much time.

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especially at this time of year, there's lots to do early on. I can survive on six hours sleep and regularly stay up to 1am in the week if it's a good night. my advice is plan your sessions. I feel most lost when I just go out with no actual targets and 'aimlessly' pan around the old favourites. that said, I do enjoy that too more often than not. pick your targets per the conditions too as it's rubbish looking for faint stuff when the moon is up.

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I find it's a bit like cycling If I have a long lay off it takes weeks to get used to it again, I'm finding astronomy the same, "fits and starts". I did however go out last night to try my newly aquired 16mm nirvana and I must say it was satisfying to get back out, a good session till 1am.

I agree with Moonshane, you need to have a few targets planned if possible, although I do like to have a trawl around just in case the worlds astronomers have missed something. :smiley:

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i know when i have a good night,as the time wizzes by at at alarming rate. can spend 5 / 6 hours without realising. other nights nothing goes your way and you want to throw in the towel. my highlight this year was to get from the light polluted to death garden and simply drive ten minutes to the town outskirts. sitting in a field on my tod with scope and a beer looking at a few of the sagittarius delights,loved it.

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Sometimes I get bogged down with work and other things and dont use the scope for a few months. I always end up going back to it with as much or more enthusiasm.I think the break and not feeling I have to go out every clear night does me good. It's a cycle with me, and I'm back to wanting to get out every clear night again at the moment.

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I rarely do imaging on work nights. But getting the CPC out for visual? In winter can do that easily and get a few hours in. "Summer" (i.e. the rainy season ) is a write off for me personally. Not withsatndign the fact that there are never any clear nights, it does not get dark until late and I am too tired from work, child care etc.

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West Coast Cloud and Rain is not a plus here. I didn't really appreciate the climate in the Moray Firth. I do lke it here tho, despite the heavily light polluted skies and the proliferation of "security lights"; I refer to them as insecurity spotlights, which prevent me observing from home. :embarrassed: :embarrassed: :embarrassed:

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I'd agree with Keith and Shane (and Swamp Thing).

For me the biggest obstacle to getting out is the faff of getting all the kit out and packing it all up again. I make myself do it and I rarely miss a usable night, but the longer it goes on the more I desperately want to get an obsy built so I can be out doing stuff in a couple of minutes rather than half an hour. That way you can use even half an hour of clear sky if that's all there is. Obviously you don't necessarily need an obsy, but a roll-off shed or something like that might well serve the same purpose.

I try to always have a plan. Either I have a number of targets I'm interested in seeing/imaging worked out in advance, with a few backups if necessary, or (usually when it's unexpectedly clear) I'll plan to mooch about the sky a bit, visit a few old friends just for fun and then lie back on a reclining chair and just watch the sky and look for interesting things, perhaps having a quick peek with bins if I find something new or unexpected. I almost never go out with no idea of what I'm going to do and in fact if I really don't know what I'm going to do I probably don't go out. I'd rather pass on a night than spend it thinking that I wasn't getting anything out of it. Having a plan means that with the exception of those nights when you just can't find anything, I always come in feeling positive at the end of the night. I tend to plan what I want to do next immediately after I've written up what I did last time, so it's become part of the hobby I can do when the weather isn't good enough for observing.

And if the sky is clear and I want to go out (almost always) then I go out. If I don't have to be up the following morning then I might be out until 3am or later. If I need to be up early (not often, I admit :) then I'll use what time I have. At the moment that means bins or something like the ST120 on the AZ3 that I can carry out over one shoulder and needs very little cooling time. Once I have the obsy it'll be whatever I feel like :) And because I have a plan even if I've only been out for half an hour, when I come in it's usually in a good mood because I've achieved something.

James

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Try to remember you're in it for the long haul. You've got the rest of your life to observe, the universe isn't going anywhere. I used to get frustrated at not being able to get out due to working loads/other commitments. As soon as i decided i'd only get out when it suited me, rather than whenever it was clear, i took that pressure off myself, i started enjoying the few nights i do get so much more.

Just keep it as an occasional treat rather than an obligation - you wouldn't want to scoff your face with chocolate icecream for every meal would you? You'd get tired of it pretty quick...

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I understand how frustrating it can be. Where I live in the US we have 67% cloud cover for the year so observing time is very limited. Add the fact that I work a full time job and observing time becomes a premium. So how have I kept going for almost 40 years? I don't miss any opportunity even if its just for an hour. If the sky is clear, I get out there to observe. Even if I have to be at work the next day, I'll get out for a bit with my 10 x 50 binos or a small telescope. I save using a larger scope for weekend nights. Sometimes I go out just for a little naked eye observing. I live just a few miles from the city of Phildelphia so there's lots of light pollution to deal with but, I'm not going to let that or work or other commitments stop me from enjoying astronomy. Keep at it and look for those opportunities to gaze skyward.

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Owing to the "normal" work hours forget observing Sunday night to Thursday night inclusive.

That leaves 2 night out of seven.

I leave my house at 6.30 everyday, and dont get back until 18.20ish, but still happily have sessions on work nights. I tend to limit myself until midnight, but do sometimes stay out till 1ish if conditions are good and im on a roll.

We get welll too much cloud cover not to take advantage of good clear nights imo.

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I mainly image, but was also frustrated by limited observing opportunities, weather, setup time and work commitments. In my particular case ( and I know it won't apply or be relevant to everyone) I spent a lot of time and effort building an obs to eliminate setup/ tear down time and effort. This is probably the most significant factor in increasing observing opportunities. My other philosophy was not to fight the Moon. If the moon was out, it is the target rather than compromising DSO imaging. Light pollution is also an issue with me, so I try to use narrowband filters when I can. I also went for a fast scope to try and get the most out of short exposure times in limited viewing conditions. I now find it much more relaxing and stress free that I can go out for a short session between the cloud cover whereas before it would have to be almost perfect conditions to get me out.

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A lot to be said for a simple setup that is quick. I am also a night owl and insomniac sometimes so wind up wide awake at crazy times. If its a clear work evening the scope goes out on the deck while we have dinner and marshall the kiddies into bed so the cool down time is a parallel run. I do most obs out back on the deck and find a short hour or so is enough for my general interest and ambitions. But the bigger nights are made more exciting by a short list of items I want to see. I have yet to drive to a dark siTe but that's coming soon!

No pressure. Universe is not going anywhere soon. I've also been watching Cosmos on YouTube and that's a little nostalgic motivation for me. I was about 14 when that came out and enjoyed it then too. Not seen it since.

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Forget observing Sunday through to Thursday :eek: WHY???? I work "normal" hours, doing a manual job and still find plenty of opportunities to observe during the week. The amount of Astro societies that meet on these days would tend to suggest I'm not alone either.

You only get out of any hobby what you choose to put in.

It may only be a hobby but some of us like to get stuck in. ;)

That's a bit harsh, isn't it?

I'm glad you can just down tools and go skipping off into the moonlight, unfortunately it's not the case for all of us.

Just to echo what a lot of other people have said, my last few sessions have been 20/30 mins tops.

A rough idea of what I wanted to see, chuck the 'scope together, not even worrying about cool down time and low enough expectations to be impressed by what ever turns up before the sky clouds over!

I couldn't get over Jupiter the other night, warm scope, poor conditions, half a moon, in and out of the clouds and still spectacular!

If all else fails, just a couple of minutes of the double cluster usually fills up my expectations bucket until the next opportunity.

Maybe it's because there's been so little opportunity lately, but it does it for me!

Cheers

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"down tools and go skipping off.".......I don't think so. I'm self employed. So I only get payed for what I actually do.

I don't get payed for lunch breaks, holidays, or sickies.

I get payed for how much work I do, not how much time I spend in the office.

Oooh, touched a nerve?!

And the rest of us are just slackers who don't put in enough effort into our work or into our hobbies, nice, thanks for that!

You "still find plenty of opportunities to observe during the week", I'm very happy for you, some of us don't unfortunately.

Cheers

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