2014 Aspirations for Stargazing?

[Special K]

It's always exciting to hear about what other people are looking at and also what they are hoping to look at in the future, so please share if you've got some high hopes! I'm trying to arrange our summer vacation to Yosemite over a weekend where I understand they have star parties at Glacier Point in July and August every Fri and Sat night. I suppose my Number 1 target for the year is to see the summer Milky Way at a properly dark location and hoping it will work out there. Other asprirations include:

M33 and M31 in the bins..........as dark a place as I can get to.

A project with the scope to pick through Coma B. and Virgo for that wealth of galaxies

Saturn and Mars in detail

Perhaps a UK star party to be able to talk to other astronomers about equipment, etc

A good meteor shower in summer. Last August was very pleasant viewing.

The Rosette Nebula

Trawling around Sagittarius with the bins

A good proper look at the Sombrero Galaxy, now I know where it's hiding!

Finally, a new 8mm EP, something upmarket maybe (barring winning the lottery and buying a swish APO refractor) and clear skies to enjoy all the above to go without saying.

Good luck with whatever you're shooting for!

Kevin

[fondofchips]

First of all, catch up on what I didn't see last year and that includes ALL the comets that were around last year.  So I need to be better prepared for any comets that appear this year.

Get the obsy up and running after a series of setbacks.

Get out with more experienced stargazers at local meetings, which so far have all been CLOUDY. 

Starting to see fainter objects, now I know why you need practice just to be able to see more.

I learned a lot in my first year and that will continue, this vast subject is plenty to keep me occupied.

Clear Skies to all of you on SGL.

[Sandancer10]

I have downloaded a full colour list of Messier objects with thumbnails (so I know what they look like). I want to work my way through the list starting with the brightest objects and see how many I can capture and process before the end of the year - skies permitting of course 

[AndyWB]

Funny, I was creating a little calendar of events that interest me last night, so this seems like an excellent thread! Things that caught my eye:

Mercury Elongation (31st Jan)

Mars Opposition (Apr 8th)

Ceres and Vesta close in Virgo (10' sep, 5th July)

Jupiter and Venus conjunction by the Beehive cluster (0500, Aug 18th)

More generally:

I'd like a go at 209P/LINEAR

I'd like a dark night with the Virgo cluster of galaxies - particularly Makarian's Chain

Also I'd like to have another go at tracking a variable - I'm thinking VZ Cancri (I'm impatient) or Algol if we got a patch of clear weather soon.

I've still not looked at Kembles Cascade. I keep meaning to!

[acey]

I'm working through Herschel's DSO discoveries and am about half way through, having observed just over 1,200 of them over a number of years - I hope to see a couple more hundred this year if I can get enough clear sky. Might upgrade to a 16", though the 12" is serving me well enough.

Main thing I'm hoping for is clear skies.

[swamp thing]

Haven't really got any targets as such I tend to observe whatever galaxies or nebulae are well placed on whatever night I'm out.

Pick a well placed constellation and start hoovering them up.

Going to hopefully have a gander at the old nags head sometime this winter though that is about my only preset target.

[rory]

mmmmm.

 1- get a scope  , ive been scopeless /hopeless  for 7 months . 

 2-  concentrate on constellations that are well placed and try and view as many objects the conditions / scope will allow.

 3- love to start sketching  again and make a better notes system . ( lost my old notes ,including messier/Caldwell lists )

 4- stop being lazy/satisfied with the back garden , and get out to some darker spots.

 so basically  its back to basics .  when though I cant say .

[Mike73]

I haven't got any specific aims or goals as in targets but I agree with Rory with the 'back to basics' approach.

Since I started I've spent way too much time and money on becoming a 'gear guy' instead of the actual reasons why I was first interested in astronomy in the first place! I've felt like this since Christmas when I got Paul Abel's excellent book so for me 2014 is going to be all about astronomy and not the gear!

[rory]

I haven't got any specific aims or goals as in targets but I agree with Rory with the 'back to basics' approach.

Since I started I've spent way too much time and money on becoming a 'gear guy' instead of the actual reasons why I was first interested in astronomy in the first place! I've felt like this since Christmas when I got Paul Abel's excellent book so for me 2014 is going to be all about astronomy and not the gear!

 nice post mike. I think theres a lot of us on this forum can relate to the "gear guy"  issue. 

 of course you do have  those final messiers to get down on pastel  . and I for one look forward to seeing the results.

p.s- paul abels book , is it the stargazers notebook by any chance .

[Mike73]

 nice post mike. I think theres a lot of us on this forum can relate to the "gear guy"  issue. 

 of course you do have  those final messiers to get down on pastel  . and I for one look forward to seeing the results.

p.s- paul abels book , is it the stargazers notebook by any chance .

This is the one Rory. Visual Lunar and Planetary Astronomy

It really is worth every penny!!!

[scarp15]

I generally create a month on month list of targets and aspire to venture to a dark site, so don't really see beyond the next opportunity. This year though, I would like to comprehend in a more organised format , the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, rather than in previous seasons, in which I felt that I was looking at a random sea filled with galaxies. '' Gear Guy'' as a sub members title might apply to many of us rightly or otherwise.

[Special K]

The gear is certainly a good thing but I like the comment about getting back to basics. Books are invaluable in enriching our experience and good old fashioned persistence at the scope will eventually pay off.

[clubjoker]

I'm just hoping to spend more time under dark clear skies, away from the London light smog.

And if I do, I'd love to spend some more time looking at the Veil through my new UHC filter with my 11" dob. Such a fascinating object.

[cotterless45]

I'm aiming to slow down and really study and draw individual targets instead of whiz zing around trying to see everything. It's been a really hectic year with the weather giving many short gaps.

I'm also aiming to go out for a couple of hours instead of waiting all night for targets to appear,

Nick( going slow ).

[Lorne]

A spring galaxy tour is high on my agenda, but just to get out under clear skies is just as high a priority.

PS.. a view of the Annular eclipse in April would be nice to see, but I'd have to join the penguins and POLAR BEARS* as its only a section of Antarctica that it will be favourably placed to see it 

*PS..... page 23 of the January 2014 Astronomy Now magazine! 

[rory]

*PS..... page 23 of the January 2014 Astronomy Now magazine! 

eye,i noticed nick's little sketch too.  nice one nick

[dick_dangerous]

My aims for this year are maybe less ambitious than last year:

• Buy a larger aperture 'scope
• Start sketching
• Keep my blog going, and maybe get a few more hits
• Do a tour of Sagittarius from a dark site
• Find a way to take my ST80 on holiday to the Picos de Europa

Think that's all!

DD

[Special K]

*PS..... page 23 of the January 2014 Astronomy Now magazine!

eye,i noticed nick's little sketch too. nice one nick

I need to check that out! Thanks for the heads up

[Siriusmeg]

i agree with lots of people on here - the Virgo clusters are my top target for 2014.  Lots of excuses over the last two years - scope's too small, too cloudy, rainy etc etc - time to stop complaining and start doing 

[mjpfc]

I am lucky enough to be giong to Tenerife for 3 weeks in March-April, and apart from the usual holiday activities

my little reflector is going with me.

I would like to look at The LMC/SMC, Omega Centuri, 42 tucanae and other southern sights If I can, as well as M22 When High in the sky.

I also intend to spend the night up on Teide, and visit the Observatories.

Apart from that, the odd Supernova in some nearby Galaxy, perhaps say, in M82 ?  wouldnt be too shoddy if one were to happen.

Mick

[TractionMan]

Work harder to bag more DSO objects, mainly Messier's and Caldwell's. But then again I usually spend alot of time on each target enjoying the views, or getting distracted by other interesting stuff I stumble upon during the DSO hunts. Try to go to some darker locations than my backyard this year. Got a couple of places to scout. I want to get started on the Lunar 100 list as well, after all, the moon IS a very beautiful and interesting object. Hopefully I'll invest in a motorized tracking camera platform as I intend to experiment a bit with widefield and time lapse imaging.

Don't want to plan too much though since I'm becoming a father this summer and time will most likely be more limited than ever before.

[mjpfc]

I dont care what these so-called Professionals say....

I have been out every morning looking for Comet ISON and I will stay here if it taked me all year

Its out there

[Stargazer_00]

My aspirations for 2014 are:

1) stop buying things I don't need

2) keep observing.  I had a wobble late 2013 where I though I'd had enough but I haven't - the magic is still there!!

3) enjoy it

[astrorabbit]

I'd like to image the Markarian's Chain. That will be a challenge for once I've setup my autoguiding

[rory]

My aspirations for 2014 are:

1) stop buying things I don't need

2) keep observing.  I had a wobble late 2013 where I though I'd had enough but I haven't - the magic is still there!!

3) enjoy it

Mmmm, good luck with number 1 !  I thought that was in the astronomers hand book, chapter 1 paragraph 4 ( thou shall continue to buy astro related merchandise weather required or not)

 hope you continue to enjoy the hobby though Mathew.