My observing priorities.

[Ian12]

I just want to say first of  all what an amazing and  helpful forum this  is. I have  into astronomy for  about 40 years  now, but my observing techniques and  experience.... well lets  just say I have  NOT progressed  at all. I have  had  a  10 inch Newtonian, which I built myself, with the  exception of  the  optics, I have  had a  4 inch Cassigrain...[don't think I spelled that right] and  a  5  inch refractor.  ALL three  telescopes  failed  me  in spectacular fashion... or  should  I say I failed in that the  experience with all three  was  frustrating, and  uneventful in that with the  last telescope  I had.. the  5  inch refractor... I just looked the  moon.

Now  I have  binoculars, and  I intend to buy some  larger binos in the  near future.

So how  do I observe??  Basically my observational experience is  virtual. I spend  a  lot of  time looking thru my atlases. I have the  Millenium Star Atlas... all three  volumes, Burnhams celestial handbook... a  classic 3  volume  set, as  well as  other  assorted books and  guides.

This  means  of  course, that I spend  a  lot of  time  planning and  generating lists of  observable targets for  my son, to whom I gave  my refractor, in that I knew  it would  at least be  used  for  it's  intended  purpose.

So I guess  this  means  I am a  planner  rather  than an observer. Well at least I know where  everything is... and  when it is.. haha.

I DO however  enjoy evenings out under  the stars with my binos, and  will do so even more  when I get my larger binos with tripod sometime this  year.

I guess  my point here is that astronomy is not just about observing... but it is  about planning and  studying the stories  of  discovery, reading about the  experiences  of  other seasoned  observers, and  so on.

Just wanted  to share... that's it

[cotterless45]

Yep, dead on the button. Whatever effort you put in , will reap rewards.

Madame keeps telling me that this is the same for DIY , decorating and tidyness

Nick.

[bingevader]

Indeed Nick!

However, I find Robert Burns and his Mouse can be a bit of a pain in the bum when it comes to observing.

My best laid plans often go awry and I resort to winging it and running back in to find a more appropriate chart!

[Astro Imp]

We don't all need to be the same, this a hobby so enjoy it any way you like.

[bomberbaz]

whoooaaaa what are you saying here. Ian, you are crying out for a goto telescope, lliterally. You plan what you want to see/would like to see but end up looking at very little. 

Now reading between the lines here I would say that get yourself a decent goto scope and you will move up several levels overnight. Or am I missing something.

[bingevader]

Maybe.

Ian,  I understand what you're saying about the virtual experience, I think most astronomers would go mad with all the awful weather if we weren't able to spend the time in between observing sessions looking things up in atlases, books or on the internet and reading about the discoveries and all the mythology that goes with it.

I was just bemoaning the fact that may attempts at planning observing sessions are often thwarted! 

[StarcrazyGeoff]

Everyone to their own Ian. You could say that you are more of an arm chair astronomer, rather than an observer in the field and that is no bad thing. I am sure from what you have told us in your post, that you have a very deep knowledge on the subject. Nice to know that you are there for your son, to help him explore the heavens with one of your scopes.

I don't know what binoculars you are hoping to get, but last year, I was lucky to pick up a pair of second hand Sungar 20 -160 x 70 from a car boot sale, which retail at £260 brand new, here in the UK. The guy was asking £50 for them. I don't think he realised how much they were actually worth, but I managed to get them for £45 at the end of the day. A real bargain. They were in very good condition, optics wise, with no scratches, but the lenses needed a real good clean with some fluid and cotton wool. They have a few scratches on the barrels, but I managed to touch them up ok.

They are very powerful, even on lowest magnification, and cannot be used without a decent tripod, as they are very heavy. I use them mainly for wildlife rather than astronomy, but held steady on the tripod, give very sharp images of the Moon and Jupiter on the lower end of 20 to 50 magnification.

They are not really meant for astronomy, but I believe that they are about the most powerful binoculars you can find. Unless of course you happen to drop on a pair of German Zeiss U-Boat Binoculars, that are vary rare to find these days.