Keeping a notebook - what is useful to record?

[JOC]

So I've bought some notebooks with plain pages so I can do some sketching.  Apart from the date and object name (assuming I know it) what other details are useful to record and is it useful to draw a succession of circles to represent the view of the sky that I see with the location of objects within it?

[rockystar]

I record, for the session: Location, date, NELM, conditions, seeing, transparent, temperature, start and end time, Luna phase (rise/set time), and who I was with, along with any general notes about the session.

for each object, I then record, an identifier (catalogue number), constellation, time, equipment used, magnification, any filters, and then log some observations.

I use some of these pages http://www.astronomylogs.com/pages/logpages.html for drawings.

the one thing I will say, is I've probably spent more time doing similar research, and making logs that work for me, than I have actually logging stuff! But then I'm rubbish at putting things into practice when observing, I just get engrossed and forget.

[JOC]

Hi Rockystar, that's quite a list - I'm impressed.  I've spent the last hour reading up on all the terms that I didn't recognise and am now more familiar with NELM, seeing, transparent.  I was interested to see that these terms can be based around some sort of benchmark (this was my first concern - that you would need a constant in order to have comparable values to other folks, but I suspect that it is going to take me quite some time to work out what they all are for my situation esp. as they will be condition dependant and therefore could be different each night.  There is a lot more to this astronomy than I first thought. 

[Moonshane]

BJust record what you like as it's only going to be you looking.

Here's three recent pages from mine. Most of all have fun!

 

[rockystar]

there are some resource on that link that give ideas of scale. But I do agree with Moonshane, enjoy yourself and record what is useful to you - even though ask of those things i listed are are ok my sheets, not that many of them get filled in. And some of them you can fill in either before or after your session

[N3ptune]

In addition to some technical data, I like to record my feeling when I find something new and awesome. Usually when I see a new DSO, especially, I record the joy of the moment on the paper. So when I read the log later, I can get back in the previous state of happiness. It's a log of a trip into- space, that's always my state of mind.

For example 2016-09-24  was extraordinary, I saw Omega nebula, Eagle nebula, Heart / Soul nebula, Wild duck cluster, and northern lights at the same moment. It was one of my very best observation yet. I have the order of observation, sketches, details of constellation, the color of the nebulae, which eyepiece was used, which filter was used (which one was good or ineffective), what power was used, which eyepiece was the best, notes of things to google later, color of stars (to compare with people after), I usually note the position of the really bright blue or really orange stars gems on my atlas, which double stars I was able to split, which double stars I am going to retry someday with a refractor telescope instead of a Newtonian.

I try to guess the color of stars (OBAFGKM) then I can validate later on Stellarium. Sketch of the details of the planets and weird things on the moon. Special features of a star cluster, observation of a carbon star, informations (position) of the moons orbiting Jupiter.

The fun is infinite with the use of imagination and curiosity.

--> The sketches themselves are (for me) even more valuable then the text to bring back the great memories. (Visual record is winner with people too)

Sometimes if I drive my car far away, it's good to keep a log of the trip. A great trip with a great observation is pure happiness.

If this can help.

[FenlandPaul]

Some great advice here.  When I look back at my notebooks from 20 years ago, it's the sketches (some of which are ok, some of which are hideous!) and the descriptions of how I was feeling about a certain observation that interests me.  It means on those cloudy nights, in front of the fire, I can imagine myself back  under crystal clear skies with a particular old scope and reminisce about a particular time in my life.  I'm so glad I did it then, and I try to do it now as well.

Paul