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Astro inspiration for 2019


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Here’s the thread from 2018 for reference ?

I’ve had a great year astro-wise in 2018 and achieved many of the things I wanted to (exceeded in many cases).

For 2019 I have a smaller set of targets

1) View the solar eclipse in Argentina in July (trip with my dad)

2) View the Southern Hemisphere night sky while on the trip to Argentina and Chile in July.

3) Have lots of fun sessions with my new 16 inch dob (my first quick session recently was mouth-watering)

4) Go to the SGL star party (with clear skies and not rain? ?)

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So great to read all this. It's inspirational !

Going to ramp up the drawing.

Going to try and organise pages and pages of notes and put them in constellation folders. That'll take care of the weather !

Going to ignore anything that Wookie (Paul) posts about his mount !

Going to explore more dark skies ? 

old Nick.

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11 hours ago, mark81 said:

 

I imagine I will also spend just as much time as I did this year drooling ? over 'the scope I'm getting next ' which really does change on a daily basis. (But we all do that right?)

Yes Mark, all part of the fun and learning! 

I spent months choosing a Dob, generating tables of mag/TFOV/exit pupil, deciding on additional requirements, and asking the good folk here for the benefit of their own experiences on the subject.  And after it finally arrived, it took several more weeks to erect, fit out, secure, power up, and rain-proof a shed for it! 

Now, about a better frac..........?

Doug.

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10 hours ago, GavStar said:

Here’s the thread from 2018 for reference ?

I’ve had a great year astro-wise in 2018 and achieved many of the things I wanted to (exceeded in many cases).

For 2019 I have a smaller set of targets

1) View the solar eclipse in Argentina in July (trip with my dad)

2) View the Southern Hemisphere night sky while on the trip to Argentina and Chile in July.

3) Have lots of fun sessions with my new 16 inch dob (my first quick session recently was mouth-watering)

4) Go to the SGL star party (with clear skies and not rain? ?)

Oops should have checked for similar posts! Lots to be inspired by on the old one too. Sounds like some fantastic plans for you this year. Should be one to remember! All the best for it.

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I too failed with most of my 2018 ambitions, mostly weather related but also down to time and family pressures.

I think my main aim is to try to build our little club up so we have a larger core of people actively taking part in our meetings and observing sessions.

I did also acquire a large amount of kit in 2018, much of it still to be used properly, so my aim is to get my 14" Sumerian to dark sites more often, and to use my Intes Mak on the GP-DX at home for brighter targets, doubles etc, and to have a go at properly doing the Lunar 100, or at least making progress on it. Beyond that, anything is a bonus.

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Well 2019... Work less, observe more is my mantra for the year to start with.

1. start to image with the ED70 & DSLR (bright DSO's only)

2. Total lunar eclipse Jan 21st - Observe & Image

3. More planet observing with the AR127! / More deepsky with the 200PDS

4. Mercury transit Nov 11th - Observe & image

5. Get out to the New Forest more

6. More lunar time

 

Nice to achieve : Get Goto upgrade for the HEQ5 - Find a Intes Micro MN603!

Best wishes & clear Skies to all for 2019

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5 hours ago, Rob said:

Well 2019... Work less, observe more is my mantra for the year to start with.

1. start to image with the ED70 & DSLR (bright DSO's only)

2. Total lunar eclipse Jan 21st - Observe & Image

3. More planet observing with the AR127! / More deepsky with the 200PDS

4. Mercury transit Nov 11th - Observe & image

5. Get out to the New Forest more

6. More lunar time

 

Nice to achieve : Get Goto upgrade for the HEQ5 - Find a Intes Micro MN603!

Best wishes & clear Skies to all for 2019

Great plans! Thanks for posting; I didn’t know about the eclipse on transit. Fingers crossed for clear skies. 

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I'm hoping that 2019 will be the last year I have to work, and that 2020 will be the first year (retirement) that I can choose when to observe based on whether the sky is clear, not on whether I have to drive 150 miles for work the next morning!?.

That said, I'm very thankful to have been in work for the last 44 years without a break..I count myself very fortunate never to have been without a job in all that time apart from a short spell between jobs in 2011.

So, for 2019, in terms of astronomy, I think I will aim to:

1. Clear out my outbuilding to make more of a clean, dust free environment for my gear...Sand down and seal the walls etc

2. Get out more for those short (even 20 minute) grab n go sessions in the garden with my wonderful little Telementor 60mm F13 and my binoculars. It's amazing what you can see in a short session if you put your mind to it.

3. Better plan proper sessions for my FS128. I can't believe I have owned it for nearly 2 years and have so far got nowhere near to seeing it's full potential. I have now ascertained that my local rural (and pretty dark) skies often seem to settle down, seeing-wise, after midnight: I hope in retirement t to be able to exploit these late night skies much more.

4. Streamline my accessories to those that I am likely to use most, and to have fewer eyepieces, but of the best quality I can afford.

5. I am increasingly enjoying binoviewing and want to develop my observing skills with both eyes.

6. Start keeping an observing log...Have never done that before.

7. Start inviting neighbours in the village to come round and "have a look".

Plenty to be going on with!

Clear skies,

Dave

 

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After a torrid 2018 which saw financial pressures reduce my eyepiece to 3 plossls and a Barlow, losing all frack capabilities bar a finder scope!! And health issues limiting my observing sessions to single figures...... 2019 will be better!

Plans for an obey are making their way through planning approval (long suffering local government/wife consent is proving difficult). But things could be a lot worse. Back to work tomorrow for the first time in 6 months. So 2019 should be good.

Paul

ps. I bought a load of meteorites to look at, just in case it is cloudy.?

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Having retired and moved to a relatively dark site, my aim is galaxy imaging in the spring. Don't expect to have my rig up and running before then.

An obsy is still in planning, but may have to wait until I have sold / let my house in Ruislip and am more financially secure, especially as the rig to go in it will be in the small-car range.

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47 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

After a torrid 2018 which saw financial pressures reduce my eyepiece to 3 plossls and a Barlow, losing all frack capabilities bar a finder scope!! And health issues limiting my observing sessions to single figures...... 2019 will be better!

Plans for an obey are making their way through planning approval (long suffering local government/wife consent is proving difficult). But things could be a lot worse. Back to work tomorrow for the first time in 6 months. So 2019 should be good.

Paul

ps. I bought a load of meteorites to look at, just in case it is cloudy.?

Glad things are on the up for you Paul, thought you had been quiet lately.

Onwards and upwards for 2019!

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Mine is simple, the same as it is most years to be honest.

  1. Spend more time observing/Imaging than this year.
  2. Tick at least one item off the gear wish list.
  3. Read/study/research more.
  4. Observe/image at least one new (to me) type of target.
  5. Do some outreach.
  6. Survive the Meteorological horrors of Lucksall in October.

It's intentionally vague to avoid disappointment, and in recognition of the fact that my 'lists' (there are many as with all here present) will always grow in both size and volume, in spite of my efforts to reduce them.

 

 

On 18/12/2018 at 21:15, GavStar said:

4) Go to the SGL star party (with clear skies and not rain? ?)

Pipe dreams!

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My inspiration for 2019 is a pile of 3.2m observatory parts under a tarpauline, waiting for when we move house.

I will also be ordering a Mesu 200 mount at some point and with any luck, both will be installed by the end of the year, and I can really crack on with upping the ante on imaging.

Oh and as the new place is darker and more private, I can use the dob a lot more.

With a new house comes a new job and new car so, lots to think about.

Here's to a good Christmas and a great new year. ??

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For 2019 as usual after Christmas 2018 I"'ll start searching for the yearly events calendars published by so many individuals and websites then transpose in shorthand what I deem to be observational with my equipment onto the 2019 calender that's supplied by the local bank each year, I copy the research material for the 2019 list into a file on my laptop all this to keep me on target for the year and to make for proper and accurate grumbling over missed opportunities due to weather. For 2019 I hope to finish updating my equipment to better cope with my physical limitations something I started a few months back and will likely be in prosess through early spring. Some of the items being replaced have been donated to the local high school and I hope to donate a few more as things progress. Been invited to participate in the astronomy night out program again this year and that's always a fun time just before summer break. 

Mostly just going to have the best year possible and not fret the shortcomings but engage and embellish the successes...

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On 19/12/2018 at 23:25, Jonk said:

My inspiration for 2019 is a pile of 3.2m observatory parts under a tarpauline, waiting for when we move house.

I will also be ordering a Mesu 200 mount at some point and with any luck, both will be installed by the end of the year, and I can really crack on with upping the ante on imaging.

Oh and as the new place is darker and more private, I can use the dob a lot more.

With a new house comes a new job and new car so, lots to think about.

Here's to a good Christmas and a great new year. ??

Sounds like you've got an exciting year ahead Jonk! Nice one :)

 

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Make more use of the kit that I have!  Hopefully aided by an astro-shed for easier deployment of dobsonian and my imaging setup.

Another trip up to NW Highlands :)

Do a few more outreach sessions.  Have 2 booked so far.

Hope you all have a fulfilling astro year.

Paul 

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Having just gotten back into this madness last year, I still can't complain.Got to look at some old friends, the 4 closest planets and thanks to the group here, got to look further out in the neighborhood at Neptune.

Best part was getting to let my kids and grandkids peer through the eyepiece at those wonders.

Will still be hard to top 2017 for me personally. After 16 months of planning, the wife, #2 daughter, youngest grandson and myself chased the Sun to witness our first total eclipse.

A moment shared I'll never forget.

So, whatever '19 brings, I'll be thankful for.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My goals are to visit the Alvord Desert in Eastern Oregon; I've heard it's an excellent dark sky spot! Also I want to save up for a better telescope, right now I'm observing with a 20 year old Bushnell Voyager I got used last summer. It's a great first telescope but I think I'm ready to upgrade. Looking at a Celestron NexStar model currently.

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