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2019 goal

Demonperformer

By Demonperformer
in The Astro Lounge

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

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It's good to set goals, so I have set one for 2019.

It is my intention to image as many of the messier (including the doubtful ones) and caldwell (as far south as I can go) objects as I can. I'm not talking about mega-hours per target, neither am I talking about single-sub images. I recently posted an image of M81 and that is the sort of level I am thinking of as a starting point, although hopefully, as the year progresses, I will improve overall. Based on that image, I am thinking an average time of about 90 mins per target, but clearly that is a gross over-simplification. Some targets will take much longer (IC 1613?) and some may take only 15 mins (not sure M40 would warrant even that!). Some targets will fit into the same field as others, some will have to be on their own. Some will be mono, some colour and some NB. But at an average of 90 mins, that works out at 270 hours of imaging over the course of the year.

To this end, I have been producing a spreadsheet of all 178 of these objects, listing their culmination times at roughly 10-day intervals, so at any particular point in time I will know instantly which objects are best placed for a particular starting time, while avoiding meridian flips. This spreadsheet also highlights the 28 objects that have a DEC of <-20 and doubly-highlights the 8 objects that are <-30; these will need prioritising when they are well-placed if I am going to get them.

My intention is to start a blog on here to report my progress and, make a normal post for any images that show specific issues that I need to address. This is not intended to be just a "twitcher" exercise, ticking off those that I have done just to say that I have done them, but a learning exercise that will improve my imaging skills across the variety of objects that I will encounter.

I belong to that group of people who believe that the importance of setting a goal is not that you hit it, but what you achieve as a result of setting it. All too often, my sessions tend to have a "first object" goal and then I start to flounder as to what I do next. As a result a lot of my imaging time becomes unprofitable. Even worse, if I do not have a clear idea of what I want to achieve on a particular evening/morning, it is all too easy to "not bother" setting up at all. So, if I only succeed in getting 100/178 targets during 2019, that is probably a lot more than I would have done without this goal - certainly based on my performance for the last couple of years! - and so I will not view it as a failure.

Setting a goal is good. But it is even more powerful to tell people that you have done it. It makes it that much harder to short-change myself. By making this post, I know there will be some who will be watching my progress and will be (maybe all too) willing (in the nicest possible way!) to prod me if I appear to be not doing anything towards achieving it. Even eagles need a push (ISBN: 978-0440506119)!

Thanks.

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FenlandPaul

FenlandPaul

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Great post - go for it! Look forward to watching your progress.

I too need a goal this year. 2018 was very disappointing, with initially poor weather, then work commitments (not complaining about that - it’s just a fact) and then a back injury putting me out of observing action during the longest spell of clear nights we’ve had as long as I can remember!!  So in 2019 I need to get back at the eyepiece a lot more regularly.

Paul

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tomato

tomato

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Good luck with your project, I fear the weather will be the biggest factor to overcome.

My goal for 2019 will be to image with a dual rig from a permenant observatory. 

However, to do that I will need to retire, sell our existing place, find a  new home that ticks all the boxes, move, build the Obs and set up the dual rig. That’s enough to be going on with. 

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

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Good idea!

I have a half-filled chequerboard of Messier images, and I really ought to make more effort to fill in the gaps.

My frustration is that 2016 was the year I got many of my best images - getting some skills and better equipment and lots of clear nights. 2017 and 2018 have been very frustrating rarely seeing the run of 3 or 4 clear nights when you can actually learn from one night and put the lessons into play on the next.

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

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That is half the trouble. During the last couple of years, I have done very little - and that is something that is self-perpetuating. I decided I needed something to force me to make the best use I could of what clear skies I do get.

As an aside, I have been contacted by someone interested in doing something similar and asking for a copy of my spreadsheet.

Let me be clear ... I would welcome anyone who wished to join me in this goal and the extra spur we could be to each other to stick with it and achieve it. As it says in my signature "A rising tide raises all ships". Once I have got to the end of the year on the spreadsheet (which will hopefully be ... before the end of this year!) I will put a copy of it on this thread to help anyone wishes to use it. It includes 111 objects from messier (including the highly dubious NGC 5866=M102 plus both options for M109) and the first 67 entries in the Caldwell catalogue (down to NGC 1097).

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Seanelly

Seanelly

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My goal for 2019 is to pour my heart into this new venture and in the end be capable of compiling images I can be proud of.

I've spent three months struggling with the nuances of my equipment-with so much help from this great site that without it I might be looking at 2020 goals instead-and if only this friggin' weather would give me a break I could get out there and put my newfound knowledge to the test for the first, serious time!

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

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As promised above, here is a copy of my spreadsheet. It is offered on an "as is" basis - it no doubt contains a number of errors that I will only discover (if then) when I try to use a particular datum.

Anyone is free to download/use/amend/redistribute/completely-ignore it at will.

2019 targets sgl.xls

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Stub Mandrel

Stub Mandrel

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4 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

As promised above, here is a copy of my spreadsheet. It is offered on an "as is" basis - it no doubt contains a number of errors that I will only discover (if then) when I try to use a particular datum.

My lawyers will be in touch ?

Thanks!

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

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Change of plan:

I have decided to upgrade this to a two-year plan (2019 & 2020), but to add the O'Meara lists as well. I am still keeping M7 as my lowest object (so 4 of the O'Meara lists that technically do rise above my horizon are rejected), giving me a total of 393 objects during the two years (counting C61 & C62 as one object), thus slightly increasing my monthly target if I am going to complete it. There are now 18 objects below Dec-30 and a total of 56 below Dec -20.

I don't think this list in necessarily easier, but it does give me more flexibility and any objects I try in year 1, I will be able to have another shot if necessary in year 2. It also makes more opportunity to put new-found skills to use as I go along, leaving some of the most difficult objects as late as possible.

But my main reason was that I was discovering several objects (eg NGC 2903) that I wanted to include in my goal, but are not on M or C and are included in either Hidden Treasures or Secret Deep. It also nicely gets round the Messier issues, as both NGC 5866 & NGC 3953 (and NGC 5195 for that matter) are on these lists. I am now hurriedly adding the data for these objects onto my spreadsheet.

Don't think I'm going to finish before new year, but may before I get any clear skies ...

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

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10 hours ago, kirkster501 said:

I start off with that goal every year.  Regrettably the clouds have other ideas.....  The weather dictates the goals, we have little part to play.  That's my observation.

I agree as far as it goes. But I have started to notice the number of clear evenings or mornings that get wasted because I do not know what I want to capture and so inertia sets in and I do not set up and so what clear sky I am given gets wasted. This is my attempt to reverse that trend.

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SIDO

SIDO

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Quite an interesting goal, Will be fun to follow your progress and enjoy seeing the results imaging wise. You have me now thinking of hitting all the Messier's again and maybe adding a few...

Worst year for weather at my location in my 20yrs living here so after that and I'm hoping "after" is the correct term, a set of goals beyond my typical fumbling about may be just the thing. 

          Best of Luck, D

                    Freddie ?

 

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