Any Astronomy Resolutions For 2009..

[Astronut]

Get to a star party (hopefully SGL4 in Herefordshire) and re-fire up my rapidly dwindling enthusiasm due to cloudy skies, light pollution and general apathy and laziness on my part. In the meantime, I need to get my lazy butt in gear and get going on my latest dob DIY project - fitting a fan and baffle to the mirror cell to get rid of the boundary layer above the mirror that I always seem to suffer from. I'm toying with the idea of selling the dob and getting a decent largish aperture refractor (4-5") and EQ mount but I need to trade my ageing car in first so I may not be able to afford it for some time.

[MartinB]

Stop getting so uptight when everything goes belly up whilst imaging. Since belly up is the default position when imaging this could be a good thing.

[beamish]

a) Make the most of the kit I've got and be happy with it.

Tighten up the "setting up" routine (tis getting better) to maximise what little clear skies I am gifted with.

c) Work harder at trying to understand and implement processing techniques (ie read more!!)

d) when unable to get outside, get my a#se upstairs and practice on the sax

e) refuse to become frustrated at ALL the setbacks and disappointments

Have more FUN !!!

Karlo

[centroid]

I resolve to wish harder that it will be less cloudy than last year , so that we can all actually do some astronomy.

Given last year's quota of clear skies, if I hadn't made such an investment in 'kit', I think I'd have given up, and moved to another hobby.

First day of the new year, and its 100%

Dave

[kniclander]

get out to dark(er) skies more

sketch the moon

[Talitha]

1) Finish sketching the Messiers (2 more to go :cheers: ) and then re-do the ones I made while using the 80ST or when there was lunar interference.

2) Continue sketching the Herschel 400 (might take a while for that list ).

3) Start lunar sketching again when the weather warms up.

...yep, i like to sketch

edit..

4) Almost forgot.. replace the potentiometer on my LX-10 with one that has a wider range, and get a little dial-thingy so I can tweak it during a session without using a small jeweler's screwdriver.

[gary1968]

Mine is to get of my ar** and start using the imaging equip. I have bought BEFORE rushing out and picking up a 350d.

Oh, and also to lose weight as I really am turning into a FB, lol

Gary

[barkis]

1) Finish sketching the Messiers (2 more to go :cheers: ) and then re-do the ones done while using the 80ST or when there was lunar interference.

2) Continue sketching the Herschel 400 (might take a while for that list ).

3) Start lunar sketching again when the weather warms up.

...yep, i like to sketch

And how well you do it Carol.

Hope you have a great 2009.

Ron.

[moondog]

1) Make sure the house sale goes through when we get back to the UK in March, so that we can retire in New Zealand.

2) Take all my astro eqiuip with me and build an observatory when I get there.

MD

[Talitha]

And how well you do it Carol.

Hope you have a great 2009.

Ron.

:oops: Thank you Ron, and have a wonderful New Year!

[geoff_k]

Ron

Sadly, there are other considerations, both personal and financial, and they may lead me to sell some of not all, of my stuff.

However, in the meantime, lets hope for some better weather. I predict crystal clear skies around Full Moon later this month!

[dogfish]

1. Like some others have said, rekindle my waning enthusiasm (started that by getting out with some of the boys the other night and now I'm praying for clear skies for the Quadrantids tomorrow night).

2. Work out how I'm going to manage when I move back into the city from the suburbs. This may involve getting some simpler kit (12" Flextube and/or a PST) and selling off all the stuff I have for imaging that I've never really found the time to crack. Or..

3. Put some effort into cracking this imaging lark, but that's very dependant on the West of Scotland weather playing ball at least some of the time.

Hope everyone on SGL has a great 2009.

Martin

[661-pete]

* To keep up the astronomy, to do more if I can. Simple as that, even if it's a cliche.

* To keep out of the morass of depression, anxiety, work-stress and all that which has dominated so much of last year.

* To make an effort to meet up with other astronomers - not just via the forum (actually I started doing that last year). To listen to them.

* To keep up the cycling (OK not exactly an astro resolution, but I need to be in health if I want to stay in astronomy).

[Greg]

I think after I spent a cracking day with Ian (Lunator) And his family, I think my first resolution should be to spend more time with my children..

[James]

I tend not to set myself resolutions as such but over the next year I hope to:

1) Become a much more proficient imager

2) Get into the habit of going to bed earlier so that I have more energy for all night sessions when they arrive

3) Persuade my wife that an observatory of some sort is essential

4) Do a Messier Marathon

5) Look after the kids for a few weekends this year so that Kate can go away....

6)..... so that I can go to Kielder in March, SGL 4 in April and Kelling in the Autumn

7) Lose weight/get fitter. Those of you who've met me will probably be surprised to know I used to be able to run 5 miles quite easily. What's the astronomy value in that? Well, apparently if you are fitter you can cope with cold better so that'll help those late night imaging/observing sessions.

8 ) Not be such a miserable grizzly bear with a sore head when I don't get a clear night for a while.

I'll cope if 1, 3 & 6 are all I achieve...

James

[Luke]

To take a photo of a spiral galaxy with some detail in it. Or failing that a fuzzy blob will do!

Not sure if I have a chance with my lack of skills and non-SLR camera (Fuji Finepix S9500), but I'll have a go!

[michaelmorris]

Get better at acquistion of deep sky images

Get a lot better at processing of deep sky images

See more of my wife (and thus less of the inside of the observatory) - says he sitting at the computer in the observatory. - Doh!

Stop volunteering to do so much for my local astonomical society (and thus see more of my wife).

[daz]

1) Observing log (!)

2) More observing

3) Get the obsy up and completed

4) Relearn the sky

[Helen]

Do you think we could have a competition for who lasts longest in actually keeping a log? I failed at my first fence (Saturday night ) but am determined that that was just a false start .

Helen (who's trying to pluck up courage to brave the arctic conditions to actually see something worth logging )

[russ]

1/ try and make a star party

2/ track down more messiers

3/ start lunar/planetary imaging again

4/ strip the Starfinder down, clean the mirrors and flock the tube

5/ get back into my local club

6/ find a cheap laptop

7/ find a good balance between astronomy and time with my wife

number 3 is completely dependent on number 6. If we get lots of cloud i'll be doing well on number 7 and should get time for number 4.

[GazOC]

7/ find a good balance between astronomy and time with my wife

I finally got around to doing that a few years back, the divorce wasn't cheap though....

[michaelmorris]

Do you think we could have a competition for who lasts longest in actually keeping a log?

I've been keeping an observing log for 4 years now. I'm a third way through book number three.

[661-pete]

I've been keeping an imaging log since I started in France over three years ago - as a series of text files. Mostly it's to note down the obvious stuff - dates and times, lengths and number of exposures and ISO settings, how many I discarded, that sort of thing. But also any bright meteors or other interesting stuff that comes by as a bonus. Even visits from the local barn owl get a mention (alas! on our last few visits she didn't show up, seems to have deserted her niche in the church steeple - due to light pollution!)

But it'll take a long time for me to fill a book. Not planning the next visit until March at the earliest.

[russ]

I finally got around to doing that a few years back, the divorce wasn't cheap though....

gulp....that does sound an expensive option :shock:

I completed part of my resolution yesterday. Had a day off, so stripped the dob down. Cleaned the mirrors and centre spotted the primary. Started at 1pm finished 4pm. Most of that was waiting for the mirror to dry.

[AstroDonut]

My Astronomy Resolutions are...[list type=decimal]

[li]Learn to correctly polar align my scope[/li]

[li]Suss out 'Setting Circles'[/li]

[li]Purchase RA Motor Drive to make imaging easier

[/li]

[li]Get to grips with RegiStax[/li]

[li]Suss out collimation too!!!

[/li]

And also come up with an inverted cloud dance (to make the b****rds dissappear) :hello1: :hello1: :hello1: