How do you prepare for your observing/imaging session

[OXO]

As the post thread say's How do you prepare your night's session out under the Stars?

I have began doing a Log book with the names of objects i want to observe or image this is great for looking back at esp when we have clouds.

James

[GazOC]

I make sure I have a crate of Carling in the fridge...

I've been meaing to start a log for years but I've never got around to doing it.

[FLO]

Starting a log is one of my New Years Resolutions .... haven't done it yet :oops:

[OXO]

Logs are well worth it guys i found some from 1986 the other day made for great reading well to me anyway but thats the nice thing about it, its a personal thing

[Darron]

Choose an objective on Starry Night, decide on the best way to hop to it and then try to do it.

Darron

[OXO]

Caz, the Logs don't need to be some kind of novel just write down what you plan to see and if you do place a tick next to them and maybe a little description of what you observed..

James

[OXO]

Nothing wrong with that Caz

[CELESCOPE]

I,m much like Caz , i always go out with a plan but something always goes wrong when i do that , so now i just go for anything i fancy after looking on the sky map , , i sometimes write it down , but i mainly remember most of the setting , WHY!!! cus i stick to the same routine ehehehheheh ,AT THE MOMENT ,till guiding starts ,

Rog

[lunator]

As the post thread say's How do you prepare your night's session out under the Stars?

Put my coat on

[MartinB]

I have a little notebook and sometimes jot down a few notes about possible targets. Mainly use it to jot down notes re camera settings, subs etc. stops me doing stupid things like doing rgb subs and then forgetting which was which :insects1:

Most of my perparation involves collecting a pile of stuff together to take out to the garden. Bit like an everest expedition really.

[psjshep]

Preparation is my failure when it comes to observing, I really am hopeless, I've started a log book, but I just can't seem to sit down, and plan my observing session, but then I'm not very organised in life either, so that might explain matters...

I will be very interested to read others posts just to see how they plan/prepare...

I use a great piece of s/w called Astroplanner - even registered & paid an amount of dosh too! (forget how much - think was ~ $20 US) - If you have a decent 'tinternet, then the deep sky survey pics are really helpful - takes a bit to get into it, but not only can you plan viewing but also imaging sesh's too :-

http://www.ilangainc.com/astroplanner/index.html

[Mick.G.]

That's a handy link Phil,(will have a play with that later.)

Up till the beginning of this year I've been hopeless at prep's+taking note's,a simple case of get out there & look.

With the amount of cloud the last couple of week's or so,you'd think I would have the next six month's planed.

Still must do better. :salute:

Mick.

[Greg]

At the begining of each month I get the star charts out and start deciding on what areas I want to concentrate on...

I then make a list with the co-ordinates and details and an area on the list to record conditions , mag etc..

I make a note of any special interest objects that I would like to image....All this then is recorded onto a spreadsheet and filed for future refrence.....

Or sometimes..... Like the night before last.

I just drag the scope out and look!!!!

[Jamie]

I have a copy of Starry Night, most times I print off the nights sky chart, but nothing more....

Caz thats just what i do just print off the chart and circle

the items that i want to observe/image for the night.

Good link Phil.

[tom.yates]

Sounds like,Caz , Jamie and I all have the same idea.

[Ant]

For me I usually set the scope up, polar align and then try to remember where the hell things are!

Fail in remembering, go to consult the star atlas wander back out to the scope (by which time my night vision is shot), find the object. Then start imaging and then it clouds over - ho hum.

Do i write a log - nope never.

Ant

[daz]

I make a list of what I want to look at (See Monthly Camparatives :oops: ).

I then try to do my log as I go, which I usually fail at.

Just invested in an electronic dictation doodah, so this should make it easier. I then plan to write it up on the PC and stick it on my blog!!

Plans, plans, plans!!

[The Warthog]

I often, but not always, check into Nightwatch for things that I may be able to fail to see in whatever constellations are well placed for the night. I don't have a log book, yet, but I do have a list of the Messier numbers that I can put a tick beside when I see a new one.

Then I just haul the scope out of the shed, do a rough polar alignment, and I'm on my way.

[FLO]

Nightwatch?

[GazOC]

I make a list of what I want to look at (See Monthly Camparatives :oops: ).

tut!!

[OXO]

[CELESCOPE]

make sure the tv working ok in the observatory , then set the chair right , feet up and close eyes watching the tv at some point , and also the puter screen to see how many frames have been taken and that no miserable clouds have drifted across. lazy git eh heehhe , but then have to do the processing , all hands on deck then for that .

Rog

[The Warthog]

Nightwatch?

NightWatch is a very good, and very popular in North America, book, by Terence Dickinson, a Canadian astronomer and editor of Sky News, a Canadian amateur magazine. It's published by Firefly press at CDN$29.95. It has the usual stuff about the wonderful universe, and equipment, including a sidebar called "Trash-Scope Blues," and about 20 pages of detailed star charts for the northern hemisphere. It is usually seen about star parties here. Several members of my group at CSSP had a copy. I have a slightly rain-damaged one that I will let go for £5, plus the cost of mail. Some of the colour plates are damaged, but all of the charts survived intact, and most of the text.

[FLO]

Thanks WH but I have found it over here:

http://tinyurl.com/ohyag