New Year astro resolutions

[Moonshed]

These are mine, I will do my level best to stick to them:

1) Ensure camera battery is fully charged.

2) Ensure laptop has already installed all the updates before beginning imaging session

3) Never turn down the opportunity to get the ‘scope out just because I’m warm and comfortable and it’s cold out there.

4) Spend more time at the eyepiece.

5) When processing images learn when to stop tweaking them!

Edited January 4, 2021 by Moonshed

[Paz]

Here's mine...

Resolution 1. Try not to buy any more kit.

Resolution 2. Try to sell some stuff, I need to thin things out but I'm a hoarder by nature.

Resolution 3. Try to plan to see more new-to-me targets and not just go for known targets.

Resolution 4. Don't forget Resolution 1.

[jonathan]

49 minutes ago, Moonshed said:

3) Never turn down the opportunity to get the ‘scope out just because I’m warm and comfortable and it’s cold out there.

I don't think I could ever stick to that one, but I'll give it a damn good try!

List of excuses so far this year:

• Too windy
• Too icy
• Too cloudy
• Too rainy

I think in fairness to myself those are actually not bad excuses. 

[maw lod qan]

Finally get a goto mount, EQ5 or EQ6 size.

And try to image the Moon every day even if it's only widefield. So far I'm got that one going.

Also do more Solar.

[old_eyes]

• Complete construction work on Observatory (down to the fiddly bits now).
• Sufficient automation for unattended operation
• Get dual imaging rig up and running
• Process all the damned data I have lying around (implies a 'learn how to use PixInsight properly' resolution!)
• Have fun!

[A McEwan]

1. Consolidate my kit to stuff that I actually use and enjoy using. (this means 1.25" as much as possible and if I can't tweak something until it works as I want - it goes)

2. Try and take a scope out at least once a week through the winter, even if the forecast is variable. A quick look is better than no look.

3. er... concentrate on #1 and #2!

[DaveL59]

I guess I'm far to random in my efforts, more a case of look outside, if it seems good the out with one of the scopes and play a while. I get where @jonathan is coming from too, brrr no ta! tho if things are placed well in the sky I've just opened the conservatory door and used the scope from inside which helps a lot 😉 

No real resolutions, other than perhaps spend more time using than fettling all the optical gear. That said tho with all the cloudy wet nights at least the fettling passes the time and keeps the idle hands busy 🙂 

[F15Rules]

I had a quick look at what I said this time last year..

"A new decade, 3rd of this century already !

I'm resolving to be a better human being, to appreciate my dear wife, family and friends better and to enjoy each day as if it were my last.

Astro resolutions are to make the most of as many good nights as I can: retirement should help that..

..and to be a good grandad for the first time (my sons' baby boy due March 3rd☺"

So, how did I do? Well, I certainly couldn't have foreseen what 2020 would bring...who of us could??

I certainly appreciated my wife and family more.. in my first year of retirement, I and my wife learned to be together far more of each day..we appreciated our 3 grown children and our friends more, as we saw them less due to Covid restrictions. And we did make more friends in our local village, which was good.

We took in my mother in law aged 87 from March til August, which was tough, so I can't honestly say I enjoyed each day as if it were my last! And this latter point prevented me from achieving my Astro goal of enjoying as many clear nights as possible..ironically, last April and May offered more clear nights in the fine extended spell of weather than I can ever remember, yet I couldn't use them due to our extensive caring duties. 

But we did have the joy of welcoming our grandson on March 13th (10 days late!), and that was a real day of joy for us all🤗.

So this year my list of Astro resolutions is short! -

- enjoy every session possible (and I now have a great little 60mm refractor for those short 20 minute "windows" of opportunity).

- avoid wherever possible the use of the word "handle" in any posts I make, however hard @Jeremy tries to tempt me!😂😂

Clear skies to everyone!👍

Dave

Edited January 4, 2021 by F15Rules

[7170]

Not to have any clouds here!

But being serious it is to sort out my archive of images.

I read a rather morbid article a few weeks ago where the author said they were organizing all their images and making reference to them in their will, in the hope that they maybe of interest to future generations. A question was left with the reader to ponder over - how many scientifically useful images are being taken now by amateurs in all fields of science, that will in coming years be lost forever. I'm not suggesting there is anything special about my images but the article was thought provoking enough to encouraged me to finally do something about the sprawling mess of a folder structure I have on the computer!

[TerryMcK]

Not to have any resolutions. Failed already.

[John]

I'm sure that I broke all the ones that I made last year so probably best not to have any resolutions for 2020

 

[JeremyS]

On 04/01/2021 at 20:33, F15Rules said:

I had a quick look at what I said this time last year..

"A new decade, 3rd of this century already !

I'm resolving to be a better human being, to appreciate my dear wife, family and friends better and to enjoy each day as if it were my last.

Astro resolutions are to make the most of as many good nights as I can: retirement should help that..

..and to be a good grandad for the first time (my sons' baby boy due March 3rd☺"

So, how did I do? Well, I certainly couldn't have foreseen what 2020 would bring...who of us could??

I certainly appreciated my wife and family more.. in my first year of retirement, I and my wife learned to be together far more of each day..we appreciated our 3 grown children and our friends more, as we saw them less due to Covid restrictions. And we did make more friends in our local village, which was good.

We took in my mother in law aged 87 from March til August, which was tough, so I can't honestly say I enjoyed each day as if it were my last! And this latter point prevented me from achieving my Astro goal of enjoying as many clear nights as possible..ironically, last April and May offered more clear nights in the fine extended spell of weather than I can ever remember, yet I couldn't use them due to our extensive caring duties. 

But we did have the joy of welcoming our grandson on March 13th (10 days late!), and that was a real day of joy for us all🤗.

So this year my list of Astro resolutions is short! -

- enjoy every session possible (and I now have a great little 60mm refractor for those short 20 minute "windows" of opportunity).

- avoid wherever possible the use of the word "handle" in any posts I make, however hard @Jeremy tries to tempt me!😂😂

Clear skies to everyone!👍

Dave

I’ve gotta hand it to you Dave, you grabbed a lot of action in the last year.

Steady as you go this year!
 

My resolution? Hold the handrail every time I go up and down the stairs. 
And not dash around like Roger Bannister.

[andrew s]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

I’ve gotta hand it to you Dave, you grabbed a lot of action in the last year.

Steady as you go this year!
 

My resolution? Hold the handrail every time I go up and down the stairs. 
And not dash around like Roger Bannister.

...and don't buy any more Takahashi refractors as I have more than my fair share.

 

[John]

3 hours ago, John said:

I'm sure that I broke all the ones that I made last year so probably best not to have any resolutions for 2020

 

Actually I will have one resolution - get the year right !

( I don't think I want another re-run of 2020 )