What are your astro plans for 2022?

[RobertI]

With Christmas mostly out of the way, my thoughts are turning to the new year and how I can improve my astronomy by doing something a little different. Any plans I come up with need to be realistic and achievable (hence I quickly eliminated the observatory build!) and I ended up with the following goals:

• Do some observing under some dark skies. I'd love to go to the pitch black skies of Namibia or even have a week at one of the wonderful astronomy providers in Cornwall, but with a family in tow and lockdowns/isolations still a reality, the more realistic option is to find some dark sites near my home. There are some pretty dark skies in mid-suffolk which is only an hour's drive away, so I plan to take my C8 and ED102 to a dark site and track down some faint fuzzies. 
• Do some observing with a big dob. I've never used a big dob and I'd really like to experience one. I've got two options so far, rent one (I can get a OO 12" dob delivered to my home for 4 weeks of use for £185 - see here) but this comes with the risk of no clear nights and limited dark skies at home, or I could drive to Kelling Heath for the Spring or Summer Star Parties and see if I can get a view under really dark skies (it's a two hour drive and I would only do it if the skies were clear). Alternatively perhaps there is a friendly astronomer with a big dob in South Suffolk / North Essex who would let me come and have a squint?

I think these are fairly achievable goals which shouldn't cost the earth. What do you think?

What are your astro plans for 2022?

Edited December 28, 2021 by RobertI

[The Lazy Astronomer]

Would be nice just to be able to see the sky at some point...

[ONIKKINEN]

Dark site trips for both imaging and observing are definitely on my list as well. Visited family in a Bortle 3 area just over 2 hours drive away over Christmas and had a quick look at the sky with binoculars through some intermittent cloud cover. There is so much more to see it doesn't look like the same sky anymore and i definitely need to have a look with my VX8 to see if i can spot things that are completely invisible in brighter skies.

Goals for the upcoming spring would be to image the Coma cluster of galaxies and Markarians chain in Virgo, which i missed this year due to technical difficulties. Couldn't really image these far southern targets at all with my unsuitable mount so gave up . Hopefully by then my AZ/EQ-6 has arrived and most of the problems will be sorted. Might have to compromise and only shoot one of these though, since the time window to shoot these from 60 degrees north is just a couple of months long and who knows how many clear nights there are?

[Dave scutt]

Your more then welcome to come and look through my dob in Bortle 2-3 but the distance might be a problem and then there is the other problem of clear skies. So for 2022 I would just like clear skies 

[TerryMcK]

Probably sell all my gear and take up microscopy or golf instead. :‑J

Edited December 28, 2021 by TerryMcK

[DaveS]

No plans at all for astronomy in 2022, think it's become a waste of time.

[Swoop1]

To actually do some observing and imaging.

The tail end of this year has been disrupted either by bad weather or lack of time/ inclination.

[kirkster501]

32 minutes ago, DaveS said:

No plans at all for astronomy in 2022, think it's become a waste of time.

Yes, I agree.  Flogging a dead horse I think.  I thought I might get at least one night of clear sky over xmas but nothing at all. I downloaded the ephemeris for JWST and hoped to get a few subs of it on its way out to L2. Endless cloud, mist and rain since December 10th has scuppered that and there looks no end in sight. 

[DaveS]

Well, this is my prospect for the week

A full house

 

[Ags]

I want to shoot enough good DSOs to make a calendar at the end of the year (14 months, 12 for 2023 and first two of 2024). So far I've got 1.5 pictures 😀 It should make the "perfect" xmas gift for my friends and relations next year...

Also on imaging, it's a Mars year so that will be a highlight.

Observing - I want to chase down more doubles and DSOs I've never seen before.

Writing - finish writing my book on DSOs. Also for writing - I want to generate milky way traces on my charts. Should be a simple matter of generating contours from star density, but the trick is making the contours pretty and not troublesome under red torchlight.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Ags

[RobertI]

43 minutes ago, TerryMcK said:

Probably sell all my gear and take up microscopy or golf instead.

43 minutes ago, DaveS said:

No plans at all for astronomy in 2022, think it's become a waste of time.

Crikey, I think I chose a bad day to try and get some positive vibes from people for 2022!

Nice to hear what people do have planned for next year though. The weather hasn't been great for me either, I've only managed around 15 'proper' observing sessions this year, but there were plenty of clear nights where I just couldn't manage it, so I shall try and do better this year.

[kirkster501]

At one stage, clear and dark skies were even a factor I was considering as part of my next house move.  But I can't in all fairness justify it to my kids and fiancee that we live further away from civilisation and proximity to the things that they like to do based upon fifteen nights or less per year of clear skies - half of which the moon is shining down.

So to answer the OP's question.  No plans at all because it is impossible to make them in the UK.  Bright eyed and full of enthusiasm I had a plan and a project to image the whole of M31 in very high resolution in HaLRGB.  Five years into that project I have done four panels out of 16 and I have given up on it, autumn and winter have been incredibly dreadful for the last eight years or so.

[DaveS]

Time was when winter was prime stargazing time, with those long crisp, clear nights. Now it's just endless cloud and murk. On the odd nights when the clouds forget to turn up the moon does, just to spoil the party.

[Ags]

Even if we only get two or three good nights next year, let's make them good ones and enjoy them.

Keep on putting the scope out to cool, because you never know when a clear patch will blow over!

[Captain Scarlet]

In 2022 I plan to build a scope around the 20” mirror that is patiently sitting in the cupboard under the stairs.

Magnus

[F15Rules]

I completely get why people feel so disheartened with such lousy weather, and having been quite ill recently (not Covid) despite being jabbed to within an inch of my life this year, I have felt (and still feel) rather gloomy about the coming years' prospects.

The trouble is, when I get just one sparkling clear night when I can observe, all that feeling goes out the window and I just get rekindled enthusiasm!

Let's hope we all get that feeling very soon now..👍☺️

Dave

[Mark at Beaufort]

It has been a difficult period but the other night I had a clear spell to view the Comet in Gemini. Today I had an hour session observing the Sun in Ha and WL. As Dave said above it rekindled my enthusiasm.

Now as for 2022 I am going to take my 12 inch Dob to my Astro Society new observing site. I want to see the Horsehead Neb again and hopefully pick up the California Neb in my 90mm Frac.

So I am looking positive that I might get some DSO observing over the coming months. Also I have a partial solar eclipse on 25th October to enjoy (hopefully).

 

 

 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Pretty much the same as this year; making the most of any clear (and convenient) night to enjoy what's above me. More camping trips were the new 15x70s will see plenty of use.

There's no off season for me. Summer nights at home, I tend to switch to lunar observation.

My astro society is opening tentatively so hopefully a trip away with them too and some time on the 12" LX200 at the society observatory would be great.

Plus the Mars 2022 opposition is something to look forward to weather permitting...

 

[Sunshine]

Hopefully buying a couple more bits for my scope like the Baader diagonal I've waiting 3 months for delivery so far (convinced it doesn't exist) aside from that I plan on winning the lottery and treating 

all my SGL mates to new scopes!.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Sunshine

[Dave scutt]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Hopefully buying a couple more bits for my scope like the Baader diagonal I've waiting 3 months for delivery is far (convinced it doesn't exist) aside from that I plan on winning the lottery and treating 

all my SGL mates to new scopes!.

Should I start looking for a tak at last🤣

[Deadlake]

2 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

I've waiting 3 months for delivery so far

If this is a BBHS 2" mirror diagonal I've been waiting all year. As well as a 20 mm XWA.....

[Mark at Beaufort]

22 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

 

Plus the Mars 2022 opposition is something to look forward to weather permitting...

 

Yes plus the occultation by the Moon on 8th December not seen in Britain since 1952. The next is 2052.

[wookie1965]

1 hour ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Pretty much the same as this year; making the most of any clear (and convenient) night to enjoy what's above me. More camping trips were the new 15x70s will see plenty of use.

There's no off season for me. Summer nights at home, I tend to switch to lunar observation.

My astro society is opening tentatively so hopefully a trip away with them too and some time on the 12" LX200 at the society observatory would be great.

Plus the Mars 2022 opposition is something to look forward to weather permitting...

 

Which society is that Peter. 

[wookie1965]

I want to get out and observe I'm hoping 2022 has a lot more clear nights as this year has been terrible if I have been out a dozen times I've been lucky. 

I'll health as well my back has inhibited me but I'm on more painkillers now which seems to be helping. 

I'm getting a new tent in the new year and want to camp out a few more times hoping to arrange a meet end of March beginning of April somewhere near Buxton I have a site in mind just need to scope it out. 

[RobertI]

1 hour ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Now as for 2022 I am going to take my 12 inch Dob to my Astro Society new observing site. I want to see the Horsehead Neb again and hopefully pick up the California Neb in my 90mm Frac.

Yes I was hoping some dark skies would help me see some of the more elusive DSOs that I've struggled with over the years. The Horsehead would be something of a miracle for me but you never know!

1 hour ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Plus the Mars 2022 opposition is something to look forward to weather permitting...

That's also firmly on my list as last year's apparition was superb.