What are your astro plans for 2022?

[bomberbaz]

2 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I still want to try to get some good data for my AP but I really agree that I want to attend some star parties, t tried 3 times in last 2 years to do so but flooded out the first time and Covid put an end to the other two so here's hoping.
 Maybe we can get to the same one on 2022 ?

Steve

 

well we are only a half hour away buddy, maybe we can organise something with ourselves and anyone else local to us in the NY. Kettlewell should have some decent skies I would have thought. 

[bomberbaz]

3 minutes ago, Chris said:

I would like to do more astronomy with my kids in 2022, I feel they're at a good age for it now and If it sparks something great, if not fair enough

 

Ah one I missed off my list, trying to do some more sessions with my granddaughter. 

Did one a few weeks back and she loved it although it was brief because of the clouds.

Cheers

[andrew s]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

I aim  to buy no more astro kit. But this doesn’t include eyepieces.

All purchases are equal but some are more equal than others. 😉

Regards Andrew 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

15 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

well we are only a half hour away buddy, maybe we can organise something with ourselves and anyone else local to us in the NY. Kettlewell should have some decent skies I would have thought. 

Absolutely, indecently I have a great affinity to Burnley, I went to collage up Omerod  Road ( I think it has moved now)  for 3 years many moons ago and spent many a night out in Burnley, but all that aside I am well up for anything we can organise in the new year 🙂 

Steve

Edited December 28, 2021 by teoria_del_big_bang

[bomberbaz]

10 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Absolutely, indecently I have a great affinity to Burnley, I went to collage up Omerod  Road ( I think it has moved now)  for 3 years many moons ago and spent many a night out in Burnley, but all that aside I am well up for anything we can organise in the new year 🙂 

Steve

2022 objective list updated. Now when the weather clears.................oh erm wait 😂

[Ouroboros]

I’d like to carry on discovering what  my recently-ish acquired ASI2600 OSC camera can do, along with my new ASIair Pro that I have enjoyed using.  I’m also still looking for a more portable and rapid set up system for when I’m in Oxfordshire. It would be good to sort that this year.  I’m also hoping the International Astronomy Show near Warwick will run this year. It’s missed two years since the last one.  Pity it’s in October. I thought the previous summer slot was better but there you go. 

[Stu]

Like many who have replied, for me it is simply to get out there more and use some of the lovely kit I have acquired, most specifically the 16” dob and 130mm LZOS. I now live somewhere with decently dark skies, but have yet to properly make use of them through a combination of poor weather, other commitments or just being too exhausted when the opportunity does present itself.

Solar observing is one of my favourite things, so more of that would be good, and I may even dabble with sketching.

Getting properly involved with, and hopefully observing with the local club (CADAS) would be great too.

[Astro Noodles]

I think it is good to plan ahead and have realistic goals.

For me, it is to use the Raspberry Pi I acquired from a fellow member, and get my imaging rig automated with guiding, better focusing and to use APT.

I am looking forward to comparing my results on a year-on-year basis. 

Also want to use my reflector a bit more and maybe to do some planetary imaging.

The weather over the last year has been disappointing but has been made far worse for me by malfunctioning equipment, silly mistakes and inadequate kit. I think I have got most of the wrinkles out now, I understand my equipment much better and have routines for PA , focusing etc. So hopefully I will get better results.

[Franklin]

9 hours ago, DaveS said:

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

The diabolical weather we have had this year is very frustrating for all of us, but it must be even more frustrating for those of you whose primary interest is imaging. It must seem like an impossible task when the skies don't allow for any length of time of clear visibility. I'm only a casual, visual stargazer and although the weather has been complete pants, my skies here, just now, cleared. I stopped typing this, threw my 62mm achro out on the balcony and soaked up M42 for about 1/2 hr before it all clouded over again. Like a drug addict getting a fix, I am so happy and satisfied to have seen a few stars, albeit fleetingly. So rather than getting put off the hobby by the bad weather, grab a small visual set up, binoculars even, and take advantage of even the slightest gap in the clouds. You never know, it may rekindle that original spark we all had when we first looked up at the night sky in awe. Afterall, they do say Astronomy is the oldest science, but when was the camera invented? Cheer up SGL'ers, the weather will turn good soon.😀

[Stu]

16 minutes ago, Franklin said:

The diabolical weather we have had this year is very frustrating for all of us, but it must be even more frustrating for those of you whose primary interest is imaging. It must seem like an impossible task when the skies don't allow for any length of time of clear visibility. I'm only a casual, visual stargazer and although the weather has been complete pants, my skies here, just now, cleared. I stopped typing this, threw my 62mm achro out on the balcony and soaked up M42 for about 1/2 hr before it all clouded over again. Like a drug addict getting a fix, I am so happy and satisfied to have seen a few stars, albeit fleetingly. So rather than getting put off the hobby by the bad weather, grab a small visual set up, binoculars even, and take advantage of even the slightest gap in the clouds. You never know, it may rekindle that original spark we all had when we first looked up at the night sky in awe. Afterall, they do say Astronomy is the oldest science, but when was the camera invented? Cheer up SGL'ers, the weather will turn good soon.😀

That’s precisely why I’ve always had smallish scopes around, anywhere between 60 and 100mm for those short sessions which make putting out a large dob impractical.

[Mr Spock]

As the rest of 2021 will be cloudy, will 2022 be the year I see M1?

[bomberbaz]

1 minute ago, Mr Spock said:

As the rest of 2021 will be cloudy, will 2022 be the year I see M1?

Can't believe you haven't seen it tbh mate, I have seen it many times. No or high bandpass filter seem to work best on it. UHC-S from Baader good option. 

[Whistlin Bob]

This is nice to think about on a very damp cloudy night. 

Visual:

-Organise myself a little better and give myself proper target lists again; I've become lazy lately.

-Do more lunar observing.

-Do at least one dark sky trip- it's been over two years because of you know what.

-See if I can nab the Horsehead again.

-Observe in company more often- both at my local club and at a Star Party.

Imaging:

- Finish upgrading my portable rig to an HEQ5 with mobile power and make it quick to set up.

-I've recently upgraded my main setup to an NEQ6. I want to belt mod it and get it and my 200p working well together for some nice galaxy images come March and April.

- I've started a support group for imaging at my local club (emotional and practical !!!)- keep it going and hopefully grow it. (Shameless plug: you can find out more here: https://www.roslistonastronomy.org.uk/, if you're around South Derbyshire or East Staffordshire, we meet on the first Friday of the month, online whilst we see what Covid does, why not give us a look). 

- Do more planetary and lunar imaging.

And for both sides of the hobby: don't let the flipping clouds get me down!

[Sunshine]

5 hours ago, JeremyS said:

I’d like to do more visual observing

Does this mean maybe trying out one of them fancy telescopes that use mirrors? 

[Voyager 3]

My telescope has sat unused from early September . I'm really fed up with clouds , rain and other inevitable events (exams and education) . Since I bought my telescope around 2 years ago , I haven't had a proper dark sky experience with my telescope due to curfews and restrictions.

 

I hope folks who joined this hobby after the COVID-19 breakout including myself get the dark sky experience! 

[LukeSkywatcher]

My aspirations for 2022 are to get Lorna to carry my gear outside. Not sure though because she's a bit good at dropping and breaking stuff.

[jjohnson3803]

I'm looking to buy an ED refractor in the 90-100mm range as a probable replacement for my three other scopes.  Might be time to rationalize the collection.  If that doesn't work out, the back-up plan is to get a Canon T7 and try some wide angle constellation photography.  Maybe acquire a camera tracker as well.

I'll continue to play with some remote scope photography, although I doubt I'll progress much past the "snapshot" level.  I'm reasonably sure I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of AP post-processing.

I want to get out to my club's dark sites at least once a month - this year has been very difficult with work, weather, and moon phase.  And I'd like to explore some of relatively nearby campsites that are under darker skies.  One is closer time-wise than my nearest club site and it's only $15 per night to camp - worth the price even if I get clouded out and only sit around a campfire.

Galaxies are pretty much out of the question at home, so I'll keep targeting open clusters, observing objects close to the galactic plane, and try to do more lunar observing.  I'm also going to try more double star observing since it's probably tolerable under my home light pollution.

 

 

[Ouroboros]

   @LukeSkywatcher Is that like dropping stuff doing the washing up so you don’t get asked again?  

Edited December 29, 2021 by Ouroboros

[RobertI]

17 hours ago, Chris said:

I would like to do more astronomy with my kids in 2022, I feel they're at a good age for it now and If it sparks something great, if not fair enough

Also, I should really continue my mirror grind project that has been shelved for a about 3 years so far!...  

That's another good one I should add to my list - some more astronomy with my 7 old son. I'm sure we could find some fun stuff to do with binoculars or lying on the ground waiting for meteors, and now's a good time of year to be doing it. 👍

[LukeSkywatcher]

21 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

   @LukeSkywatcher 

Edited December 30, 2021 by LukeSkywatcher

[DaveS]

I have a few targets, but I'm asking myself if there will be another clear night. Ever

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

2 hours ago, DaveS said:

I have a few targets, but I'm asking myself if there will be another clear night. Ever

 

if there isn't in Dorset then we may as well pack it in this far North.

Lets be upbeat and say that 2022 will be far better than 2021 in many respects 🙂 

Steve

Edited December 29, 2021 by teoria_del_big_bang

[BCN_Sean]

Biggest for me is to improve my imaging, as at the moment it's ok for things like Facebook or Instagram but nothing I'm really satisfied with just yet.  Aside from that probably try to find an older mount to restore/modify, and hopefully if the situation allows wrangle up a couple of my mates and go on a road trip to somewhere darker than my sqm 20.9 back yard.

[LukeSkywatcher]

On a serious note, Lorna would love to be my wing-person while observing. She's never looked through a telescope. She has a passing interest and it would be lovely to star gaze together. Molly the dog too would be with us roaming the garden, protecting us both against any furry critters, but basically barking and annoying the neighbours. 

Where Lorna goes, Molly follows. They are inseparable.

Edited December 29, 2021 by LukeSkywatcher

[Astroscot2]

Continue to enjoy imaging with the OSC camera when weather allows,  change over to the Newtonian for galaxy season, improve my process skills and learn how to use APP and Pixinsight, re-skin the observatory in the summer.  Thats all..

 

Mark