Why

[Marvin Jenkins]

Why do members keep posting photography in the observing section? 
There is an area of this site specifically for that.

I can understand a picture being posted to back up an observing report. However I keep finding AP and Solar photography in here.

Perhaps I have OCD and it doesn’t bother anyone else.

Marv

[Stu]

13 minutes ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Why do members keep posting photography in the observing section? 
There is an area of this site specifically for that.

I can understand a picture being posted to back up an observing report. However I keep finding AP and Solar photography in here.

Perhaps I have OCD and it doesn’t bother anyone else.

Marv

Probably just innocent mistakes Marv. I’ll keep an eye on it and move any that shouldn’t be there to their rightful place.

[AstroKeith]

I think perhaps some don't appreciate that in this case 'observing' means visual.

Perhaps a rebranding needed?

[Franklin]

I think there are those who are mainly visual but also like to take a few "snaps" and are probably a bit reluctant to post there efforts alongside the experts for obvious reasons. Taking a quick pic through your scope is a far cry away from the grueling endeavors of serious AP.

[Ratlet]

Presumably some people got lost at some point.  Pretty sure I've done it at least once.

I'm guilty of also posting a snap through the eyepiece of the moon.  Just discovering the magic of lunar observing, but I've found other people's quick snaps to be most informative and very helpful as I've no idea where anything is in the moon (waiting till I need something else from Flo to bulk out the order before I get the duplex atlas)

[Alan White]

I hear what the opening post says and tend to agree,
but I would ask this 'is an image just not another way of observing?' the pros do this after all.

I would also point out that a sketch is in fact an image,
it has been rendered with something other than a camera.

I am a visual only observer and happy to share observing with others,
in my mind the observing discussion is exactly that a place to dicuss queries, odd things seen or just proudly sharing a special moment.
 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Alan White

[Stu]

The key point, as I think some are alluding to, is not to get too hung up about where something is. I will often post a smartphone image in the observing section if it is support of an observing session. In general it is good to have things in their right places as it makes searching easier, and some members just go and look in particular forums so may miss an image posted elsewhere. I tend to ‘consume’ my dose of the forum on my phone and just check the new posts so I see a cross section of everything, that’s how I prefer it.

Anyway, if something is obviously in the wrong place we can/will move it, but don’t let it spoil your day if it stays put.

[mikeDnight]

I quite enjoy looking at images posted on the observing section and often find them helpful and reassuring.  I do a lot of sketching at the eyepiece and try my best to see as much of the subtle detail as I can while staying as truthful to the over all view as I can. This means that some of the detail I record in a sketch can be right on the borderline of discernability. When I see an image of something like Venus that shows what I believed I saw through the eyepiece, it confirms in my mind at least, that I'm not completely nuts.

[Alan White]

18 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

it confirms in my mind at least, that I'm not completely nuts.

Hmmm 😉

 

[John]

Thankfully this does not seem to apply on SGL but in some other places there is a sort of "if there are no pictures it did not happen" attitude creeping in 🙄

I think the odd snap / sketch / picture to illustrate an observation isn't an issue personally. It can be helpful for others.

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by John

[JeremyS]

I don’t actually browse SGL according to sections, rather I glance down the list of all posts since my last visit. Am I missing something?

I do of course choose the section when I start a thread. But then I forget about sections.

[jetstream]

Sometimes I start a thread and am not really sure where to put it lol the mods do a great job shuffling things into the right spot. I dont find an image posted in the obs section offensive personally.

1 hour ago, John said:

Thankfully this does not seem to apply on SGL but in some other places there is a sort of "if there are no pictures it did not happen" attitude creeping in 🙄

I think the odd snap / sketch / picture to illustrate an observation isn't an issue personally. It can be helpful for others.

 

I hear you, some visual observations can raise eyebrows including some of mine. Honesty is key IMHO. And this- I challenge any imager to a duel- I take one 5 second look at a DSO, say Pickerings Wisp with my 24" and the imager with any scope, anywhere on earth to a single 5 exposure, zero processing and we'll compare notes...😁

[carastro]

I don’t browse particular forums either.  I just click the button for unread posts and read what catches my eye.  
 

Carole

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, carastro said:

I don’t browse particular forums either.  I just click the button for unread posts and read what catches my eye.  
 

Carole

Exactly Carole, but are we missing something? I see lots of angst about misplacing posts in the wrong section…

[westmarch]

Perhaps the problem is that AP tends to drift off into technical / software discussions that often hijack the thread?  

John

[PeterStudz]

I often use smartphone snaps to record what I’ve seen. Sometimes it’ll only be a picture of the telescope and kit, my daughter using the telescope etc. To these I’ll attach (in the image Caption) a whole observation report. Are we just talking about AP images or telescope/kit snaps as well? 

But when I’ve posted my pictures in the Smartphone/Tablet section of this site I’ve often wondered if I should also include the whole observation report (after all, it’s for images). Generally I don’t, although I have tried a few times. Sometimes I’ve written a report in the observing section and then posted pictures in the smartphone section. I guess one way to do it would be to write a report in the observing section and then link to the pictures in the smartphone section. You could also link smartphone images back to a full report. But then it just starts to get confusing!

[Paul M]

12 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Why do members keep posting photography in the observing section? 
There is an area of this site specifically for that.

I can understand a picture being posted to back up an observing report. However I keep finding AP and Solar photography in here.

Perhaps I have OCD and it doesn’t bother anyone else.

Marv

I wonder, do you have any examples to back up this observation? 🤣

Sorry, I'll crawl back in my hoke now...

[Marvin Jenkins]

Wow didn’t expect quite a large response. Firstly I am not suggesting that images in any form be excluded from the observation section. My original post clearly states that and a reference picture or two can be very beneficial.

I have noticed recently that some posts that are purely AP with details of scope, mount, subs, duration etc listed without any actual observations.

It is just my own opinion that Observation is a special thing, diminishing in some respects which is logical with the explosion of tech and light pollution.

I love the simplicity of pure observation so I tend to get miffed with AP posted in the observing section.

And yes! I am pretty sure I have posted incorrectly in the past so please forgive me.

Marv

[John]

2 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

.....It is just my own opinion that Observation is a special thing, diminishing in some respects which is logical with the explosion of tech and light pollution.

I love the simplicity of pure observation so I tend to get miffed with AP posted in the observing section.....

 

I feel the same. I did post a question on the forum some time back seeking to get an idea if purely visual astronomy was declining and I was actually rather surprised that the responses seemed to indicate that it is still quite a popular way of enjoying astronomy.

I thought the ratio of observers vs imagers might be around 20:80 but it seemed closer to 40:60 or even 50:50 perhaps, judging by the responses I got. Of course quite a few folks do a bit of both so our hobby is not starkly divided by any means🙂

 

 

[Franklin]

The results folk get from AP are totally amazing but there will always be something magical about looking through an eyepiece.

[Littleguy80]

8 hours ago, jetstream said:

I hear you, some visual observations can raise eyebrows including some of mine. Honesty is key IMHO. And this- I challenge any imager to a duel- I take one 5 second look at a DSO, say Pickerings Wisp with my 24" and the imager with any scope, anywhere on earth to a single 5 exposure, zero processing and we'll compare notes...😁

Love it! Although I’d argue with all your years of observing there’s a bit of stacking going on in your processing too 😂

[PeterStudz]

3 minutes ago, Franklin said:

The results folk get from AP are totally amazing but there will always be something magical about looking through an eyepiece.

I agree. And although I see the attraction of AP I could not just do AP - I would always, always want to look through an eyepiece. Anything else just doesn’t compare. 

[Mr Spock]

If I see a post in the wrong section, I move it. I don't have eyes everywhere though 😜  However, there's nothing wrong with using an image to illustrate a visual observation.

[F15Rules]

22 hours ago, John said:

I feel the same. I did post a question on the forum some time back seeking to get an idea if purely visual astronomy was declining and I was actually rather surprised that the responses seemed to indicate that it is still quite a popular way of enjoying astronomy.

I thought the ratio of observers vs imagers might be around 20:80 but it seemed closer to 40:60 or even 50:50 perhaps, judging by the responses I got. Of course quite a few folks do a bit of both so our hobby is not starkly divided by any means🙂

 

 

I hope you're right, John, about there being perhaps almost as many visual only observers as those who do only AP.. in recent years I've felt decidedly and increasingly that we visual fans are in a dwindling minority.

As a fully time served Grumpy Old Man of 67 orbits, here are a few things that wind me up:

- "astronomers" who never look through a telescope or eyepiece, but sit in an office, shed or observatory in front of a laptop all night, then moan that they only got 4 hours of continuous clear skies til clouds came along and wrecked their planned 12 hour exposure session..only 4 hours of clear skies? I WISH!! 🥴

- the modern fad for having scopes that have the most garish paint jobs imaginable..bright greens, deep reds, metallic blues, on it goes...Yuk! - Proper scopes are White!  - Capisce??

- short, stubby tubes choked or strangled to death with wires, leads, L.E.D.s and referred to as "Telescopes"?? - What would the late, great Sir Patrick say??

- oh, and the Astro selling forums seem more and more dominated by AP equipment, gizmos and contraptions, when all I'm looking for is scopes, eyepieces, diagonals, binoviewers, handles for Jeremy and the like! - I don't  believe it!!

Against all of the above, the odd smartphone picture of someone's visual observing kit is positively welcome!

(Pause for breath..).

So there!!😋

Victor Meldrew

Edited June 3, 2023 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[mikeDnight]

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

I hope you're right, John, about there being perhaps almost as many visual only observers as those who do only AP.. in recent years I've felt decidedly and increasingly that we visual fans are in a dwindling minority.

As a fully time served Grumpy Old Man of 67 orbits, here are a few things that wind me up:

- "astronomers" who never look through a telescope or eyepiece, but sit in an office, shed or observatory in front of a laptop all night, then moan that they only got 4 hours of continuous clear skies til clouds came along and wrecked their planned 12 hour exposure session..only 4 hours of clear skies? I WISH!! 🥴

- the modern fad for having scopes that have the most garish paint jobs imaginable..bright greens, deep reds, metallic blues, on it goes...Yuk! - Proper scopes are White!  - Capisce??

- short, stubby tubes choked or strangled to death with wires, leads, L.E.D.s and referred to as "Telescopes"?? - What would the late, great Sir Patrick say??

- oh, and the Astro selling forums seem more and more dominated by AP equipment, gizmos and contraptions, when all I'm looking for is scopes, eyepieces, diagonals, binoviewers, handles for Jeremy and the like! - I don't  believe it!!

Against all of the above, the odd smartphone picture of someone's visual observing kit is positively welcome!

(Pause for breath..).

So there!!😋

Victor Meldrew

It's good to vent from time to time Victor.   I bet you feel better after that!  You must be telepathetic - you put into words exactly how I feel.