My very first Observing Session - 30th July

[Astro Adj]

Hi everyone,

I decided to keep a journal of my observing sessions so that I could chart my progress from an absolute beginner to, well, someone not quite so clueless! I’ve taken the below from my notes, and whilst I’ve edited it a bit I think it’s still incredibly basic. Still, the only way is up, right?

Date: 30th July

Time: 2330 ~ 0130

Site: Colchester (out of town)

Weather: Clear

Equipment: Skywatcher 130PM, 10x50 Bino’s

Site Notes:

The site was quite dark but there was some light visible, most likely from the residences near the area. Parts of the sky were not visible due to trees obstructing the view.

Observations:

Clear and impressive view of Polaris. I was able to identify the 'Summer Triangle' - Vega, Deneb and Altair. Vega in particular was very bright. I was also able to see 2 meteors, which was an incredible sight. Finally I was able to observe an unknown star close to the Southern horizon.

Comments:

Oh dear. This session was a veritable comedy of errors. I'm not sure where to begin! First of all, I mistook the Altitude and Azimuth controls on my EQ2 mount for the Declination and Right Ascension ones. On top of this, the scope was not polar aligned, I had no compass, and I forgot the batteries that would power the RA drive. I also had no knowledge of the night sky and only a map I found unintelligible for guidance! Looking back, it's a wonder I managed to take the dust cap off.

So, was it a disappointing night? On the contrary! The fact I was able to see anything at all was brilliant I loved every second of it. My original plan (if you can call it that) was to view the moon as I imagined even I could locate that. Unfortunately due to the trees and the low orbit of the moon at this time of year that proved impossible.

I came back from this session excited and eager to rectify my (many) mistakes. I downloaded Stellarium and set about learning the night sky. I decided to focus on the area of the sky currently populated by the 'Summer Triangle' and have identified many objects to hunt for next time!

Cheers,

Adrian

[MikeP]

Well done Adrian. Everyone has to start somewhere and your obvious enthusiasm is going to overcome your problems. Stick at it and keep the candid reports coming in.

Mike

[barkis]

Believe it or not, making mistakes is a good way to learn, as long as you remember making them, so that you do not repeat them.

You will make progress, it's inevitable. Slowly at first, but when you have mastered a few fundamentals, it will speed up.

One thing you mustn't do, is give up, or get despondent.

The watchword for an astronomer, is Patience, and lots of it.

Good luck.

Ron.

[Astro_Baby]

Agree with barkis - patience is the elixir of astronomy. It can be hard going though at first.

While its cloudy you could practice working with the scope at home in good light, then practice with the light out. It will get you familar with all the bits so you dont spend time outside fumbling.

Its an amazing hobby - theres always new stuff to learn, new stuff to see so dont get depressed early on. ALl it takes is one good nights viewing and all the frustrations are forgotten in an instant.

Congrats on your first night out

[bish]

It would be boring if everything was easy to find on the first night. Your report sounds like my first night with the scope - bags of enthusiasm and ready to learn. I'm still finding new things 2 years later even under badly light polluted skies. It gets very addictive!

[Casus belli]

Been there got the tee-shirt! Mind you I didnt have the courage to post about my many mistakes.

I think you are really going to love this hobby/obsesion

[Astro Adj]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Happily I've been able to improve somewhat since this session, and have started to get the hang of using my mount correctly. I'm finding that the more I discover, the more I want to know! My only concern is getting a bit too carried away and running up enormous bills with my nearest astronomy store!

Cheers,

Adrian