33 year old logbook rediscovered:

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Much to my delight I found my old logbook from 33 years ago. From my old notes and sketches (made mainly with my 6" F/8 Newtonian) it appears I found and logged several objects back then that I had forgotten about. I new I had drawn several "side-on" galaxies (M104, NGC4565, and NGC4244), and the trio M81, M82, NGC3077. What I did not remember is that I also observed NGC 2976 in the same region in Ursa Major, along with M108 and M109 (recently rediscovered by me, along with M106), and M77 in Cetus. I also made more notes of my observations of Coma and Virgo, bagging M64 (ups my Messier count by one), NGC4494, NGC4448, NGC4559 and NGC 4293 in Coma, and NGC4450 in Virgo.

Several open clusters were also found back then, some of which I have rediscovered recently, but others of which I should get back to one of these days.

I will make photographs of some of the better sketches and post them later.

[Nexus 6]

Thats brilliant Michael, look forward to seeing your pics of them!

I have notes going back a long way also, well 3 years to be exact can only imagine what you must have felt finding yours after all this time

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thats brilliant Michael, look forward to seeing your pics of them!

I have notes going back a long way also, well 3 years to be exact can only imagine what you must have felt finding yours after all this time

Alan

Actually, I used the log for about 3 years, then started studying astronomy, so had little time to do any actual observing:(. Only recently have I been keeping a log again (really since last summer), apart from my astrophotography log, which was also maintained in an on-again, off-again fashion, as work permitted.

As a student I did get to control the 1.5 metre infrared telescope of the Arcetri Observatory in Gornergrat, Switzerland .

[Nexus 6]

As a student I did get to control the 1.5 metre infrared telescope of the Arcetri Observatory in Gornergrat, Switzerland .

you lucky man!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

you lucky man!

Alan

Up to a point: the automatic tracking software was such crud that I had to correct manually, using a little box drawn on the monitor. Keeping a grainy image of a star on a grainy background centred in this box for 45 min was NOT fun.

[lukebl]

Looking forward to having a glmpse of your 33 year-old notes.

I've been trying to find my observation notebook I made for my Astronomy O-level which I took in 1977! I occasionally have a session opening dusty old boxes in the attic. I fear it may have been thrown out amongst a load of other old junk. I remember making sketches and timings of Jupiter's satellites, and a sketch of M44. All with a 60mm refractor. Me and one other guy were the only people in the entire examination hall sitting the exam! I got an A. Often wondered what happened to the other chap. Peter Head was his name. Are you out there?

[Doc]

Must have been an OMG moment. I look forward to reading these when you post them up.

[Nexus 6]

Wow Luke, 1977 A great year if ever there was, Star Wars was blasting its way over our cinemas, thats when I watched it! Still got some of the posters etc, I wish I could say I had some astronomy notebooks from then! O level astronomy what a great thing to have taken, shame you don't know about the other guy!

[bish]

Well done. I never kept a log book when I had a scope as a kid. I made some sketches of the moon that have been lost a long time. Wish I had kept them.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I started out very seriously when I was about 16, saved money, built my own Newtonian, headed the astronomy club at our school, and went on to study astronomy at the Kapteyn Institute in Groningen. I even found another notebook with all sorts of calculations (orbits, etc.), so I was very serious about astronomy. Even though I do not work at the astronomy department, I still collaborate professionally with astronomers on methods of image processing and data visualization for astronomy.

[bish]

I started out very seriously when I was about 16, saved money, built my own Newtonian, headed the astronomy club at our school, and went on to study astronomy at the Kapteyn Institute in Groningen. I even found another notebook with all sorts of calculations (orbits, etc.), so I was very serious about astronomy. Even though I do not work at the astronomy department, I still collaborate professionally with astronomers on methods of image processing and data visualization for astronomy.

You were building telescopes and calculating orbits when I was still struggling to find anything other than the moon and Venus. I had a small scope when I was about 13 or so and a couple of old books but never got very far with it. Wish I still had the eyesight and dark skies from back then.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I built the telescope when I was 17 (finished early in 1979). Much later I completely rebuilt the thing, to a much higher finish. I sold the OTA to a former colleague (who was going to machine a Dobson mount) when I got my C8. The orbital calculation stuff I did when I had turned 18 (and was close to completing my A-level equivalent in maths and physics).

[Beulah]

That's an awesome find, and a valid reason why log books should be kept. It is amazing as to how much stuff can be forgotten.