Observing

[Asur84]

I have a quick question for you all, do you have a list of things/objects you want to observe or do you just go out on a whim and point at whatever is in the sky at that time?

Jonathon.

[LoopyLunar]

I normally give myself a mission so it gives me focus - at the moment I aim to learn 1 new constellation a viewing where possible. If I know there will be clear skies then I write a quick-guide on a scrap of paper, for e.g. how to star-hop to get to the view that is wanted..

Only using Bins at the moment - do you have a scope? If you are using bins this link is good and very handy

http://www.minds.may.ie/~astro2/IFASData/IFASBinocularHandbook.pdf

Also of course I always see something that is unexpected then I use my dictaphone to record its locaiton, and then scuttle back and use Stellarium to check what it was!

John

EDIT oh I see in your Sig you have a scope

[jimmythemoonlight]

at the moment im in the process of taking a black and white picture of the moon so im going out mainly focusing on that but when i've done that i would like to try and see the andromeda nebula if possible but i may not have the right equiptment to do this only got a 5 " skywatcher explorer 130

[kniclander]

If you're starting out I think it's definitely best to have a list of one or two things and (if you don't have goto) a plan of how you'll find them

[Asur84]

EDIT oh I see in your Sig you have a scope

Yeah I have a little baby one to get me started and used to moving around the sky, well when its clear enough to actually get outside to use it of course.

Jonathon.

[Talitha]

I check ahead of time for satellite passes and current events like comets, GRS transits, supernovae, and possible Auroral displays. If the Moon is out, i check the VMA to see where the favorable libration is, and then check for predicted crater rays... they're lots of fun. For deep sky objects, i've compiled about 15 observing lists and choose which ever one matches the conditions. And i always do at least two sketches per session... mostly for fun, but sometimes for work.

[Debostar]

Always keep a small notebook and note down the objects you intend to find and/or observe and document it in your notebook. You can use the stellarium software to pick out the objects and you can advance the time to the actual time you will be in the field to sequence your observations. Don't rely too much on goto because the scope may get misaligned easily and you wouldn't always know it. Also, when you are looking for objects use a low power EP...(25 or 32 even 40 mm)

[bigglesdad]

Using stellarium is great to find something to look at. I also see what The Sky at Night magazine articles focus on (Orion in the latest mag) and use those guides.

[Slangers]

I keep observing notes whenever I am out there. One of the pleasures of these horrible wet nights with no hope of observing is looking back at some of my early notes of sessions I had with my first scope.

I always go out with a couple of targets to look for and spend some time on those, plus picking off old favourites that I find I can't resist. From my viewing site I have a limited view, which fortunately covers the South and west, so I will tend to look at what is there. Targets around Orion are currently what I am looking for, although a tour of the clusters in Cass is also on my to do list.

[tom33pr]

Hi,

My first goal is to see all the 110 Messier Objects