how to plan an observation?

I just bought my first telescope: 90mm focal length 910mm with barlow and
some eyepieces and now i want to plan an observation but don't really know
where to start.
I'm using redshift3 and cartes du ciel as chartprogram where i can find
objects. I made a list of dubblestars and some of the brightest
messierobjects but there it ends. I don't know were to look for other
objects. I know there are lots of NGC's that are bright and beautifull. Is
there some sort of list? The problem is that the program doesn't show every
object because it would be to much. For example, the dubble cluster between
casseopeia and perseus isn't vissible unless you zoom in. It has a magnitude
of 4.40 so normally the program shows every star brighter than 6 so it would
be vissible. My question is, how can i make a list of those objects? Is
there a list of brightest NGC objects? Becasue it would be a hell of a job
to zoom in on the map an search manually for things. Or is that the way it
should be done?

I just bought my first telescope: 90mm focal length 910mm with barlow and
some eyepieces and now i want to plan an observation but don't really know
where to start. Is
there some sort of list?

the Astronomical League offers many beginner and advanced observing projects:
http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/obsclub.html
congrats on your first scope and happy hunting!

SaberStar
P.A.C.
Astronomical League

passero wrote:
I just bought my first telescope: 90mm focal length 910mm with barlow and
some eyepieces and now i want to plan an observation but don't really know
where to start.

You should consider purchasing SkyTools2. SkyTools2 has several built-in
observing lists, including the Messier catalog, the Herschel 400, the best and
brightest of the NGC and others. You can also create or import your own lists.

SkyTools2 can be used to quickly and easily organize a list. For example,
suppose there's a three-day old moon and you want to start observing the
Messier objects after moonset. With just a few button clicks, SkyTools2 will
organize the list to show only those objects above the horizon after moonset,
and it will order the list so you can see each object, in order, at its highest
position above your local horizon.

You can create and print finderscope and eyepiece charts to use in the field,
or run SkyTools from your laptop at the telescope. It's a very powerful program
that does a lot of the work for you in planning and organzing your observing
sessions.

SkyTools2: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html

Regards,

Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
=============
Email: Remove "ic" from .comic above to respond

"Bill Ferris" schreef in bericht
...


SkyTools2: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html


It seems like a good program but it's rather expensive. Cartes du ciel is
completly free and comes with a lot of catalogues. The only thing skytools
can offer more is to plan an observation and $99 is a bit to much for such a
feature

Regards,

Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
=============
Email: Remove "ic" from .comic above to respond

"SaberScorpX" schreef in bericht
...
I just bought my first telescope: 90mm focal length 910mm with barlow and
some eyepieces and now i want to plan an observation but don't really
know
where to start. Is
there some sort of list?

the Astronomical League offers many beginner and advanced observing
projects:
http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/obsclub.html
congrats on your first scope and happy hunting!


Thx for the link, looks very great. No i'm just waiting for some fine
weather but these days it's raining or it's cloudy...

SaberStar
P.A.C.
Astronomical League

As another new Telescope User who has recently faced the same
question, I'll tell you what I did.

First, going to the Astronomical League page as suggested is an
excellent start. That is exactly what I did and it is probably the
second best decision I made. I would start with the Double Star list,
the Messier List, the Lunar List, and the Urban Club List. There is
some duplication between the groups, that that gets you several
hundred targets right off the bat.

The first best decision I made was joining a local Astronomy Club. If
you do, there will always be people around to help you out and provide
ideas for observing.

Finally, I'd go to a bookstore and browse the astronomy section. My
preference is to work off old fashoined paper star charts and most
bookstores will have some kind of a selection of charts and/or books
with charts in them. As a quick tool, I've found that something as
simple as a "Field Guide" to the stars (there are several published)
provides some ideas as well as fun background information about the
objects being observed.

Clear, Dark Skies

Mark

My question is, how can i make a list of those objects? Is
there a list of brightest NGC objects?


You may benefit from an observing list generator. . .the best in my opinion
is at:
http://www.ngcic.com/oblstgen.htm

Spend a little time with it and I think you'll really be impressed.



--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 14:42:35 GMT, "Passero" wrote:


"Bill Ferris" schreef in bericht
...


SkyTools2: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html


It seems like a good program but it's rather expensive. Cartes du ciel is
completly free and comes with a lot of catalogues. The only thing skytools
can offer more is to plan an observation and $99 is a bit to much for such a
feature
That's not the case.... SkyTools offers you much more than cartes du
Ciel....... (and I know cartes du Ciel very well... it is a friend of
mine here in geneva who is the author.............)

Logging etc... have a look at my review (in french but you can
translate it direct from my pages....

http://astrosurf.com/skylover/test/SkyTools%202.htm

When you have SkyTools in your PC, you can delete all other
atrosofts....... It is so complete than you don't need anything
else.....

Have a look at it and you'll love it..

Best Greetings From SWITZERLAND
Philippe HAAKE
ICQ 3128404
http://astrosurf.com/skylover/
http://astrosurf.com/skylover/meteo
http://www.astro-ge.net/
http://community.webshots.com/user/beruberu1


beruberu@NOSBSPAMfreesurfDOTch
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Spammers, here are some email addresses for your spambots:


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On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 15:50:08 GMT, "Martin R. Howell"
wrote:


You may benefit from an observing list generator. . .the best in my opinion
is at:
http://www.ngcic.com/oblstgen.htm

Spend a little time with it and I think you'll really be impressed.

Hmmm....Pretty nifty. Of course, it has a whole lot of objects that
are REALLY dim and the filtering seems to be on one of the magnitude
fields that is unpopulated...

Still, I bookmarked it. Looks to be quite useful. Thanks for the
tip.

Clear, Dark Skies

Mark

"Passero" wrote in message ...
I just bought my first telescope: 90mm focal length 910mm with barlow and
some eyepieces and now i want to plan an observation but don't really know
where to start...

For general where-do-I-start? questions, I've always
found _Nigh****ch_ to be hard to beat. It also has
decent (though limited) star charts. If you want more,
I strongly recommend Sky Atlas 2000.0 and the
Backyard Astronomer's Guide.

References like the RASC Handbook have lists of
significant M/NGC/IC/whatever objects, arranged by
what time of year you might best see them.

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte