The 4th Stage of Observing? (long)

Thanks to all who offered suggestions on logging observations (even to
³Dr. John² who contributed unsolicited psychoanalysis!). (And as a
fellow Mac Panther user no less!)

In thinking about it further, I realized that, at heart, I am asking a
question about how one approaches observing itself. My adult period of
observing has had 3 main stages.

STAGE 1. For years, star gazing was a wondrous journey of Milky Way
discovery, guided by Turn Left at Orion, Edmund¹s Mag 6 Star Atlas, and
Sanford¹s Observing the Constellations. I scribbled marginalia, ooh¹d
over each new object, and was simply enthralled.

STAGE 2. Then, with a 7² Starmaster dob, and a wide fov, star hopping
became a reality. The step up in aperture and quality opened up new
vistas. I ventured into the Virgo cluster for the first time.
Globulars came into their own, sparkling so much they became a favorite,
and I saw Jupiter¹s festoons clearly. AstroCards were cheap DSCs and
were my AAA trip-tik through the cosmos. I penned comments on their
backs, typed up narratives, and posted observing reports to saa.

STAGE 3. Finally, with a Discovery 10², and DSCs, the realms of extra
galactic observing opened up in spades. I felt like Hubble on Mt.
Palomar. The NGC became a playground. I ventured into galactic
morphology, comparing this and that galaxy. Old objects became dramatic
new discoveries. I had stunning nights where I actually saw the
Sombrero, hints of M64¹s black eye, and NGC 4565 and its dark lane
filled the view. Jupiter and Saturn were astonishing, details readily
apparent without trying. The 7² sat lonesome indoors, gathering little
starlight.

STAGE 4? But now what? How does one rediscover that original joy, the
simple pleasure of observing? How do *YOU* approach your observing?

What do you do when going out for an evening or night? Are you
targeting a few special or favorite items? Are you taking out long
lists? Or letting DSCs and Go-Tos guide you through the universe?
Using different scopes to view the same objects?

Are you systematically working your way through an observing catalog
(all the Messiers, the Herschel 400, the best of NGC)? Or, as Rat did,
are you proceeding RA by RA through a star atlas? Or, constellation by
constellation? Or working a hodge-podge‹a few new ones here, a few
revisits of old favorites there? Or simply plopping the scope down and
seeing what pops up?

Which methods have worked best for you?

Larry Stedman
Vestal

Larry Stedman writes:

STAGE 4? But now what? How does one rediscover that original joy, the
simple pleasure of observing?

Are you married or have you been involved in a long-term relationship? If
so, do you find it necessary to rediscover the passion and lust which
manifests themselves in the early stages of such a union in order to find
time spent with your significant other both enjoyable and rewarding?

My love for this hobby/obsession is similar to spousal love in that the
relationship continues to flourish because the love has matured. The warm
and fuzzy feeling I get from getting out the scope whenever possible and
standing in complete awe under the stars is not unlike snuggling up to my
wife and going directly to sleep. That can be enough.

If, for the rest of my life, observing were limited to the same 250 DSO's
plus the moon and planets, I would still find amateur astronomy worthwhile
because for me the reward is the sense of belonging and being a part of the
universe being experienced.

I am in love.


--
Martin
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell

"Larry Stedman" wrote in message
...
snip some

STAGE 4? But now what? How does one rediscover that original joy, the
simple pleasure of observing? How do *YOU* approach your observing?

What do you do when going out for an evening or night? Are you
targeting a few special or favorite items? Are you taking out long
lists? Or letting DSCs and Go-Tos guide you through the universe?
Using different scopes to view the same objects?

Are you systematically working your way through an observing catalog
(all the Messiers, the Herschel 400, the best of NGC)? Or, as Rat did,
are you proceeding RA by RA through a star atlas? Or, constellation by
constellation? Or working a hodge-podge revisits of old favorites
there? Or simply plopping the scope down and
seeing what pops up?

Which methods have worked best for you?

Larry Stedman
Vestal

I find that sharing it works best for me. I love setting up for the public
or schools in the area. By myself, I still remember the time up at RTMC some
15 or 20 years ago when I pointed my refractor at the zenith with the drive
off, lay underneath, and just watched what drifted through the field. I
spent several HOURS trying to see everything that I could, however faint, in
that random path. It was amazing how many dim galaxies and double stars
there were! I think the drift went through Hercules and ended somewhere in
Cygnus.


Jeff Schroeder

What about getting into photometry. It is just as exciting, I think,
when the data shows what is happening. You can also publish it.
"Astromical Photometry", by Arne A. Henden and Ronald H. Kaitchuck tells
you how to build a photmeter, what you can do with it, and where you can
publish you data.
Ian

Stage 4:

Back to simple visual observing (and sketching) using small,
inexpensive telescopes. A simple ST-80 is plenty of telescope if one
has a reasonably dark sky. It's interesting how the (deep sky) views
through an 8cm telescope can remind me of much earlier views through
an 8 inch telescope. Was my old 8 inch scope that poor? Has my
eye-brain system improved? Has my sky gotten darker? Have my
observing skills improved? The why doesn't really matter. All that
matters is that I can gain pleasure in using a small telescope. At
stage four size matters, but it becomes more an issue of smaller and
simpler rather than larger and more complex.

Of course, this is just one of many ways of defining stage four. For
some bigger remains better (though it might be argued that the
bigger-is-better crowd simply hasn't reached stage four yet ;-)

Sketcher
To sketch is to see.

Larry Stedman writes:

STAGE 4? But now what? How does one rediscover that original joy, the
simple pleasure of observing? How do *YOU* approach your observing?

I built myself a cookbook CCD camera. The universe will never look the
same again.

Are you systematically working your way through an observing catalog
(all the Messiers, the Herschel 400, the best of NGC)?

No, I drifted off in that direction at a time but discovered that I am
much more interested in trying different things, like: CCD imaging
some of the dim stuff that I only glimpsed visually; detecting motion
in nearby stars, including revolving doubles; catching near Earth
asteroids; distant planets (Pluto, maybe the Centaur Chiron); the
moons of the outer planets (perhaps those of Mars too); see solar
eclipses; occultations; transit of Mercury/Venus; detect jets of
active galaxies and quasars, measure cataclysmic variable stars; make
a spectroscope and observe the spectra of various kinds of stars,
etc. With a spectroscope +CCD camera I will also TRY to detect and
measure redshift of galaxises, as well as their rotation. Maybe, one
cloudy night, I will construct a simple device for measuring the speed
of light. Or build a radio telescope. Or, an all-sky camera for
recording meteors. Or...

pej
--
Per Erik Jorde

Or working a hodge-podge‹a few new ones here, a few revisits of old
favorites there? Or simply plopping the scope down and
seeing what pops up?

Which methods have worked best for you?

Larry Stedman
Vestal

What works for me:

1. Just getting out under the stars and enjoying being outside at night is a
big part of the enjoyment for me, not a lot of goals here.

2. I enjoying remembering the sky associated with the various seasons. As the
summer season approaches I am saying hello to some of my favorites and finding
new ones, the Jewel Box in Scorpius, M6 and M7, M17 and all the rest of em.
Each time I view them, there is something different.

And while I am saying hello to the summer sky, I am saying good bye to those
friends that have kept me satisfied over the winter months, Orion and Canis
Major and Auriga.

A couple of years ago from a very dark site I happened upon AD4112 with my 8
incher, its a triple in NGC1931 and it appears to have some nebulosity. At that
time it appeared to be at the limits of my perception. As I have viewed it
time and again, I have become more adept at observing and now I can see it
easily in a 5 inch scope from my mag 4 back yard or a 70mm scope from a dark
site.

As the seasons pass and the years go by, I find my mind slowly puts the whole
puzzle of the night sky together so that star hops are not isolated but rather
connected.

3. The planets and comets add some spice to the mix. Observing the comets the
other night, that was a challenge but mostly a surprise, the long thin tail of
Bradford was completely unexpected. And currently I am watching each night as
Venus grows larger and becomes more and more of a crescent. Saturn and Jupiter
are up there to provide some thrills....

4. Astrophotography. Some folks sketch, a noble and for someone with any
artistic skill a great way to go. Lacking such skills, I dabble in
astrophotography.

My goal is not to see more than I see through the eyepiece. Rather, just as if
I were visiting the Grand Canyon, I am just interested in capturing a
reasonable rendition of what I have seen to remember those moments of pleasure
and maybe share that joy.

5. Different scopes. I have discovered over the years what I like but having a
few different options is nice. Things look different though different scopes.

======

Each clear evening or even morning I just do what feels right. I might have no
agenda at all, or I might have remembered some target from a year ago, or read
a report of a new one, or want to take some photos of some target or ...

To me its like a Sunday drive. You hop in the car and just drive.

Jon

"Larry Stedman" wrote in message
...


What do you do when going out for an evening or night?

As has been my practice since long before I ever got a telescope, I step out
at night, look up, and remember how wonderful it was to be a ten year old,
live in the country, have a crush on a girl, a three-speed stingray bicycle,
and to watch Neil Armstrong step on the moon, live on Television, and speak
those now immortal words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind".

While these days some may find those words lame, or empty, to a 10 year old
watching a man set foot on the moon, they were beyond inspirational. If we
could conquer the journey to the moon and back, surely we could conquer
anything.

I have never been afraid to fly.

-Stephen (forever young) Paul

And now for something completely different....
http://www.blogjam.com/neil_armstrong/

Disclaimer: this link is not suitable for children, it's validity is
unconfirmed by me, and not intended to lessen the value I place on those
inspirational words we heard back in 1969. But it is funny as hell, so wear
headphones and turn off the speakers.