Welcome to the world's newest amateur astronomy blog! I have been a stargazer since November 1968, and have owned and used a total of six telescopes since then. I will talk about each of them in future posts, as well as some of the sites from which I have observed. As I am an observer and not an astro-photographer, you will not see a lot of sky photos on this site. You will, however, have access to some of the sketches either I or my artist-wife have done at the eyepiece, mostly of deep sky objects.
In the first few first entries, I would like to discuss observing plans. The dark sky is a very large neighbourhood, filled with all manner of stars, clusters, nebula, and galaxies. It can be a bit overwhelming. Where to start? Most of us started with the moon, the planets, and the brightest Messier objects. I still don't think there is a better place to begin. However, this blog is not aimed at beginners. I am aiming at the seasoned amateur, perhaps someone who has already logged the Messier catalogue and bagged a number of objects from other lists. This kind of activity is certainly to be encouraged, as there are many different types of objects to see, and any number of variations among them. Even though checking off astronomy object life lists can be a good thing, there are downsides.
One downside is that often only the biggest and brightest objects make it to most lists. What's wrong with that? Nothing is wrong with it. However, by throwing in a number of fainter and more difficult objects, those brighter ones, if saved for just the right moment, become even more impressive. Training the eye to see fainter objects will certainly make a brighter one pop out of the eyepiece even more. Many of my greatest accomplishments have been spotting galaxies at the very limit of my telescope's, and my eye's, ability. Afterwards, check out M 31 again!
'Ah,' you say, 'so you are one of those observers that only look for faint fuzzies--no thanks; not for me.' Not true, I say. But seeing fainter objects helps one appreciate the brighter things even more, not to mention the degree of challenge and the skills you will acquire.
A second problem with lists is that we want to finish them. If you are ticking off the 400 brightest Herschel objects, you are going to want to get to #400. Again, all well and good. Unless, perhaps, you are hoping to tick off 40 or 50 of them during the next clear night. Sorry, but that is not observing. That is merely using a checklist. If you are going to only observe the best and the brightest, then the urge to race through the list should be at the very back of your mind. Often it isn't. Locate. See object. Check it off. Multiply by 400.
A third problem is that areas of sky around the listed objects are often avoided. What else might be nearby? A lovely double star? A nebula? A rich star field? All missed because the observer has moved on to the next object without bothering to check the surrounding field.
So, are there any other ways of approaching the night sky? In my next entry I would like to briefly discuss three methods I like to use. Let me know what you think.
Mapman Mike
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