Keeping Records of Observations

Where has Mapman Mike been of late?  Losing interest in the blog?  Hardly.  We have had such a run on clear nights the past two months that I have been putting excessive amounts of time into astronomy.  Even though I am an adult and retired and can pretty much do as I please, there are still other aspects to my life that I try to honour occasionally.  Despite wanting to keep the blog updated on a more regular basis, I have been unable to do it.  Cloudy months will see plenty of activity here, but when new posts are absent, assume that I am out with the telescope.

Not only have I been observing more than ever (19 clear nights over the last two dark sky lunar cycles), but I have been trying to keep up with my notes and sketches of what I recently saw.  The logbook of my observatory has over 720 pages since I began recording back in 1968.  Every object I have ever seen is in there, including sunspot observations, fireball sightings, single stars, double stars, variable stars, multiple stars, clusters, nebula, galaxies, and on and on.  My note taking has several purposes.  The first is that next day as I write up the notes in good form from my rough pages scribbled at the telescope, I get to review and remember things that I saw, reflecting a bit on the sublime, the good and the bad.  If I sketched the object (something I don't do enough) I get to redo it in better light and better technique.

The second reason I keep detailed notes is that I like to go back and read some of the descriptions, even years later.  I am endlessly enthralled by reading my notes of objects seen with my previous scope, the Edmund 8", as well as the Tasco 4 1/2" and compare them to what I saw more recently with the 12".  Plus it's just plain fun to skip back through neat and organized notebooks and be amazed at what I have seen over the years.

The third reason is that I like to compare what I saw to what others have seen.  Whether it's a description from an official publication like a book or magazine, or from a fellow amateur astronomer, it is endlessly enthralling to compare my notes with those of other observers.

The fourth reason I keep a logbook is that it makes me observe more carefully, knowing I will be writing down what I see and it is available for others to read and compare.  Without that notebook awaiting me next day to record my previous night's session, I might be tempted to skim over an object too quickly at the eyepiece, or just leave it without any hope of remembering what I saw, or even if I saw it!

Another reason is that I have a pretty good record of weather and weather patterns over the years, including special occurrences and major volcanoes like Pinatabo (remember that one?) and how they affected observing.

None of these reasons would have much meaning if the notebook was disorganized to the point where finding an object within its (700+) pages was nearly impossible.  Have I ever seen oc 133?  How can I find out?  I have a few methods, and I'm certain you can think of a few yourself.  If keeping notes, don't overlook this important fact.  Just recently I began to expand my ability to find an object in my notes.  With my newer method it is much easier for me to locate NGC and IC objects in my notes, whenever they have been seen by me.  However, I still have poor access to non-NGC deep sky objects, though that is being rectified.  Likewise, I would have had trouble finding details on a particular double star from years or even weeks back.  I am now well advanced in being able to quickly locate my notes on such objects.  Since my focus is mainly the NGC catalogue and double stars, those are getting organizational priority just now.

What should one use for a logbook?  I use 200 page, lined subject notebooks.  My wife uses her own template on Microsoft Word.  She uses photoshop to do her drawings.  I'm old-fashioned. 

What should one record in an official logbook?  I begin with the observation number (I am up to #587 since 1968) and date, the instrument used, the time I was out, the temperature, the humidity and what the seeing was like (I use poor, fair, good, very good, excellent).  I record objects in the order seen, which for me is usually by constellation.  I put a subheading (Cygnus) and then record the objects I saw the night before.  If it is an NGC or similar object, I record any details available, such as size, magnitude, etc.  I try not to view photos or sketches of objects until after I have seen them and written my notes.  I like to be surprised.  This is followed by an object description.  Here is a recent example from my logbook:

Cassiopeia
oc 110:  19'; Brightest * mag. 9.7:  Located at 60x.  83x shows 60+ stars in this large, bright group.  There is a bright orange star following, and a wide double star south of the orange one.  The double is yellow and mauve, with the primary star about mag. 8.  The group is widely scattered, with many bright stars in the 12" mirror.  Despite observing during 1st quarter moon, the cluster is still medium rich in stars, and definitely worth a stopover at lower magnification.  It must be even more impressive under a dark sky.  It is a bit isolated, way up there at 71 degrees declination."

That is a very brief description from a busy night of observing, but it gives me enough info to decide if I wish to see it again (I do, under a dark sky).  Interestingly enough, photos for this cluster do it no justice whatsoever.

So whether you casually observe once or twice a year, or whether you are an avid observer, keeping permanent records of what you have seen is rewarding, entertaining, and possibly of some value.  It will make you look more closely at your objects, too.  Enjoy, and clear skies!
Mapman Mike