First, some statistics. 2013 had more observing nights for me than ever before, and also more observing time. I shattered my old records from 1978 and 1992. This past year I managed 59 outings and observed for a total of 185 hours. Considering how cloudy and wet it was right through June (parts of April being an exception), if it hadn't been for better weather in August, September and October it would have been an average year at best. Those three months were splendid, however, allowing me to begin and conclude observations in Lyra and Cygnus, and nearly complete Cassiopeia, too.
Whereas summaries of Lyra and Cygnus can be found elsewhere in this blog, I will not go into great detail. However, let me say that I eventually succeeded in finding every single NGC and IC object in those constellations with my Orion 12" scope. Several objects took many attempts, mostly waiting for nights of near-perfect seeing. I even eventually glimpsed the central star in M 57! I am having similar success in Cassiopeia, where only nine objects remain for me to see.
Earlier in 2013 I had some success in Lepus and Monoceros, though winter observing is done from my back deck, looking into light polluted skies. Some of the finest open clusters reside within the boundaries of Monoceros, and I hope to log them all some day. In spring I have better observing site options, and made a good start in Leo and Bootes. I am attempting the almost impossible task of seeing all the NGC in those constellations, too. In Leo I have logged 23 out of some 370 objects, so there is still some work to do there. I have observed previously in Bootes with an 8" scope. Having only seen the brightest galaxies, I am returning for another look at those with the 12", as well as continuing on with all 260+ objects there. Last spring saw me log 13 new objects in Bootes. In late fall I am drawn to Cetus, even more challenging due to its low position in the south sky from my latitude of 42 N. 23 new objects were logged there.
For the year I managed to view 124 NGC objects new to me, along with 19 ICs. A large number of objects viewed previously with the 8" were also reviewed using the new 12". In addition, I do not overlook clusters from other catalogs, such as Collinder, Berkeley, etc. Double stars and variables also get some attention from me. However, the deep sky objects are my major interest, and I saw an impressive number of them last year. From January through June I saw 79 deep sky objects, all from Lepus, Monoceros, Leo and Bootes. However, from July through December I saw 315 of the little buggers! My total deep sky object count for 2013 was just shy of 400, at 394! If that sounds like a lot, it is. If it sounds like I was hurrying, I wasn't. Divide my 185 hours into how many objects I saw and it becomes apparent that I spent just less than half an hour per object, on average.
Besides seeing the central star of the Ring Nebula, what were some of my greatest successes in 2013? Just getting back so deeply into observational astronomy was the main news story for me last year. Not to mention starting an astronomy blog! The experience gained with my newest scope, combined with the quality of Uranometria 2000 maps, means that I am probably a better object hunter now than ever before. Even though I have an Intelliscope, I have always preferred star hopping. Only in this way can an observer have a real sense of where he is and where he is going. Besides, sometimes there are amazing discoveries to be made not mentioned on any chart. The telescope's computer is great for sky tours of brighter objects, or for finding something obscure in a very dark part of the sky. But mostly I begin at an object and go from there using charts and navigation skills.
I am eager to see what lies ahead for 2014. I will soon prepare new constellations for this summer and autumn, while Cetus, Lepus, Monoceros, Leo and Bootes will keep me busy for many more seasons. It's been a very slow start to the observing year in 2014, due to a severe winter that is reluctant to give up its grip, even in mid-March as I write this. However, spring skies are on the way and I am eager to get back to work there. If I have to pick one favourite object for the year, I will cheat and choose the Leo Triplet of galaxies. I can't wait to see them again!
Mapman Mike
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