skyward_eyes
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/12/06
Posts: 2102
Loc: Arizona
|
|
Id like to hear what people like about deep sky observing. Do you enjoy hunting down those faint litte objects that are not much more then a fuzz? Or do you enjoy hunting for the details in objects? Or both!?
I personally enjoy looking at familir targest but using larger scopes to bring out certain details. My main interest sense getting my 16" is high power planetary nebula observing, I enjoy trying to see the small details and structures that sit inside the little nebulas. My favorite is the Blue Snow Ball (NGC 7662), I find with my 6mm Radian and a O-III and I see the small inner ring inside the nebula.
Another is the Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) and seeing the small bubble or face of the Eskimo itself.
Thats what I enjoy how about you!?
|
GlennLeDrew
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/18/08
Posts: 1283
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
|
|
I enjoy teasing out the larger scale structures of the milky way. Dark nebulae in particular fascinate me, in no small part because they cover such a huge fraction of the band of the milky way. For these endeavors a humble binocular works well. Moreover, a not inconsiderable fraction of emission and reflection nebulae are accessible in small instruments, not to mention scores of easily resolvable open clusters.
In addition to detecting the objects of my affection, I get even more out of my observing by contemplating their interrelationships and locations within the 3-D Galaxy.
--------------------
Home-made 11X50 right angle bino, 8.1 deg. FOV
Modified 26X100 bino, 3.5 deg. FOV
Home-made Mk II RA bino, using interchangeable objectives and eyepieces
My Gallery
Mediocre minds discuss people. Good minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.
|
cuir
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/03/07
Posts: 1132
Loc: Up north.
|
|
I love to tackle fine detail out of globs and planetary nebulae. While I observe and concentrate for my eyes to pick up as much detail as possible, I can spend quite a while on a single target and in some cases, like Orion, Veil, M13, Sombrero, the whole night. I usually drop in "single DSO target for the night" mode while listening to Jarre, Vangelis and Vivaldi.
--------------------
Seb
Eyepiece spreadsheet v6.8
Choosing the right eyepiece
Main scope: 150mm Maksutov
Scnd scope: 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain
Favorite ep: 24 Panoptic and 11m T6 Nagler
Pref'ed filters: Lumicon 0III and UHC
Mounts: EQ6-Pro and Skyview AZ
|
rocco13
Got Milk?
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2654
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
|
|
Galaxy hunting. Seeing a small smudge, and knowing those photons have just finished a multi-million year journey as they land on your retina. I admit I quickly get bored looking at something with no hint of detail, but just detecting it and moving on to the next faint fuzzy is enough for me.
I also love globulars, especially the fainter ones like NGC 5466 and 5053. I've yet to see the Intergalactic Wanderer but will when it's favorably positioned. Waiting at the eyepiece for those few seconds of calm seeing when the cluster is truly resolved is rewarding.
--------------------
Rocco
Zhumell Z12
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
|
star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16312
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
|
|
Globular clusters are my favorites followed by galaxies. Of current interest are globular clusters that were never visible when I observed in severely light polluted skies. This past June I finally got a good look at some of the dark nebulae that were nearly impossible to see in a red zone. Barely visible or threshold objects do not thrill me in the least.
--------------------
Ted
|
Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5025
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
|
|
The fact that we see things very few humans ever see without electronic cameras or spacecraft. That is what I like the most about astronomy and observing deep sky objects in particular.
Taras
--------------------
15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
|
scopethis
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/30/08
Posts: 636
Loc: Kingman, Ks
|
|
I like searching for planetary nebula, some are a real challenge. I like viewing open clusters cause the array of star patterns are unique to each one.
|
rathbaster
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 541
Loc: East Bridgewater, MA
|
|
Quote:
Id like to hear what people like about deep sky observing. Do you enjoy hunting down those faint litte objects that are not much more then a fuzz? Or do you enjoy hunting for the details in objects? Or both!?
I enjoy both finding objects I've never seen before by star hoping and I enjoy looking for detail in objects I've seen many times before.
-Joe
--------------------
Bridgewater State College Observatory
|
HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
|
|
Planetary nebulae and galaxy clusters are my faves. I've been having great success observing faint gx clusters with my 12" dob, but now I have a planetary craving although sadly the PNe season here is drawing to a close....need some clear skies this new moon period...
--------------------
S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
Edited by HellsKitchen (08/16/09 04:42 AM)
|
John Kocijanski
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/22/03
Posts: 1663
|
|
Quote:
Galaxy hunting. Seeing a small smudge, and knowing those photons have just finished a multi-million year journey as they land on your retina. I admit I quickly get bored looking at something with no hint of detail, but just detecting it and moving on to the next faint fuzzy is enough for me.
Same here. I also enjoy rich star clusters like M22 or M11. They remind me of a swarm of bees.
--------------------
Deep Space Observer 10 * SPC-8 * C102 HD f/10 * XT 4.5 * Orion/Moonlite 80ED * PST *
|
Enig
super member
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 160
Loc: NW GA, U.S.A.
|
|
For me it's about making the most direct and "deepest" possible "connection" with The Universe, and trying to, as fully as possible, take in its reality. I am, so far, not very successful due to the turbulence... within, which can be even harder to see through than the atmosphere.
--------------------
Nekkid Eyes!
12x50 Binoculars
8" Newtonian / Dobsonian Telescope (Stock Zhumell Z8)
|
azure1961p
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/17/09
Posts: 731
|
|
I knew a guy who was on his way of reaching his 5000'th galaxy via his 13" dob. He hd these huge sheets of reverse negative photos of the night sky. This was the heavy duty magnitude stuff.
I didn't get it.
I wouldnt imagine i could even recall seeing 5000 individual galaxies scooped up over the course of a few years much less any time spent really appreciating them. Some folks are like that though - stuffing a sack so to speak with as much star dust as possible and reaping great rewards from it.
I think if at the end of my life I've amassed 500 galaxies - thats a heaping load. I doubt itll get near that.
I like galaxies and other deep sky objects for there ethereal beauty and the pursuit of something barely within the limits of human grasp that provides a truth about the universe we live in.
I dont resite that to myself or murmor it, but if i had to lay it out in a sentence. That'd be it.
Most compelling depsky phenomena for me is that of detecting structure in galaxies - and with my 8" tele, not my larger [temporarily in pieces] dob.
Pete
--------------------
|
astrokido
space wanderer
Reged: 06/09/08
Posts: 663
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
|
|
I always try to imagine the view as if everything were in motion when I'm looking at it. Every star ignited at some point, every open cluster fired up at one time, PN's went kaboom! the whole MW is just one big fireworks show on a vast timescale.
When looking at the Moon it's the same thing, every crater had its moment of impact, how big was the rock that did it? And 40 years ago a few people went up to there to walk on it, it's too fascinating.
Stars are never boring either, they vary so much in many ways that each is unique. Observing makes me want to learn more about the universe and leads me to reading more about astronomy.
--------------------
- Gill C. - Celestron Cometron CO-100, 10x25, 20x80, Binochair, Nikon D40
The Night Sky Atlas: www.nightskyatlas.com
|
Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12223
Loc: Los Angeles
|
|
Love star clusters--no two are alike, and some are dense and some are sparse and some are faint and some are bright.
Love planetary nebulae--some are green and some are bluish and some are so faint they look like breath on the eyepiece and others are so bright they almost damage your night vision. Some have visible central stars, some don't. Some have interesting shapes, while others are small round points a few seconds wide.
Love nebulae, both dark and light. Some are bright and display tremendous details, while others are faint haze in the field of view. Some even display color hues, while others are as colorless as fog. Some dark nebulae are intensely dark (like B86 next to NGC6520), while others are quite subtle (streams near M11).
Love double stars. Some are intensely colored. Some are multiple stars. Some are close, and some are widely spaced.
Some are nearly the same brightness, while others have widely different magnitudes (those are the ones I love most--like Sirius).
Love carbon stars. I've seen many the color of a stoplight--not orange red like Aldebaran or Betelgeuse, but bright red. They're quite obvious when you find them.
Love galaxies most of all. There are so many of them to view!. Thousands and thousands. In every shape, size, and magnitude. I find spectacular ones I've never seen before every time I seek out some new ones. I love edge-ons with dark lanes, I love face-ons with spiral arms, I love little companions of big galaxies, I love small groups that take high power to see them as separates, and I especially love clusters of galaxies. I was looking at a group of galaxies my last time out that had emitted their light toward us when fish were the highest life form on Earth.
In a dark sky, an 8" can detect over 15,000 DSOs (estimate), and a 12.5" over 30K objects. I can't hope to see everything the scope is capable of detecting, but I'll try to see a representative sampling of everything.
Even better, the more I view the more I see. The more I see, the more astrophysics and observation come together. What a great hobby!!
--------------------
Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
|
JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 948
Loc: Utah
|
|
What do I love about DSO hunting? I love the fact that no matter what level an observer is, there is something for them in every type of object. Beginner? Sure there are plenty of open star clusters, planetary nebula, double stars, galaxies and other objects. Intermediate observer, same thing. Advanced observer, same thing. As Don points out, I don't think one will ever run out of objects to view. That's what is cool, the more you gain experience, the more you can see.
What items/objects do I like? I enjoy planetary nebula, nebula, open star clusters, globular clusters, and carbon stars, as well as galaxies.
Finally, the quote in my signature explains a lot.
--------------------
Jay in Utah
---------------------------
Location: Lat: 40.514N Long: -112.032W
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.
— Ptolemy, c.150 AD
My Blog
|
Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 6034
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
|
|
What do i like about deep sky observing? Simply put, i enjoy falling into the eyepiece. Observing (not only deep sky, but all of it) gives me the same Peace that meditating does. It's like getting a soul-massage, if you know what i mean. It soothes my Spirit, satisfies my Curiosity, and feeds my Intellect. Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO.
--------------------
 Authoring the monthly AstroSketch page in "Sky at Night" magazine
Lunar Sketch Tutorial
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
|
AlanK
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/26/07
Posts: 512
Loc: Auckland, New Zealand
|
|
I enjoy going for the deep faint off the beaten track stuff that not many people have seen which keeps me coming back for more.
Quote:
I knew a guy who was on his way of reaching his 5000'th galaxy via his 13" dob. Pete
No surprise Pete, there are quite a few of us out there. See down in my sig - about 6,300 of those are galaxies. Like that guy I am using reverse negative photos and a whole lot of other planning material out in the field.
--------------------
Clear skies!
18 inch f4.5 Obsession #1637
12 inch f5.4 reflector
Just another frozen astronomer
Kumeu Observatory
Auckland NZ
7,276 deep sky objects incl 4,670 ngcs
Who dares - observes!
|
Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12223
Loc: Los Angeles
|
|
Quote:
What do i like about deep sky observing? Simply put, i enjoy falling into the eyepiece. Observing (not only deep sky, but all of it) gives me the same Peace that meditating does. It's like getting a soul-massage, if you know what i mean. It soothes my Spirit, satisfies my Curiosity, and feeds my Intellect. Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO.
So well stated.
Exactly.
--------------------
Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
|
Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5025
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
|
|
I've seen a few of the Abell planetary nebulas and a few of the Palomar globular clusters. They're really challenging compared to most NGC-nebulae and star clusters. Many NGC and IC galaxies on the other hands are definitely not easy objects for a 10-inch even from a dark site.
Taras
--------------------
15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
|
HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
|
|
I've done a number of PGC galaxies from my suburban backyard....very hard but patience and perseverance at the eyepiece pays off big time 
Gonna hunt some off-da-beaten-track PNe's tomorrow night if the forecast for clear skies holds true.
--------------------
S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
|
FirstSight
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/26/05
Posts: 3897
Loc: Raleigh, NC
|
|
In addition to seconding many of the various reasons others have already cited above, one of the frequent pleasures of showing deep-sky objects to folks who've seldom if ever looked through a telescope before is e.g. when I show them a globular cluster and get two awed reactions from them. The first is visual astonishment at the sight of the thing, but the second that always boggles them more is when I tell them while they look that the object they're seeing is 23,000 light-years away, meaning the light they're seeing left it back in the stone age, thousands of years before the earliest human civilization. Or, if I show them the double-cluster, to explain that the light they're seeing left those stars right around the time the earliest cities in Mesopotamia were flourishing, and well before any of the Pyramids were built. It's especially fun (on nights when this is possible) to finish thoroughly boggling their minds by showing them one of the brighter galaxies like...Andromeda or M81/82, and explain that those are two and a half (or respectively at least eight million) light years away. Andromeda especially is a great object to convey in concrete terms the gargantuan immensity of what they're looking at by explaining that the brightest part of the central core they're looking at is broad enough that light takes longer to get from the left side of the brightest core area to the right side of it than the entire history of human civilization (i.e. over 10,000 light years), completely apart from the two and a half million years it takes for light to get to us from Andromeda.
The pleasure is not just in showing folks visually pleasing views of the night sky. Rather, most people come with an abstract notion that the universe is an unfathomably vast place, but without any sort of experience or demonstration to give that notion any sort of concrete meaning. Comparing the objects they're seeing to the scale of human civilization at light speed does it for all but the hopelessly incurious and unimaginative.
--------------------
Chris M., aka "First Sight"
Orion XT12i Dob with Moonlite CR-2 focuser
WO Megrez 90 refractor on UniStar Light mount
Nikon 10x50 Binoculars
|
jonstarrysky
sage
Reged: 01/03/09
Posts: 225
Loc: England, U.K.
|
|
I second that. To show someone who's never looked thru a scope - M13 and the double cluster in an ethos etc. Its hard not to be impressed by those few knock-out objects. And then trying to explain it all (and then realising I dont know that much lol)
--------------------
Orion XT10i
Televue eyepieces :-)
Assorted binoculars
Astro-Systems (U.K.) FG-1 6" reflector
|
deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2926
|
|
It's sort of religious. It's all one Universe - what works here, works there. The astonishing physics behind it all. The possibility of civilizations on some dot within that smudge. The fact that people have come to know all this through hard work and hard thought. It's good to feel humble. And it's just beautiful in a sense that is even more ineffable than contemplating a painting or a piano sonata. It's utterly inhuman, but completely human, all at once.
In two words - majesty and mystery.
-drl
|
auriga
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 03/02/06
Posts: 795
|
|
Quote:
I enjoy teasing out the larger scale structures of the milky way. Dark nebulae in particular fascinate me, in no small part because they cover such a huge fraction of the band of the milky way. For these endeavors a humble binocular works well. Moreover, a not inconsiderable fraction of emission and reflection nebulae are accessible in small instruments, not to mention scores of easily resolvable open clusters.
In addition to detecting the objects of my affection, I get even more out of my observing by contemplating their interrelationships and locations within the 3-D Galaxy.
Glenn,
I share some of the interests that you express, and so I think you would enjoy:
Sky Vistas (Springer, New York, 2004), Craig Crossen and Gerald Rhemann's glorious book on binocular and richest-field observing. It gives detailed information on the structure of our Milky Way and where its objects are. It is beautifully written by Crossen and beautifully illustrated by the outstanding astrophotographer Gerald Rhemann.
Crossen's earlier book, Binocular Astronomy, also contains lots of information on the structure of our galaxy and its dark clouds.
Also:
Austin Texas amateur Bill Tschumy's computer program, Where is M13, which costs nothing to try out, and only $20 to download if you decide to buy it. It shows the positions of hundreds of objects in our galaxy in a fine visual presentation. You just enter the name or number of the object and the program shows you visually where it is in our galaxy.
Happy viewing,
Bill
|
mypontiac
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/06/07
Posts: 1080
Loc: Austin, Tx.
|
|
Good listening choices!!!!
Sean
|
Enig
super member
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 160
Loc: NW GA, U.S.A.
|
|
Quote:
Good listening choices!!!!
I had never considered listening to "mood music" before reading cuir's post... very interesting idea. I have a set of 5 CDs called Symphony Of The Planets - NASA Voyager Recordings, which is now out of print but still findable at rather high used prices on Amazon, or via torrents, that would be *excellent* I'm sure... I'm definitely going to give it a shot.
As it is, it's been hard to beat what I call The Southern Symphony, which is the crickets, cicadas, tree frogs and other singing critters that are harmonizing all around me every night. Their music is as organic / natural as the objects themselves and make a perfect match. I would suggest to anyone who isn't surrounded by overly human made sounds such as cities and whatnot, to consciously tune in to the natural sounds and see what they do for you!
--------------------
Nekkid Eyes!
12x50 Binoculars
8" Newtonian / Dobsonian Telescope (Stock Zhumell Z8)
|
TimD
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/16/05
Posts: 905
Loc: CA USA
|
|
The thrill of the "hunt"!
--------------------
Takahashi TSC 225
WO Megrez 102
Meade ETX 90, ETX 125
Meade LX90
Classic Orange tube C14, C90, C5+
Etc,Etc,Etc!!
|
Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 10502
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
|
|
Quote:
The fact that we see things very few humans ever see without electronic cameras or spacecraft. That is what I like the most about astronomy and observing deep sky objects in particular.
Taras
That is one of the reasons that I enjoy observing DSOs.
Dave Mitsky
--------------------
Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
|
Cygnus_x1
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 2387
Loc: 50N - too far north!
|
|
I like deep sky observing for many reasons: the beauty, the mystery, the science, tracking them down and seeing them...
--------------------
Visual Deep Sky Observing - being rebuilt
Observing blog
My astronomy event photos on Flickr
12 inch Dob
8 inch Celestron C8 Newtonian
4 inch Meade SCT
8x42 Leica binoculars
Various TeleVue eyepieces
|
F.Meiresonne
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 3369
Loc: Eeklo,Belgium
|
|
I like hunting for the faintest galaxies i can see in both my 8 and 18" scope. Imagine how many you can see and how far one is seeing...and there are soooo many...
amazing when you think of it....
--------------------
Freddy Meiresonne
Obsession 18 inch #1638
Orion Optics 8 inch F/4.5 -1/8 wave optics -Vixen GP-E
20x80 Helios Stellar Binos
15x70 TS Marine (=Obie Ultra)
10x60 Helios Quantum 4(= Obie Mariner)
10x50 Helios Nature sport plus
8x40 Helios Nature sport plus
Eyepieces in use :Pan 35,24,19, N13T6, Pentax 10 XW, N9T6, Ultrascopic 7.5, TV2, baader ortho 12.5 and 9 mm
|
Dean Norris
sage
Reged: 11/05/08
Posts: 431
Loc: Santa Cruz, Ca
|
|
I get a sense of discovery and accomplishment when I locate a new object that I've searched for. To see the beautiful DSO's in my scope is the best reward, where it is etched into my memory. Viewing the deep sky objects enhances my appreciation of the splendor and vastness of the universe. Dean
--------------------
1971 10" Cave Newtonian F/6
MoonLite CR Focuser Telrad Finder 8x50 finder
TV 40mm, 32, 20, 7.4, Meade 6mm, UO 5mm, Meade 2x Barlow
7x50 Binoculars
|
Hrundi
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/06/08
Posts: 1237
Loc: Estonia
|
|
Well for one, I love star-hopping. It feels so rewarding when you zero in on a 5 degree + starhop. In fact, I often use the finder to just get me to the nearest 0-3 mag star, and starhop from there, even if it's frequently wiser for me to zero in closer to the target with the finderscope.
I also like watching the showpieces, but especially teasing out detail and faint galaxies. However, for some reason, I am not the biggest fan of teasing out detail in the very brightest objects, since I get overwhelmed by all that's there, and find it hard to concentrate on any one thng.
--------------------
|
AndrewJ
member
Reged: 08/21/09
Posts: 39
|
|
DSOs naturally make you consider the distance and light travel time but to be accurate you need to keep a Special Relativity caveat in mind (how you're specifically measuring from Earth and that if you set off for a galaxy at 0.95c it would be measured as closer than an otherwise closer DSO at 90 degrees to your journey) which is interesting in itself.
|
Edwin Quiroga
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/31/08
Posts: 612
Loc: Miranda, Venezuela
|
|
Quote:
What do i like about deep sky observing? Simply put, i enjoy falling into the eyepiece. Observing (not only deep sky, but all of it) gives me the same Peace that meditating does. It's like getting a soul-massage, if you know what i mean. It soothes my Spirit, satisfies my Curiosity, and feeds my Intellect. Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO.
I liked your response, mam. It reflects my own pensamiento. 
--------------------
TeleVue 85 w/FeatherTouch
Televue Panoptic 35
Pentax XW (3.5, 5, 7, 10, 14, 20)
Pentax XO 2.58
|
azure1961p
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/17/09
Posts: 731
|
|
Another astronomer at a club said it best one night under the stars at a good dark site:
"When I'm done observing for the night - theres a peace about me, like I just came back from a good vacation".
Does it get better than that? That post observing session peace is really as good as peace can get.
Pete
--------------------
|
David Pavlich
Postmaster
Reged: 05/18/05
Posts: 8668
Loc: Mandeville, LA USA 30.22 X 90....
|
|
It's the challenge of seeing the really dim objects from my typical suburban backyard. Some objects require a lot of patience to finally pull out enough detail to actually say to myself that I saw it.
Of course, I truly enjoy the familiar. I spend a lot of time on M42 when it's up. Doesn't matter how many times I've viewed it, it is still a haunting object.
David
--------------------
Proud Member; PAS NOLA,
"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research..."
A. Einstein
|
Dain
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/05
Posts: 1596
Loc: N.Y. Adirondack Mnts. NGC 4565...
|
|
It's a connection feeling I get being at one with everything and everything we've been made from.
Clear Skies to You All!
--------------------
Best,
Dain
Adirondack Mountains (my true dark sky site)
@ Cedar River Flow
Local Site
Clear Skies?
|
Cygnus_x1
Sketcher Extraordinaire
Reged: 11/17/04
Posts: 2387
Loc: 50N - too far north!
|
|
Quote:
Another astronomer at a club said it best one night under the stars at a good dark site:
"When I'm done observing for the night - theres a peace about me, like I just came back from a good vacation".
Does it get better than that? That post observing session peace is really as good as peace can get.
Pete
That's well summed up in one sentence, more eloquently that I could put it. It's exactly how I feel after a good deep sky observing session.
--------------------
Visual Deep Sky Observing - being rebuilt
Observing blog
My astronomy event photos on Flickr
12 inch Dob
8 inch Celestron C8 Newtonian
4 inch Meade SCT
8x42 Leica binoculars
Various TeleVue eyepieces
|
rocco13
Got Milk?
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2654
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
|
|
I like that quote about having peace after a good session.
It's certainly is a satisfying feeling, especially when you've nabbed some new objects, or ones you haven't seen for a while. And it definitely amps up the anticipation for the next session!
--------------------
Rocco
Zhumell Z12
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
|
Ptarmigan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/23/04
Posts: 2356
Loc: Arctic
|
|
Seeing light that dates back from the Roman Empire to when the dinosaurs roamed.  
--------------------
Ptarmigans=Cute and Cuddly
Meade Starfinder 8
Nikon 10x50
Rebel XT
|
AndrewJ
member
Reged: 08/21/09
Posts: 39
|
|
Quote:
Seeing light that dates back from the Roman Empire to when the dinosaurs roamed.
But if the little photons could think they wouldn't measure their journey as having taken any time at all. 
|
ggarrison
super member
Reged: 07/22/09
Posts: 163
Loc: Austin, TX USA
|
|
There's a scene in the movie "Grand Canyon" where Danny Glover's character, Simon says:
"You ever been to the Grand Canyon? Its pretty, but thats not the thing of it. You can sit on the edge of that big ol' thing and those rocks... the cliffs and rocks are so old... it took so long for that thing to get like that... and it ain't done either! It happens right there while your watching it. Its happening right now as we are sitting here in this ugly town. When you sit on the edge of that thing, you realize what a joke we people really are... what big heads we have thinking that what we do is gonna matter all that much... thinking that our time here means didly to those rocks. Just a split second we have been here, the whole lot of us. That's a piece of time so small to even get a name. Those rocks are laughing at me right now, me and my worries... Yeah, its real humorous, that Grand Canyon. Its laughing at me right now. You know what I felt like? I felt like a gnat that lands on the *BLEEP* of a cow chewing his cud on the side of the road that you drive by doing 70 mph."
Pretty much the same thought for me about looking out into the heavens.
Peace, and clear skies.
--------------------
Gordon
Celestron Nexstar 8SE with XLT coating - Baader Planetarium Hyperion 8mm-24mm Clickstop Zoom eyepiece
Celestron Skymaster 20x80 Binoculars
Smart Seat II Observing Chair
all in the hands of a total neophite 
----------------------------
Register at ScopeBuddies.com to find local astronomy buddies! 
|
joec33
super member
Reged: 06/13/09
Posts: 111
Loc: Chester, N.Y
|
|
Gordon, I thought of the same thing when I saw the heading for this thread!! You beat me to it!! I have to say though that there is nothing like really trying to take in how far away some of these "DSO'S" really are when your looking at them!!
--------------------
“I'm not perfect, but who are we kidding, neither are you.”
Jeremy Grey
An Over accessorized XT10i
80mm Meade Series 5000 Apo w/duelspeed focuser
Vixen VMC110L
Orion Starblast6
Meade DSI PRO II, Orion S.S Autoguider
Advanced GT Mount
Kendrick Dew System
|
Crossen
member
Reged: 07/14/08
Posts: 87
Loc: Vienna
|
|
I've always enjoyed the challenge of finding DSOs with small optics, particularly binocs. Of course for that you need clear, dark, skies--with which I was blessed for a good many years.
One of the highlights of my observing experience was searching for Coma-Virgo Cluster galaxies with 15x100 binocs. When I started, I had no idea of how many I might find. I was hoping to pick up all the Messier galaxies of the Cluster and maybe a handful of NGC systems besides. But I certainly underestimated the glasses I was using! I forget how many scores of NGC galaxies I spotted; but even more surprising was the fact that many of these systems revealed their structure to me--nucleus, bulge, disc. They weren't just anonymous "faint fuzzies", but individuals. Ellipticals like M87 were distinctly different in appearance from Sb or even Sa spirals; and the supergiant elliptical M87 itself was distinctly different from 'garden-variety' giant ellipticals. It was such a strange feeling being taken so far into Deep Space with the help of only 15x!
And almost always after an observing session--even going back to the nights I first traced out the constellations many years ago--there was that peace of soul, that sense of having been in touch with something majestic and elemental, that others have remarked upon in this discussion. Partly it's a sense of accomplishment; partly it's a calm imposed by the universe itself. But even the memory of the experience is something I would never willing give up.
|
RAKing
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/28/07
Posts: 2087
Loc: West of the D.C. Nebula
|
|
I enjoy the wonder of it all.
It's been that way since I was a child, just looking up at the stars and wondering what is happening out there and how we came to be what we are.
Ron
--------------------
Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.
Tak FS-128, C925-CF, C6SE, other stray cats and refractors.
A-P Mach1 GTO
Zeiss orthos to Ethos - and some stuff in between.
|
Jack Tripper
sage
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 349
Loc: Canada
|
|
I like the sense of tranquility, peace, calm, and stillness that I feel while observing. Detaching from our little rock and being one with the universe.
That feeling continues during the drive home, as well as going to bed and waking up the next morning.
--------------------
Celestron CPC 1100
Denkmeier S2 Power Filter Switch Diagonal (.66x Reducer, 2x Barlow)
Ethos 17mm, Baader Scopos 30mm
Lunt 60mm Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Scope, Lunt Zoom
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 
