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BlakeAF
journeyman
Reged: 08/07/08
Posts: 8
Loc: Lake Lanier, GA
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I want to know what it means to you. What your average night of Astronomy consists of. Is the process of setting up, darkness rolling over the skies, the first look through the glass something ritualistic to you? Do you cherish this process or just want to get to it?
Is there something special about finding a deep sky object on your own vs. using a GoTo or GPS or something similar. Is the act of hunting out the objects more rewarding to you?
If you have been doing this for a long time how does the experience change?
Just some questions I would ask if I had a forum full of astronomers of all levels to inquire upon.
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Lee Jay
sage
Reged: 02/27/08
Posts: 419
Loc: Westminster, CO
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No activity is "ritualistic" to me, not that I really know what that means.
I do it because it's challenging to do as well or better than last time, and sometimes I get to see something new or in a new way. For example, a couple of nights ago I got to see an airplane pass in front of the moon while I was looking at it at around 67x. I loved seeing the plane and the exhaust heat distort the moon, and then disappear. Last night I got really lucky and saw the same thing, but on Jupiter.
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NightMonkey
super member
Reged: 01/10/08
Posts: 184
Loc: Upstate, SC
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Average Night: Nothing ritualistic...(though I do pray during the day for clear skies)....Its more of peace and quiet of being outdoors and away from the TV / Radio / Kids / Phone....While I set up, I do admire the moon for a bit and check out the haze from Charlotte. Normally enjoy a smoke and chat with the neighbors who always ask me what I am going to start off with. Some nights I ask them what they want to see and hit that first (After all they will go in after 30 mins and I will be there for hours). Most of the time, I cherish the process. Not because astrobomy is the world to me, but I enjoy the detachment from the day to day life...(I hope that makes sense)
Granted, I have not gotten into hunting down objects, I am a bit lazy with my goto. But I still experience awe when I see an object for the first time or revisit it after finally getting back to dark skies.
I have not been doing this for a LONG time, about a year of so...But I can say that each time I see an object I always see something that I missed the previous time. Also I enjoy sharing my scope with people who never get to experience the heavens. I think I get just as much enjoyment out of that too.
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Meade DS-2114ATS-LNT
Meade 285
Celestron Eyepiece and Filter Set
Thousand Oaks Solar Filter
Quickcam Pro 5000
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Protheus
Vaguely offended
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 4657
Loc: Illinois, US
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Average night of astronomy? Well, it's usually something like this:
Go outside. See that there are no clouds. Decide how much equipment I want to pull out. Bring out (usually) more equipment than I had planned. Skip looking at the charts because it's dark already and I (almost certainly) have to work the next day. Look at whatever I think is interesting, for however much time I have to do so.
This is becoming a time-tested procedure and varies surprisingly little. 
As for what it means, well, it means a chance to relax while still using my mind; a fleeting opportunity to contemplate the infinite and maybe also see some hint of cosmic beauty that the average person never will. Also, it means that I have to make sure all of the optics I pulled out get put away properly and I don't have streaks on my corrector plate.
Chris
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"To tread the sharp edge of a sword;
to run on smooth-frozen ice,
one needs no footsteps to follow..."
"Well, people sometimes ask me 'how did you get involved in astronomy?' I said 'I got born, what's your problem?'" -- John Dobson
"In discussing the large-scale structure of the cosmos, astronomers sometimes say that space is curved, or that the universe is finite but unbounded. Whatever are they talking about?" -- Carl Sagan
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Joe Lalumia
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 2571
Loc: Rockwall, Texas, USA
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Nothing in particular--- I just push buttons and the scope finds stuff.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV Nighthawk & TelePOD, SV 80/9D & M4 mount, ETX 90, Orion XT10i, 20x80 binoculars, SV-BV3s.
"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax." - Albert Einstein
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FarrOut
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/24/05
Posts: 786
Loc: Tampa
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I have a NexStar11. It takes me about an hour to get everything of mine setup.
One of the guys I go observing with has a Mead 16" DOB.
It takes him about 15 minutes.
Looking through the eyepiece of the 16" Newt. I found myself just slowly scanning the sky and picking out 'faint fuzzies'. Then, I would go to my star charts to see what I was looking at.
That is a lot of fun, but then, so is the imaging I do on the NS11.
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Criterion RV6
NEXSTAR 11-GPS
NEXSTAR SLT102
Starshoot CCD
Sky Scout
A wonderful wife that let's me do this stuff
Telescopes are for after you learn astronomy.
http://www.farrout.org
http://www.marsastro.org
Astronomy is looking up!
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xfile101
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/08/07
Posts: 739
Loc: Ocean Gate, NJ
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Average night consists of: peering outside at around 8pm and determining if clouds are coming or not. If not, grab the scope and set it up outside, this takes a grand total of 2 minutes (seriously). I will usually collimate my scope in advance and since it holds collimation well, I rarely check before heading out. But, at times when I do check, total setup takes maybe 5 minutes . Then, as the scope acclimates, I go back in and grab my charts. I have basically 2. One shows me my favorite objects and the second is what I would like to find but haven't found yet. At 9pm I'm outside at the scope and begin. I usually stay out 2 hours, sometimes less, sometimes more depending. For 30 some odd years I have been a star hopper, I never really wanted any type of goto, the pricing of said instruments usually stopped me but I did enjoy the hunt as well. This past spring I sprung for a bigger scope than I have ever used and with Pushto. Man, what was I thinking. I averaged about 5-7 object a night using my star hopping, now with the Orion COL easily twice as much and I still spend 15-20 minutes per object. I find it relaxing to be under the stars and away from the noise (kids, TV etc) and just kick back and relax. Lately, I have been a tad bit lazy and have not taken out the Orion scope but the Meade 70mm and binoculars. This has been very enjoyable and the setup is even less time consuming. Summer time is a great time to scan the Milky Way with just a small scope and binoculars. Something I almost forgot!
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Orion XT8I
Celestron 114EQ Firstscope
Meade 70mm
Astroscan
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Mike B
Starstruck
Reged: 04/06/05
Posts: 4460
Loc: shake, rattle, & roll, CA
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Hi Blake- welcome to CN! 
I liked Burch's thots on the matter:
Quote:
but I enjoy the detachment from the day to day life...
...I still experience awe when I see an object for the first time or revisit it after finally getting back to dark skies.
...each time I see an object I always see something that I missed the previous time. Also I enjoy sharing my scope with people who never get to experience the heavens. I think I get just as much enjoyment out of that too.
To answer your questions-
Quote:
Do you cherish this process or just want to get to it?
I *do* put a lot of TLC into putting the Dob together, then getting it collimated (yeah- its stored in pieces, including the mirror)... but i'd just as happily roll-it-out in order to view. No "ritual", no big deal... and i s'pose i *DO* want to "get to it"! 
Quote:
Is there something special about finding a deep sky object on your own vs. using a GoTo or GPS or something similar. Is the act of hunting out the objects more rewarding to you?
Being a working stiff, i cherish my astro time- so i use push-to DSCs a lot, unless the object is better known to me & i can simply Telrad it. But that doesn't mean there's no "hunt"... just a *narrowed* range where the hunt occurs! And that's actually kinda cool. 
An additional "hunt" that i enjoy is, once i've found the charted quarry, i'll sometimes search the region for "companion" objects. Its actually amazing what you'll find! 
Quote:
If you have been doing this for a long time how does the experience change?
Having pursued visual astronomy off-and-on for nearly four decades, and thru several scopes over that period- i'm finding the whole thing a bit more satisfying today. Not remarkably, but notably. Some of it is the skills & familiarity that've developed, some of it is the refinement & the abilities of the equipment employed- possibly a subset of the growing experience & understanding that's used in selecting it.
Sometimes i'm simply awed by the splendour of what i'm viewing... or from the *SCALE* of it! Its really beyond our comprehension. "Light-years"?... you've gotta be kidding me! In my entire life i've barely traveled the distance of light *SECONDS*!!... but Y-E-A-R-S 
Often i'm awed by the sheer power of the forces that shape these things we view, forces that are so unimaginably hostile to life on our little planet, and with effects so incredibly far reaching! I'm also awed that feeble creatures such as ourselves can somehow transform glass & metal & wood into contraptions capable of actually viewing the things we view!
And always, i'm awed at the fact that life exists HERE!... and that we get to enjoy it  with such a rich & heavenly banquet table to feast our eyes & minds & souls upon.
Otherwise, i try to not get too excited over these matters...
 mike b
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Just for giggles- Next time when the money comes out the ATM, scream "I Won!, I Won!"
* * 15" F4.55 Starsplitter Dob * *
 Pacheco State Park
 Fremont Peak
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bsim
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 684
Loc: New York City
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Quote:
Often i'm awed by the sheer power of the forces that shape these things we view, forces that are so unimaginably hostile to life on our little planet, and with effects so incredibly far reaching! I'm also awed that feeble creatures such as ourselves can somehow transform glass & metal & wood into contraptions capable of actually viewing the things we view!
And always, i'm awed at the fact that life exists HERE!... and that we get to enjoy it with such a rich & heavenly banquet table to feast our eyes & minds & souls upon.
Otherwise, i try to not get too excited over these matters...
mike b
Wise words. I always get a thrill peering into the night sky. I can only imagine if our planet was in a globular cluster or closer to the core.
When we look up into the sky, we are the Universe contemplating itself with its inner eye.
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Teeter's 10" F/6 Truss Dob / Sky Commander DSC / Round Table Platform
Celestron C80ED / MoonLite CF Tri-Knob
William Optics ZS66, Orion XT8i, Orion XT4.5
Canon 10x30 IS, Constellation View 2.3x40 Bino
Astro-Tech Voyager, Bogen 3011 & 3036, UA MicroStar Deluxe
Howie Glatter Laser & tuBlug
13 & 8 Ethos, 35 & 24 Panoptic, Nagler 3-6 Zoom, TV 8-24 Zoom
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desertrefugee
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/06/07
Posts: 527
Loc: Arizona
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Quote:
And always, i'm awed at the fact that life exists HERE!... and that we get to enjoy it with such a rich & heavenly banquet table to feast our eyes & minds & souls upon.
This hits pretty close to what Joe Bergeron mentions on his website.
Joe's Website (Highly Recommended)
Joe is a unique character, one who I had a chance to meet briefly as he spoke at a recent SAC meeting.
I've had the good fortune to experience moments similar to what he describes on his website: To be at the eyepiece contemplating some unimaginably distant wonder, in the dark of night, and to simultaneously hear the distant call of a coyote (or an owl, or a loon). These times allow a brief perception of the vastness, the disparity and yet "oneness" of the cosmos.
Chilling. And those times will forever draw me back, so that I may have that "experience" again, no matter how fleeting that moment may be.
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"Look now upon the River of Heaven, Sky-Road of the Immortals, White with the star-frost of a billion years".
+++
-Darrell
Reflectors (114, 150, 254mm), Refractors (60, 76.2, 80, 120), MCT (125), way too many Binoculars
Cave Creek/Carefree, AZ
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Aaron Turner
super member
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 181
Loc: Southbury, CT
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I guess I'm more of a planner than the others that have answered. My "session" begins hours ahead of time - usually a combination of looking at weather forecasts (and/or the Clear Sky Clock), then deciding if I can actually observe based on my family's schedule and my level of energy.
Assuming its a go, I always have a slowly changing list of objects in mind to observe - one list for moonless nights, the other for nights with the moon present. I update these lists every two weeks or so, and the items are based on where my interest goes, as well as finding objects to show my class (which meets weekly).
The next decision is whether to observe or image, and that's based on how unique the night appears to be, balanced against my current level of frustration with imaging.
Ok, all this is decided, and the night turns out to be clear. Setup and alignment takes about 30 minutes, and yes, I am very methodical - I wouldn't say "ritualistic" - in the interest of establishing a repeatable, reliable process. I'll start either as soon as the first stars are visible, or when family schedule allows. I don't mind dealing with twilight.
Then, I generally follow the Plan. If it is a particularly good night, and I reach the end of my planned list (or find that my Plan is out of date and the objects are below the tree line), I may do some ad-hoc observing - but the risk here is that I'll lose track of what I've seen by the time I can get back to the charts to understand what I saw. More likely, I'll go back over the same list, spending more time at the eyepiece.
I am a GO-TO guy for now. In my youth I spent plenty of time starhopping with manual telescopes - yes the experience was rewarding - but now my time is too valuable, and I much prefer looking at the objects I find rather than finding them. I do try to take a mental note of the sky location of the objects, if only so I can work with my students later to help them find them the hard way (with their manual telescopes).
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C10-NGT
Meade 117
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BluewaterObserva
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/04
Posts: 4763
Loc: Zuni Mtns, NM
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If it's after dark when I arrive, I just setup as quickly as possible and get to it.
I really like having enough time to setup in the daylight and relax for a while before observing.
I don't really like setting up. So much so, I like tubed dobs best anymore.
After you become efficient in starhopping with good charts, object location just isn't a big deal anymore, so I'd call it a draw with goto. Sort of answers two question in one there.
When I was younger I was much more dedicated, but I actually think I cherrish it more now that I am older.
Good time at the eye piece is rare for me anymore.
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Crusader
sage
Reged: 08/14/05
Posts: 400
Loc: Karoo, South Africa
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I'm lucky enough to have very dark skies from my backyard. Astronomy is an excellent way for me to relax and enjoy the wonders that's on offer, if you only have the inclination to look up and take the time to appreciate them.
Set up normally just involves taking the scope outside while it's still relatively light outside, and then waiting for it to get dark enough to start observing.
I'm relatively new to this (got my first scope a couple of months ago) and I'm still learning the night sky. I consciously decided to go the manual route. There's definitely no more rewarding feeling than finally finding an object after searching in vain for it before.
As I get to know the skies better, it becomes much easier to find objects. Now, even with naked eye viewing, I'm able to spot clusters and nebulae and have a general idea where most of them are located.
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Orion Skyquest XT10 10" dob.
Skywatcher Evostar 90mm F/10 Refractor on AZ3 mount.
25mm and 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepieces, Skywatcher 8-24mm Zoom EP. Orion O-III filter & Shorty Plus Barlow.
Spacewallpapers.net - The Ultimate Free Space wallpapers
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Bob Griffiths
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 4187
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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Quote:
I want to know what it means to you. What your average night of Astronomy consists of. Is the process of setting up, darkness rolling over the skies, the first look through the glass something ritualistic to you? Do you cherish this process or just want to get to it?
Is there something special about finding a deep sky object on your own vs. using a GoTo or GPS or something similar. Is the act of hunting out the objects more rewarding to you?
If you have been doing this for a long time how does the experience change?
Just some questions I would ask if I had a forum full of astronomers of all levels to inquire upon.
Well I've been into this hobby for close to 50 years now and I still find that "stargazing" gives me total relaxation and is still stimulating my mind as much now as it did when I started...
I have no average night... it really depends on my mood
...I do have a Domed observatory in my backyard that I will use 95-96 percent of the time I am observing but I sometimes like being out in the open on grass with the full sky over my head (never in winter lol) .. I keep two refractors set up in my garage just for this purpose...
Last nights observation session was typical ...I had been at my sons house all day helping him with a "harry homeowner" project and on the way home I noticed that
the sky was almost clear of clouds...(rare event lately)
so when I got home I "got into" my observatory ..fired up the laptop, uncovered the telescope and powered it up and took it out of hibernation...punched in 000308 (polaris) in to my HC to check my alignment...verified that it was still spot on...then walked over and sat down at the computer (which was still loading..darn slow machine) ...
When the computer was "finally" ready I went to www.tonightssky.com to see what was "up" last night
and since I was kind of tired I selected easy targets for a small telescope .....the site listed a bunch so I selected Open Clusters'..and selected 3, jotted them down on my clipboard and returned to the scope...
Viewed each for about 1/2 hours each...swapping eyepieces, switching from normal view to barlowed view to reduced mode view ...just playing around BUT enjoying myself... when done I shut down the computer, parked the scope, put it into hibernation & covered it then just walked back to the house... somehow I did not feel as tired as I did when I went out...
of the scopes that I routinely use 3 are Goto's and one
is a small refractor so I really do not do much star hopping anymore..but on some evenings I'm in the mood
for that and out comes the 4" refractor ... BUT I will tell you I almost always get frustrated and vow to buy at least a 8" Dob for starhopping something I just havce not gotten around to...
Thats how last night went...only spent about 1 1/2 hours
observing but enjoyed myself and felt a lot better when I walked back to the house...
Let me add something since you mentioned GPS...
I have that feature on 2 of my Goto scopes and honestly I wish I could have purchased my CPC1100 without GPS... I view from my backyard, most of the time, the scope retains its location from night to night.. neither scope requires it to be pointed North and to be level (both functions a GPS system will do for you)
so the ONLY true function of GPS on my scopes preforms is to enter the correct time... BIGA DEAL,,,saves me all of 3-4 seconds BUT it does stop me from fat fingering in the wrong time ... it is something I can do without for sure...
Bob G
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
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BlakeAF
journeyman
Reged: 08/07/08
Posts: 8
Loc: Lake Lanier, GA
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Awesome replies. This is exactly what I was looking for. It is great reading these right after my first night and comparing it to what some of you experience even after so many years.
Last night my neighbors were out and the first thing I looked at was Jupiter with them. I agree that showing others and sharing the views with others was awesome. My neighbor wants a 10" dob now for XMas and so does his wife.
I wouldn't change to GPS for anything at first, but I can see how it would be nice after learning the skies. Some of my best times last night were looking for something forever and finally tracking it down. If I am still this into it next year I will go for a large refractor with goto I think, but who knows how that could change.
Thanks again, and keep it coming. This is really informative for me!
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alienux
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/17/08
Posts: 673
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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I don't really do anything that I consider a ritual. I check CSC and the weather report ahead of time just to know if I'll have good conditions for observing. Then I usually take my scope outside a couple hours ahead of time and leave it in my garage with the door up to adjust to the outside temperature. Then around dark I set up the mount and get everything ready to go. I do usually take some charts out with an idea of what I want to look at, but I don't stick to those fast and hard, I just kind of look at what interests me at the time.
I enjoy finding the objects without GoTo, but I do use a Telrad to get me in the right area.
I also, like NightMonkey, enjoy just being outside and getting away from everything for a little while. I'm also a big fan of hiking and backpacking for this very same reason. But, with astronomy, its much more than just that. I do very much enjoy the elements of being outdoors and away from everything else, but I've just always been absolutely fascinated with the sky. When I was younger I used to just lay on my back in the grass in my parents yard and stare up at the stars at night, and the clouds during the day. Now I'm just fascinated to see planets, nebula, clusters and galaxies in my telescope, and I usually spend at least 2 hours observing, and I generally have to make myself stop when I get to a point that I know I need to get some sleep for the next day.
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Brian
Orion SkyView Pro 127mm EQ Mak
Meade 60mm Push-To TeleStar
Phillips SPC900NC
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JAT Observatory
Space Freak
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 5651
Loc: Eastern PA
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My experience is pretty straight forward. I sit down at a computer. Check the weather and the cloud sensor. If all is OK I log into my observatory PC and press the “Observatory Statup” button on the control GUI. After about 3 minutes the dome is opened, the cameras are connected and the planetarium program is ready for me to tell it where I want to point the telescope.
What happens from there on really depends on if I have a predetermined plan of I just want to see what’s out there. If there is a predetermined plan I would more than likely load up and run the SBScripter program or the ACP software that would then control the observatory and camera acquiring the images of the target I was after. In that case I would more than likely go off and find something else to do the night. The system would shut itself down when the task is complete. Depending on what the targets are I might come back and look in on the image or monitor them on a remote PC.
If it is a “see what’s out there” session I just look at the planetarium program’s full sky view and find an interesting target and check it out. In this case the PC’s display becomes my eyepiece. I have 4 view to choose from:
- 2.6 mm camera lens kind of a naked eye view
- 50mm refractor with a astro video camera attached. This is my electronic finder. The nice thing about this view is it provides a rich wide field views of the sky in real-time.
- 66mm refractor with CCD astro camera. Not real-time but 5 to 60 second exposures provide fairly deep and reasonable wide field views.
- 305mm SCT with CCD astro camera. Again 5 to 60 second exposures. They provide very deep but narrow view of the sky.
Each one of the above telescope and camera combinations are collimated to point at the same point in the sky. This allows me to switch between any of the views at any time.
Some people have criticized this as not being real observing since I am not out under the stars. That’s OK with me because I still find the sessions relaxing and enjoyable, and since I am using cameras I see so much more than I would using an eyepiece. I choose this type of observing method because:
- it allows me to observe on short notice (5 minutes) with little hassle and prep time.
- I live in very light polluted area so camera and filters allow me to see things my eye wouldn’t.
- I can do it from anywhere that has a computer and broad band access.
Like observers using an eyepiece sometimes I spend a lot of time viewing a single target area using the real-time video camera. I enjoy finding little details in the view and consider it a treat when the satellite of other orbiting object enters the FOV.
For solar viewing I still mostly setup a smaller mount with a solar scope (either white light or Hydrogen Alpha) and observe using an eyepiece.
The remote system has been in use for about 5 years in different stages of automations. The last 2 years it has been at the completely hands off remote/automated stage. There have been times when I have gotten bored with the hobby. When that happen I find something else to indulge myself. But those periods don’t last long as I always find myself drawn back to astronomy.
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-Marcus
The problem with free speech is even the stupid have a voice.
http://jatobservatory.org
12" LX200R on a Paramount ME
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Davey
sage
Reged: 05/31/07
Posts: 255
Loc: Arkansas
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Hey Blake,
Welcome to CN.
I just like setting up the 8" f/5 Newt on my trusty manual CG5 and checking out Jupiter when around to see how the moons are dancing. It's great to catch them transiting...sometimes you can even spot a moon itself in front of Jupiter followed by its shadow. Then I'll check out what else is in the vacinity, favs M22 and M8, M20 and 21, and on up to M17 and M18...there's tons of stuff in Sagittarius; it's all good. (o: Just meandering through the Milky Way is rewarding...the area around Cygnus can provide some stellar viewing. (o;
For me, getting out in the peace of the night and observing resplendent wonders is a kind of meditation/prayer, and acknowledgment of our smallness/inconsequentiality in such vastness and energies, but yet we are thought of (Psalm 8:4) and can be thankful that we can participate in the creation of the universe. And it's also largely enjoyment...we should enjoy this gift while we're able. (o:
Happy observing,
Davey
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SUBSTORM
sage
Reged: 11/18/07
Posts: 248
Loc: Boise, ID
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No buttons here, just sky charts, messier charts and my old trusty planisphere. Get to know your constellations and start star hopping.
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chuck
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Orion XT8
Hyperion 24mm, 17mm, 8mm + ring
TV 2x Barlow
GSO 32mm
Eyepatch
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Treehopper
sage
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 215
Loc: Upstate NY
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Okay Chuck, I want your "tooth" chart...that much clear sky is disgusting! We've been under virtually non-stop cloud cover/rain here in the NE. GRRRR!
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Tim
Third oak on the right, and straight on 'til morning.
Meade ETX-125PE (NGC7000 Edition)
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
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