Sky and Telescope - September 2017 - 35

Including these soul-stirring moments as part of
the night's entry deepens that inner dialogue we
carry on all our lives between us and the Big All.
If you worry about details as if you're writing for posterity,
you'll soon quit under the pressure. Let it ﬂow.
Since our hobby can take us to dark and wild places, consider adding some atmosphere to your entries: what animals
or insects you heard that evening, night scents, whether the
aurora or zodiacal light made an appearance, the temperature, bright meteors seen, unusual satellites, and atmospheric
seeing. My scale for seeing is a simple 1-5, from the worst
to best. After 50 years of peering through telescopes, I've
recorded a handful of 4½ nights, but never a 5.
Everything in nature has the potential to induce wonder
and inspire us. It's easy to get swept up in the meaning of it
all when you're caught like a ﬂy in the starry web of a globular cluster or during a wave of good seeing when the rings of
Saturn settle down and become as still as a painting. Including these soul-stirring moments as part of the night's entry
deepens that inner dialogue we carry on all our lives between
us and the Big All.
My journal includes successes as well as setbacks. Didn't
see that hoped-for comet? No worries - you tried and hopefully will get another shot at it. If you succeed in ﬁnding
something you've never seen before, give yourself a few exclamation points!
So what are you going to do with all these data? Absolutely
nothing, if that's your choice. Remember, this is for your own
use. No one else need see it. But if you choose to share what
you see, lots of organizations are interested - the Association
of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), the aforementioned AAVSO, and online comet, occultation, and satellite
observer lists, just to mention a few.
No matter your style, whether casual or scientiﬁc, your
observations serve as a chronicle of your progress. Educating
eye and heart is what we're about as amateurs. Let the period
at the end of each sentence stand as testament to our gratitude for the cosmic bounty that ﬁlls our lives with a sense of
place and wonder.

BOB K ING (2)

Deep-Sky & Planetary Checklist
Record the time and date of your observations. You might
think that times aren't necessary for deep-sky objects, but
who knows? You might inadvertently sketch the start of a
supernova explosion in a galaxy and not even know it. The
observation and time would be invaluable in such a case. Or
how about a rare nova in a globular cluster?
To help train your eye on what to look for when you bring
a favorite planet or planetary nebula in focus, consult the
features checklist below. The list just scratches the surface but
offers a good start for learning how to focus your vision and
deepen your observing skills. If you're not sure what's special

p SCOPE-SIDE SKETCH Top: Mike Sangster of Duluth, Minnesota,
uses a clipboard with a built-in red light to sketch the planet Jupiter as
seen in his 4-inch refractor. "I try to get the positions of the belts and
moons first, then add in details," he says. Sangster likes to go back and
review observations he's made in the past: "It brings me back in time
to that night and helps grow my observing skills. When I write down
descriptions or make drawings I concentrate and see much more of the
object." Bottom: Sangster marks the location of Europa's shadow on his
drawing of Jupiter. Like many amateurs, he'll make a rough sketch at the
telescope and refine it later at home.
s k y a n d t e l e s c o p e .c o m

* SEPTEMBER 2017

http://www.skyandtelescope.com

Sky and Telescope - September 2017

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