Winter Observing Program
Introduction
Well, it's now Winter. The nights are long and the weather may not be as nice but
there are wonderful sights in the universe to observe! Tri-Valley Stargazers invites you to take up a
simple challenge during the months of December, January and February to
document your observations of the 24 astronomical objects shown in the list
that follows. There are 20 target objects required for completion and four additional "Bonus" objects.
The targets for this program are at these links:
target list and
log.
Rules and Regulations
To participate in this program you must be a TVS member. You should use a
telescope with an aperture of 4 inches or greater. Observations should be
made visually, not photographically, but using a camera to begin to develop
those skills is worthwhile. Observe all 20 objects and possibly the 4 bonus objects and keep a log of your
observations using the provided form or any other that includes this
information:
- Date and time
- Observing site
- Seeing and transparency
- Aperture size of telescope
- Power used
- A description of the object as it appears in the eyepiece
- A sketch of one object -- Messier or NGC -- is required
The pictures shown on the Web are just awesome and we suggest you preview
the objects in this list so you'll have an idea of what you're going to
observe. Look for the main features and then use your fine senses (averted
vision and other techniques, see:
skyandtelescope.org/observing/secrets-of-deep-sky-observing ).
Choose one of the Messier or NGC objects to make a sketch for your log. Use the Internet images to see finer features then return
to the object and see if you can observe them, add them to your sketch. Having a tablet or laptop computer at the scope makes this easier.
Go-to telescopes are allowed, but star hopping is recommended. Star hopping
increases one's familiarity with your equipment and with the stars and
constellations. A camera can be used to supplement your observations but
this approach is only for you to capture what you may not see by eye. Your
visual observations are what we want you to report but photographs are a
fine supplement.
Submitting for Certification
When you complete the suggested program you may submit your observations to
the TVS
for their review and award recognition.
Links
Targets + log:
Excel format
Target list:
PDF format
Logging form:
PDF format
