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| Lock screen on my PC with my photos |
Many of the greats did it. Sketching. They would sit for hours upon hours observing an object and manage to do a reasonably good job drawing a sketch of the object. For the longest time I tried sketching when doing a log of my observations. After getting a good look at the object I put my reading glasses back on, take a seat, switch on my red LED headlamp, grab my log and start to sketch. I get a little bit done when I need another look. So I switch off the headlamp, get up, take off my glasses and have another look. When I think I've got it, I look for my glasses before finding them in my shirt or on my head, look for my pen which just blew away, switch the red light back on and realize I'd forgotten detail. By the time I've done this several times I'm sick of trying to draw and the results are crummy.
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| My artist's conception of the Ring Nebula |
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M108, the Surfboard Galaxy
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So I decided to eschew the act of sketching and use the smartphone to document the observations. I think it works much better:
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| Small Sagittarius Cloud |
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| Same object, better detail with smartphone |
I found it went easier and gets much better results.
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I had planned another trip to Oracle the weekend of May 20, but that afternoon I saw what looked like storm clouds looming in that direction. I checked my mobile clear sky app which told me a projected 48% cloud cover at sunset, so I scrapped the trip and opened a beer. As the evening went on I saw the sky become clearer and bejeweled with crisp starlight. My frustration knew no bounds. Plus I got pretty hammered 😏
The following night I resolved to go out and at least try to view some of the items on my planner. Most of them, like M101, still elude me. But my patience was somewhat rewarded as Lyra rose in the east as 10pm approached. I got a decent picture (short exposure) of M57 despite its short distance from the horizon. I will have to try again and remember my LP filter.
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| M57 the Ring Nebula |
Finally, I've decided to make an major addition to my gear. I'm currently saving up for a Dobsonian with a wider aperture. At issue was whether I would get an 8" or shoot for a 10". Although my current situation has me slipping out to my backyard, I'm not sure how much longer I will have that convenience and should maybe prioritize portability. Ed Ting almost gushes over his 8" Dob and many other experienced users love them as well, with 10" models affording a
slight visual advantage with a considerable weight issue. I am leaning towards the 8" unless my finances and living situation changes for the better.
Which kinda reminds me. These "amateurs" who have 3, 8, or 10 (or even more) telescopes: where do they get the friggin' money? I've been selling and saving for months just to raise a few hundred quid for the new Dob. WTH?
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