Category: Hot links!
When logging your deep sky observations, try to log the seeing, transparency and sky darkness of the night of observing. For the seeing you can use the Pickering seeing scale. The scale is based on what a bright star looks like in a small telescope, using high magnification. It is a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 is very poor and 10 is excellent / perfect. As the scale is made using a 5-inch reflector, the results for other telescopes could be different. You probably have to modify the Pickering scale for your personal use. Visit Damien Peach’s website where you can find an animated version of the Pickering’s seeing scale. This will give you a very good idea of the different types of seeing you can expect.
If you are interested in observing planetary nebula, be sure to visit the Planetary Nebulae Observer’s Home Page. You will find an introduction to planetary nebulae, over 200 images, more than 1200 observing reports, data on 1143 planetaries. There are also tips on observing planetaries, the use of nebula filters and some pages with Seasonal Best Planetaries, a page for each season with 25 planetaries for beginning but also for very experienced observers.
Last but not least there are some interesting files available for downloading (word or excel). One of them is an excel file containing data on 1143 planetaries, including the common name(s), catalogue number(s), RA, DEC, Size, magnitude, surface brightness, type, distance, magnitude of central star, constellation and more.
A very informative site! Be sure to check it out.
As an observer, I like to get as much information as I can get on the objects I am observing. The moon is one of my favorite observing targets. There ar many great sites on the internet about earth’s satellite. Exploring the Moon is one of them.
On this site you will find a timeline of lunar exploration with photos and capsule histories of scientists, discoveries, publications and space missions, an online photographic lunar atlas, a comprehensive catalog of lunar craters, complete texts of critical early papers and other interesting lunar information.
Highly recommended for everyone with in interest in the Moon!