Your Deep Sky Scorecard

[rmollise]

Well, I got through the Herschels. Maybe another 3,000 from the pre go-to days starting in 1965 (almost all my logs from the 1960s - 1989 were lost due to many moves in the 70s and the depredations of an ex-wife so that is an estimate) and maybe a couple thousand more since since I went goto/DSC... So, I am probably at a very middle-of-the road 7,500 intended objects or so (many more, of course, if you count all the little PGCs and LEDA fuzzballs that just happened to be visible in my fields. LOL)...

[Ciel Extreme]

Davide!!!


"Il Galassiere" is an impressive visual observer. I checked out his website from your link... almost 18,000 deep sky objects observed and all as I understand it from Italy... I don't think he has ever seen the far southern sky, am I correct? Folks, you've gotta check out "Il Galassiere’s" observing records... it would have been easier if he just listed what he hasn’t seen....

Hi everybody.
That's a very interesting discussion.

My astronomy journey started since 1997, with a simple 60mm achrorefractor, but I started to log my observations in a logbook (evergreen pencil and paper) when I bought my first dobson: a 12" Meade, in March 2007.

I changed in a short time my diameter, buying a 16" dob, in the middle of 2009.

Since that date I estimated that I've gathered about 1.000 objects, near 500 digitalized here (use the translator tool, if you like).

I'm following projects like Herschel 400 and 2500, Hickson Groups, Palomar Globs and, eventually, Arp entries (where visbile in a 16" with rhodopsyn activaded )

I hope to have underestimated the number of observed objects.

As someone said, logging preserves memories: writing down notes about observation is the visualist's photographs of every night.
The more precise we are in reporting what we see, the more we can remember the observation.
And I think that's one of the most beautiful things 'bout observe the remote deep sky with our own eyes.
All this, just to say that (especially in beginning of writing notes) I've passed over descrive every single DSO that I was lookin' at eyepiece, just crossing NGC entry in the atlas.
It's a pity having dozens of objects left in memories...

One special word goes to my friend, known in Italy as "Il Galassiere" (The Galaxyman).
He observed along 25 yrs about more than 17.000 objects, all reported: http://www.galassiere.it/content.htm
He is a real machine gun: during the night session, while I've reported 40 obj, he reaches 60-100 galaxies... an extermely experienced shotgun!

[davidem27]

You got it.
Only in northern Italy.

Impressive, uh?

He stepped from 6" comet-catcher to 24" dobson in 25 yrs, only four owned instruments and few eyepieces like Meade UWA, SWA and, now two Ethos and Nagler 13 T6.

When we say "concreteness".

[Clear Skies]

The current tally is 7896 observations logged for 6153 individual objects in 136 observing sessions. The majority (126 sessions) of the observations are logged since 2007, the year I began to record all observed objects.

Of these 7896 logged observations, 56 are for asterisms, 2688 for double stars and 729 for carbon stars. That makes for 4423 DSO observations of almost 3500 individual DSO's. Over 1/3 of the NGC observed, but I have yet to observe all H400 or HII objects. This has to do with my observing plan: Observe everything in reach of my 12" SCT by sweeping constellations using CSOG's 12" edition. By doing so, brighter objects from well known catalogues will make it to the eyepiece eventually.

The Dutch skies I live under are not very astro-friendly. Even the rare clear nights often have poor transparency. Only the brightest galaxies will show some detail, fainter ones simply drown in light pollution and humidity. Trips to southern France and South Africa make up for this. In fact, I have given up on observing galaxies from my local observing sites.

I have no true goal for my observations. I simply want to observe everything in reach of my equipment before I move to a large (25" ?) reflector. Every night I am under the stars I strive to log objects I never observed before. Then again, it would be nice to bag the complete NGC before the age of 50!

[star drop]

Rarely do I sketch or log anything so I have no idea of how many objects I have viewed since 1975.

[rmollise]

I don't sketch everything, either. But I do note object, date, time, and usually make at least a short note about what it looked like. Many's the time I've been happy I have.

[Jeff Young]

In round numbers: 900 observations, 500 objects, 50 "not found"s, 200 sketches.

(Some planets, H-alpha, and comets, but probably 95% DSOs. Haven't completed any lists, not even Messier.)

[Stan Howerton]

Hi, I'm new here, but have been an avid amateur astronomer for about 40 years. I've tallied just over 4500 galaxies, about 700 Milky Way objects (asterisms, clusters, and nebulae), about 700 double and multiple stars, 62 comets, and 97 or 98 supernovae (one was never confirmed). The bulk of those were with either a 13.1-inch or a 17.5-inch Dobsonian.

Unfortunately, I don't observe as often as I used to and when I do not for the extended periods I once did. Concentrating more on imaging supernovae now.

[Pawel_T]

My numbers:
- 35 years old, observer since 1997 with few 1-2 year breaks,
- Approx. 450 observing nights in my logbooks
- 110 Messiers, 904 NGC (399 Herschels), 45 IC, 67 Caldwells (limit in Poland), 7 Hicksons, 6 Abell PN, 4 Palomar GC
- about 10 comets, few novae/supernovae, AGCs, UGCs and PGCs

So in overall - about 1200 objects.

[Gonzo56]

This is interesting to see the numbers. I first started 11 eleven years ago. I observed without direction at first - a Messier here and one there on an 8" Dobson that I had built. Guided by a friend, it wasn't long before I started actually logging what I had seen. To date I've logged 5,166 objects. Mostly DSO's. I'm following the A.L. list of observing programs. Those in process include: Arp Peculiar Galaxies, Flat Galaxy list, Planetary Nebula list and the Double Star program. Un-officially, I've got about 1,100 left of the Herschel 2500. So much to see and so little time!!

[yapo]

Hi all,

my two cents on this issue : at present, 1631 targets (minus some planets and solar system objects, plus some new ones gathered during last summer sessions) from 1988 (rough descriptions) to now (drawing of each object, which is more time consuming). When I was a student (up to 1995), I took advantage of regular hollidays to keep my logs growing (I'm living in Paris, "city of lights" they say...) but these happen less when you have to work far from dark skies.

[JayinUtah]

My scorecard is at 4136 currently. Out of those I have sketched or attempted to sketch 1427 of those objects, including the Messier and the H400 and others from the NGC. Sketching slows me down and I am now more selective on what I sketch and what I take notes on. The last 18 months my monthly observing has dropped as I am finishing an advance degree (this semester is my last, defense in October) and the weather here in Utah has been horrible at new moon. I am not about finding a certain number but I do have goals that pertain to the NGC and the Herschel list that I want to accomplish. Lots to see with a 17.5" and a 14" dob. After December 1st I can work on sneaking out for an evening to a dark site and will be doing that again as often as I can. Time opens up then and I will maximize it. At 49 going on 50 it will be interesting to see where I am in ten years at 59 going on 60. Plenty of time to continue and we'll see where I end up. Plenty of items on the bucket list to go after and observe. The problem is visual observing is a patient person's game and we all only have so much time. The good news for me is after getting scared literally of death my my PCP in May, I have dropped 56 pounds and continue to lose. That helps in observing as well.

[Stan Howerton]

Crossing my fingers I can get to my 5000th galaxy before the end of this year (2016). I began as a teenager around 1975, but did not start logging my observations until 1980. Got to 1000 in 1995, 2000 in 1998, and 3000 in 1999. Around 1999 I set a goal to reach 10,000 galaxies in my lifetime. Not going to happen now. Took me until 2010 to reach 4000. Right now sitting at 4920.

My passion is supernovae. I have made visual observations of 115 supernovae thus far. In that total there's a couple (SN 2009ip in 2012 and SNhunt275) that there's still some doubt if they were terminal events. There's two not included in the total: a probable tidal disruption event and an unconfirmed discovery.

[Steve Gottlieb]

Since Stan resurrected this thread, I'll mention that after two week-long observing trips to Australia during the past 9 months, I'm now down to 34 remaining NGCs out of the 7840 entries (over 500 of these are either duplicates, single and multiple stars, etc). Perhaps another trip during the next year or two to finish up.

[Ciel Extreme]

An absolutely stunning achievement, Steve... airfare-wise I figure it’ll cost you maybe $75 or so per NGC object if you have to go down to Oz to complete!!! ... as for myself, I continue to putter along, as of June 28 (my last observing session) I have 5432 objects sketched and described.

MB

[mdstuart]

Very interesting read. Perhaps we should set up a galaxy observers event for all of us to get together once in our lifetime and look through some >24 inch dobs.

Well I am just 50 and started observing in earnest a few years ago..Went from 4 to 16 inches pretty quickly..

I am up to 1370 galaxies so I am WAY behind you lot. I draw a little sketch of each observation and log it using access and typically I might see 6 or so new galaxies each time it is clear..but we only get about three days a month without the moon and clouds in the UK so maybe that is why I am not up to mega numbers.

Thanks everyone for sharing....now we just need a league table!

Mark from Bristol in the UK..

[Keith Rivich]

From Don P.
By the way, has anyone seen more objects than Larry Mitchell? I'd bet his "favorites" list was larger than the entire Herschel Catalogue.

Probably not as prolific as one would think. Over the last 25+ years of observing with him it is not unusual to hit just 5 or 6 objects on a quality night. He is more a quality over quantity observer. Spending a lot time on a single object teasing out as much detail as possible. One of the downsides to having a 36" is everyone on the field wants to take a look which eats into observing time.

[Love Cowboy]

Only roughly 400 here, but most of it was in just the last three years, so I may be in you guys' territory in a couple of decades

[Clear Skies]

A new page on my website with my scorecard and observations: http://www.clearskies.eu/astro/observing

Cheers,


Victor

[acheter]

I changed in a short time my diameter, buying a 16" dob, in the middle of 2009.

[Faulksy]

what a brilliant thread, i will add my list soon, but it is very un impressive but im getting there

[NGC7702]

Hi All,

First, thank you for allowing me to join this forum.

My log is kept in electronic form and includes entries back to 1995 using 25cm, 31cm and 46cm Newtonian telescopes.

I have had a bit of a lull in my log-keeping and observing between 2012 and 2016 due to a change in personal circumstances, but I now live under a sky most members here would probably kill for and have began adding to my log in more recent months. On cloudless winter months, the SQM-L reading at zenith is usually in the region of 21.8 - 21.9. In spring and summer, it is usually between 21.9 and 22.1.

My log, though not as big as some others here contains just short of 6,500 entries pertaining to 5,130 objects.

Best,

Les D

[Howard B]

Hi Les,

I'd say it's a good bet no one lives under darker skies that!

[Steve Gottlieb]

Welcome, Les!

For those who aren't aware, Les has written a number of observing articles for both the U.S. and Australian versions of Sky & Tel and I can vouch for the quality of his skies.

Looking forward to your comments and posts.

[timokarhula]

I have been keeping a log of everything I observe in the heavens since September 1978. My instruments have been a 6-cm refractor to 1980, an 8-inch Celestron since 1980, a 17.5-inch Dobsonian 1990-2005, a 10-inch Dob since 2008 and a 12-inch Dob since 2016 plus 14 different binoculars. Since I live at latitude 60 north, I can not observe DS between May-July, one fourth of the year. I travel frequently to the southern hemisphere (Western Australia) to remedy that.

To this date, I have logged 4321 separate Deep-Sky objects (400 Herschel 400 objects and 398 Herschel 400-II objects), 743 double and multiple stars, 39 supernovae and 194 comets. Until June 1996 I sketched and made written desciptions in log-books (1516 A4-pages) and electronically since 1996. I have indexed everything so I can retrieve all the observations quickly.

/Timo Karhula