Tips and Tricks to Enjoy an Outing with

Tips and Tricks to Enjoy an Outing with Your Telescope Dick Mallot 8/18/2005 1

Agenda • • • Before you leave home…. you have work to do. . ! Astronomical Equipment Check Observing Plan Maps and Directions Prepare Equipment Know Your Equipment FOV When To Arrive Resources to Use What are your Tips and Tricks: want to put these and yours into our new member packet. 2

Before You Leave Home… You have work to do… • Make a Checklist!! You will use it over and over again. • The List should include the following areas to prep for: – – Astronomical Equipment Check. . do I have everything I’ll need? Clothing/Comfort check. . how cold/windy/buggy will it be? Observing Program Check---what am I planning to observe? Maps/Directions—do I know where I’m going? New sites can take more time to locate and set up in… – Daytime Equipment/Activity Check…. For multi-day trips, do you have books, fishing gear, golf clubs…. . ? 3

Astronomical Equipment Checklist • Equipment: • • • • Extension Cord for 110 V Big Binocs Tripod Binocs Solar Filter 10” Scope Tripod 10” All Accessories to 10” 35 mm Camera Digital Camera Spare Batteries for lights and GPS Paper Towels Directions to your site Name Tag LAS Red Flashlight Observing Chair Bug Repellant Voice Recorder Back Heating Pads Portable Battery Logging Table Reading Glasses Pen/Pencil General set of tools, pliers, wrenches, etc Lens Cleaner Atomic Clock Flashlight GPS Allen Wrenches • Books: Clothes: • • • Messier/Herschel Log Book Tirion’s Maps Meade Instruction Book Uranometria Observing Program for the night Boots-Dry/Wet Gloves Long Underwear Hats 4

Who’s Packing List is this? • • • • • • Food Tent Hammer Pads Sleeping bag Pillow Blanket Clothes Toiletries Towels washcloth Soap Trash bags Cell phone Batteries Scope Eyepieces Chart bag with tape recorder Red flashlight White flashlight Warm clothes bag Boots Poster board (dew shield) Water Jug Water Beer Pop Ice Lettuce Cheese Tortillas Celery Cheese spread Coffee Hamburgers Mustard Salt & Pepper Frying Pan Pots Utensils Paper Plates Shakes Breakfast Bars Blueberries Mushrooms Duct Tape Small knife Camp stove Lantern Matches Lighter Scope Chair Folding Chair Lounge Chair Card Table 5

RV Checklist • • Vehicle: ____ Water in Tank ____ Propane Tank ____ Flashlights, Batteries ____ Scissors (needle, thread) ____ Leveling Blocks ____ Wood for campfires ____ Outdoor Grill • • • ____ Repair Kit (tools…) ____ Axe, Spade ____ Warranty Cards for RV ____ Smoke Alarms, Batteries ____ Firewood ____ Coolers (Extra for beverages) ____ Garden Hose for Tank ____ Extension Cord for hookup ____ Lanterns, fuel ____ Light bulbs ____ Rope ____ Gas can, extra fuel ____ Maps, Park Permit Licenses (fishing…) ____ Compass ____ Emerg Phone Numbers ____ Vehicle Repair Tools ____ Laundry Basket ____ Indoor rugs 6

RV Checklist • • • Kitchen: ____ Plates, Cups, Bowls ____ Paper plates, etc. ____ Silverware, Plastic Ware ____ Egg timer ____ Storage containers ____ Wet wipes, Clorox wipes ____ Trashbags ____ Paper towels, napkins ____ Scissors ____ Roaster Forks (marshmallows…) ____ Grill Utensils ____ Pots, pans, skillets, ovenware ____ Spatulas, Spaghetti strainer ____ Knives/Pizza cutter ____ Clock (battery-operated) ____ Wash cloths, scrubbies ____ Foil, plastic wrap, ziplocks ____ Dish soap ____ Matches ____ Measuring cups, spoons ____ Tongs 7

RV Checklist • • • Non-Perishables: ____ Seasonings (cinnamon, garlic, S&P, ____ Cooking Oil, Vinegar Vanilla, onion salt, etc. ) ____ Sugar, Flour, Baking soda ____ Dry Milk ____ Jello (gelatin, pudding) ____ Dry mix packets (taco seasoning ____ Dry pasta Gravy, ____ Boxed Dinners, Rice ____ Boxed Desserts (brownies…) ____ Ramen, Mac-n-cheese ____ Popcorn ____ Marshmellows ____ Cereal, Oatmeal ____ Canned Foods, Soups ____ Hot Choc. , Cider Dry Mix ____ Pop, Bottled H 2 O, others ____ Snacks (granola bars…) ____ Cooler/Jug Drinking Water 8

Develop Your Observing Plan – Check Sky & Telescope/Astronomy magazine for tips on what is happening this month—asteroids, meteors, planets, occultations, deep sky highlights. – Work your Astronomical League certification program…Use Bob Spohn’s list!! – If you don’t have a certification plan, get one…triples the fun of Astronomy!! Astronomicalleague. com or Astroleague. org – Keep a log of what you saw and when…. write it down, and work on it at your outings. – What are the favorite star maps and books used by LAS members? 9

Observing Plan Ideas • Utilize the Astronomical League Observing Help lists…. . here is a sample line item • NGC R. A. • 2632 8 40. 1 19 59 • Utilize your star maps to find the RA/Dec to find location. Then plot a way to get to it by star hopping, FOV hopping, triangulating, etc. • League lists show the objects by the time of year so you have a natural grouping to hunt down. . • Utilize Bob Spohn’s list for Messier’s • Make up your own list and bring it along…. Dec. Mag. Typ Con Size Messier # 4. 0 OCl Cnc 95. 0 44 10

Maps/Directions—Daytime Activity Checklist • Know where you are going—get prepared to find a new sites. Better yet, check it out in advance of the day you make the trip. • LAS web site usually has good maps to locations, or get on the web… • Arrive in the daylight—make it easy to get ready, get a good site with the horizon you want. • Bring along things to do during the day—fish, bike, golf, read, sleep…. . ! • Find a buddy—nothing makes a trip more fun and interesting than caravanning to a site/star party. 11

Preparing Your Equipment • Clean your lenses, binoculars, mirrors and bring more cleaning supplies. . Check and tighten loose fittings, etc. • Inventory your equipment, lenses, flashlights, maps, etc… Don’t get there without the required “stuff”! • Pack your equipment carefully to accommodate your traveling conditions…. – going down dusty roads? Seal equipment tightly – Going to see frost or dew? Have a fan or heater to help clear it? Heating strips? – Going to be a bumpy ride? Got a soft cushion under your scope? – Know where you are going and the conditions of the area!! 12

Know Your Equipment!! • Do you know how to set up your scope to maximize its capabilities? – Level it? – Equatorial align if needed? – Collimate the mirror? • If not, you are among the “experts” and “gurus”!! • Do you need to know the Lat/Long and exact time for a Go. To scope for your site? • Do you know the FOV of your lenses for your telescope? For Star hopping… • Do you know the limiting magnitude for your scope? • Practice checking your scope against “known” stars on star maps for your seeing conditions…. so you will know at a glance what the magnitude is… 13

Field of View • Maybe one of the most important pieces of information you need to know to find more difficult objects…. . • Sample sizes/distances of objects/stars…. – Moon/Sun: 30 minutes of arc – Dubhe to Merak—Ursa Major pointer stars to the North Star— just barely over 5 degrees. – 3 Stars in Orion’s belt—about 1. 5 degrees apart— 3 degrees across all of them – Aldebaran to next star up the V in the Hyades— 2 degrees – Find out what each lens in your inventory has for a FOV and use that to walk your way to your intended target. … 14

When To Arrive at Your Site…Before its Dark!! • Set up your equipment…scopes, camping site, clothing. . . • Align your finder scope…one of my most common failures! • Collimate your mirror, if necessary. • Set up your logging table/notebooks/program • Get your star maps out, your “red” flashlight ready • Visit your neighbors and look and learn…and have fun! • Get there early and keep the lights off! 15

Favorite Sites – – – Sterling Rocky Mountain National Park (avoid the rangers) Moab Cactus Flats Fox Park Remember: sites are often season specific: can’t get to Fox Park in the winter most of the time!! 16

Resources to Use…. • LAS Website, and your officer list! • Steve Albers Cloud Forecasts • Astronomical League: http: //www. astroleague. org/ • Kendrick…http: //www. kendrickastro. com/astro/in dex. html 17

What Are Your Tips and Tricks? ? • What are your thoughts? • What are your tips and tricks? • What resource sites do you frequent? • Send me your packing lists, your favorite sites, your tips for your telescope, camping, food, conditions…. . I’ll include them in the package. 18