A year later....

For no ones' interest but my own... November, 2009 marks the one year anniversary for the Celestial Chronicle. It was a year ago that I purchased my Orion 10” Dobsonian. Now, 12 months later, I have added the new 8” Celestron Advanced Series C8-SGT Schmidt-Cassegrain. Recent additions also include the new Orion StarShoot Pro V2.0 Deep Space Color CCD camera for advanced astro-imaging.

My first major amateur observational astronomy project was to index the entire Messier catalog (at a relaxed and enjoyable pace). Much like Charles Messier himself, I am sketching and manually indexing every DSO object found which includes a scaled pencil drawing and notation of basic location, weather and tools used during observation. I have found the process to be a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby. 68 Messier objects later, I am planning on completing this project by next Fall, 2010. Most remaining objects are too dim for Port Barrington, IL ( 10.0 magnitude or dimmer) and/or are near the horizon and difficult to locate from my observation deck. Several off site trips will be required to complete the 110 object catalog.

As I navigate the learning curve of astro-imaging, I will begin my next project which will include photographing the entire Messier catalog – a project that will take five years and plenty of toil and effort. All future images will be indexed at my new web domain: DSOcatalog.com (Deep Space Object Catalog). I look forward to also imaging the solar system including all planets and any wayward asteroids and comets that become visible.

Next year will bring observation opportunities in Kauai and Costa Rica which will allow me to view the Southern Hemisphere sky in more detail. West Kauai will provide "extreme" darkness and Costa Rica will provide never before seen constellations. In response to the perils of airline travel, I have also recently purchased new Orion 9x63 “Mini Giant” Binoculars.

I look forward to the future – future blogs and future discoveries. In the coming years, I will strive to build my own permanent observatory to help assist in this fledgling hobby that has in many ways turned into an obsession.

Still to come, more equipment reviews and observations as winter arrives here in the Midwest.

JCB