2009 International Year of Astronomy - Personal Review

Okay, well, one more post for the year!

2009 was marked as the International Year of Astronomy, and I believe this worked well to popularize and promote both amateur and professional astronomy overall. It seemed that professional organizations were more open this year, coupled with some very interesting astronomical discoveries ranging from the discovery of various new planets around other systems, the confirmation of the existence of water on Mars and our own Moon, as well as discoveries of a more immense nature surrounding black holes and dark matter throughout the cosmos. It's also been that the case that many amateur astronomy clubs around the world have conducted more public outreach activities to enhance and entice the general public's astronomical interests.

Personally, it was a pretty active year. Here are some highlights:

1. Published four articles regarding astronomy on this blog, which are more geared towards beginners. These articles were downloaded thousands of times, and I hope they are of good use to those who have read them! These articles include:
a. Astronomy Without a Telescope
b. Planning Your Observing Session: Choosing What to Observe
c. Planning Your Observing Session: Choosing When to Observe
d. Planning Your Observing Session: Choosing Where to Observe
2. Got more involved with public outreach. I attended four public outreach events through Central Texas and was responsible for running one event in particular!
3. We were graced with a relatively bright comet - Comet Lulin. This was the first comet I was able to capture! The image is here.
4. I got my kids into astronomy this year by allowing them to inherit my 6" Dob. They went out with me a few times and are now real pros at operating the telescope!
5. Took some of my best DSO images this year using my Nikon DSLR and LX200 with William Optics 66mm. These included the Sword of Orion, M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, M31 Andromeda Galaxy, M3 Globular Cluster and the M8 & M20 region near Sagittarius. I also learned a lot about techniques, including autoguiding and taking the necessary flat, dark and bias frames needed to produce better quality images. Next year should be a better year from an astrophotography perspective...
6. I got to observe a massive impact mark on the surface of Jupiter on July 21st, resulting from either a comet or asteroid impact. This was first observed by an amateur in Australia. An awesome thing to see!
7. Worked on getting more acquainted with the Moon. I feel that I can now accurately identify a lot of the Moon's major features.
8. I started a joint venture with my father in Australia to observe and log all Caldwell Catalog objects!
9. This blog made the Top 100 Astronomy and Space Blogs listing here - not too shabby!!

So, a busy astronomy year for me, and an extremely enjoyable one at that! Throughout the year I gained new knowledge about the hobby while imparting my existing knowledge to others - a nice balance.

How was your International Year of Astronomy?

Clear Skies,
Phil

New Article: Astronomy Without a Telescope

In keeping with my IYA goals, especially with respect to public outreach, I have decided to write a series of articles specifically aimed at beginner astronomers. These are going to be more practical than theoretical, and will be based upon my experiences over the years. I profess to be no true expert in the field, just a keen amateur with a willingness to share my passion for the hobby with others.

So, the first article describes how someone can enjoy practical astronomy without a telescope. A lot of folks want to get involved and may not have the funds or the knowledge required to make that first important telescope purchase. So, this article explores ways in which the novice can get into the hobby without a scope.

You can find the article by clicking the image below, and there is now a link to my articles to the right-hand side.

















I hope those folks visiting this blog will find the article helpful. Please feel free to leave any feedback in the comments field below. I will write another article next month, but not sure of the topic at this stage...

2009: International Year of Astronomy

Most folks who have been coming to this blog will know that 2009 was proclaimed the "International Year of Astronomy". This is quite nice, as it will hopefully put the study of the heavens more on the forefront of people's minds over the course of the year, and maybe re-popularize the hobby. More information can be found here.

Around me, I have seen a greater level of news and events about various astronomical events, findings and theories. The Discovery Channel and other such documentary channels seem to be playing a lot of astro-related TV shows, from the brilliant "The Universe" series to shows about aliens, UFOs and cataclysmic asteroid impacts. Well, whatever works!

What does the IYA mean for me? Well, firstly it serves as a ticket to allow me more time out under the stars! "Hey, honey, because it's the International Year of Astronomy, which is sanctioned by the United Nations, I am booking the next three Friday and Saturday nights out in the countryside, okay?"

Otherwise, I have set some goals for the year for my own interests as well as helping to popularize the hobby:

1. Try and complete or attempt the Messier Marathon. The last few years, the intention was there, but due to either cloudy conditions, family commitments or work/study commitments, I couldn't even get out to observe. So, my plan is to attempt it with my 12" Lightbridge without the aid of computers. Just my scope, binoculars and some star charts.
2. Take part in more outreach activities. A few months ago I assisted the local astronomy club with an outreach activity, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Showing folks various celestial sights, like planets, clusters etc. was really rewarding - it just opened their eyes and minds and there is some level of delight in seeing someone get to that place for the first time. So, I'm going to take part in more activities like this, be they organized through the local club, or self-organized in my local neighborhood or with my kids' school.
3. Learn more about theoretical astronomy. I can find various objects quite easily, can identify a lot of lunar features, can spot the difference between a Losmandy G8 and G11. Ask me how a globular cluster is formed, or what the M57 Ring Nebula really is, and I am stumped. So, time to read into cosmology and other such complex material this year so that I can become a more knowledgable astronomer!
4. Get my own kids more interested in the hobby. A few weeks ago I told my two ankle-biters that they could have my 6" dob. I would look after it, it would remain in my office at home. But they would start taking it out with me to look at the night sky. When the spring time comes around, I'll make more of an effort to make this happen. They love coming out with me and watching the moon from the front garden, but I want to take it to the next level.
5. Make this blog more about wider astronomy as opposed to being a mere record of my activities. I get a lot of visitors to this blog, which is quite stunning. I think that based upon their search entries my blog does a decent job of appealing to a niche group of folks -those who are starting out in astrophotography as well as those looking for reviews of various scopes, eyepieces, books or software. I can also see that the blog misses a fair few queries as well, so will try and address that.
   

At the end of the year I will revisit these and see how well I did. I should be able to shoot for all five goals quite easily.

What are your goals? Perhaps getting your picture published on APOD? Learning more constellations? Buying a new piece of kit or building an observatory?

Whatever your adventures this year, have fun and enjoy yourself. Take advantage of the recognition the hobby gets this year, and perhaps spread the interest to folks who haven't even thought of looking up into the sky at night.