About this site: There are quite a lot of amateur astronomy sites in cyberspace - some good, some bad and, unfortunately, some dormant - and I thought I'd add my own little bit. This site contains drawings and written descriptions I have done, based on my observations of deep sky objects. This is the latest incarnation of the site, having moved it away from my previous host due to repeated virus and spyware attacks. You'll also notice that I have a new domain name, unfortunately second level until I can be bothered to pay for a new one, so please change your bookmarks - both http://visualdeepsky.webs.com and http://www.freewebs.com/visualdeepsky web addresses work for this site.
The observations were mainly made from the Isle of Wight, in Southern England, although in 1997, I made a trip to Australia to view the Southern Hemisphere skies and also a trip to the Texas Star Party in 2006.
I'm currently using 4-inch and 12-inch scopes plus 8x42 binoculars for deep sky observing.
About me:
I'm in my late thirties and have been interested in astronomy since I was 9 years old, but I have only been a serious observer since 1993. I live on the Isle of Wight (it's located just off England's south coast) where the weather and light pollution situation are slightly better than on the adjacent mainland.
I started out in astronomy as an all-rounder, even (horrors!) looking at the Moon. However, I found myself increasingly drawn to deep space objects and this interest was further fostered by a visit to the British Astronomical Association's Deep Sky Section annual meeting in Northampton in March 1993. The meeting, with its fascinating talks and wonderful images, caught my imagination. A trip to the Webb Society's AGM in Cambridge a few months later compounded my Deep Sky interest, especially when one of the speakers was Deep Sky Magazine (I sincerely wish that still existed) and Astronomy's David Eicher who was talking about visual observing and sketching.
I now almost exclusively observe Deep Sky, although not entirely neglecting the planets - I still love looking at Mars, Jupiter and Saturn when they are favourably placed in the sky. I am also interested in comets, maybe because they resemble Deep Sky objects, and observe any that are around when possible.
Although I am interested in all Deep Sky objects, I have a soft spot for galaxies and planetary nebulae. Weather and circumstances permitting, I aim to observe as many Hickson Galaxy Groups as possible, using my new 12" and Vectis Astronomical Society's 18-inch Dobsonian.
What is the Deep Sky and why observe it? The Deep Sky is, basically, everything outside the Solar System (the "shallow sky"). Galaxies, planetary nebulae, emission and reflection nebulae, open and globular clusters and dark nebulae are all Deep Sky objects.
Deep Sky objects provide some of the most beautiful sights in nature, and it is quite awe-inspiring to view objects that are so far away their distances are measured in years, not miles! In fact the galaxies are millions or even billions of light years away from the solar system. I like Deep Sky objects because I love looking at them and drawing and describing them. By sketching and describing them, you become a better observer (see the Visual Deep Sky Observing page on this site).
Astronomy is a nice stress-free pastime 99% of the time - although it does have its frustrations, ups, downs and grey areas - and doesn't take any great expenditure (apart from the initial outlay for binoculars or scope, but you can begin with the naked eye) or any technical know how (above being able to read a star map). It's also nice being out at night, especially late on when most other people are indoors and it's quiet (apart from nocturnal animals going about their business or a dog barking in the distance - a sound I like, actually).
It can be a frustrating pastime too, when the seeing is bad, you have one of *those* observing sessions when you just cannot seem to locate anything ("Damn, where the hell is that cluster, I can't find it...?!"), you get clouded out in the middle of a good observing run or there are clouds for nights on end (an all-too-familiar scenario in the murky, floodlit UK), but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. When one is feeling depressed and generally cheated by life (all too often!), a good observing session and losing yourself among the treasures of the night sky can go a long way to making a person feel better.
People (mostly non-astronomers or lunar and planetary observers) tend to think that all Deep Sky objects look the same. They need to think again, and have a go at Deep Sky themselves maybe. They're not all the same. They can, admittedly, look like fuzzy blobs at first sight, but given careful examination under the right conditions, each has it's own characteristics and a lot of detail can be extracted from them. Sketching and note-taking aids this process hugely. If you go to the telescope without any preconceived notions of what the object will look like; and if you understand that you are not going to see images visually through the telescope such as those the Hubble Space Telescope or David Malin, et al provide, then you will never be disappointed. In fact, you are likely to be enchanted and keep going back for more.
On a cloudy night, reading about astronomy and the science involved, passes the time. The science behind astronomy, as well as the vast distances between objects, is fascinating in its own right. Astronomy is a vast subject and whether you are actively observing the sky or whether you are reading about it as well, you are never likely to run out of material. There are enough Deep Sky Objects out there to keep observers happy and busy for decades.
Why visual astronomy and not imaging? Well, firstly I can't afford to buy the necessary equipment for CCD imaging and, anyway, I would rather spend my money on other equipment such as a larger scope, better eyepieces and also on getting to events such as TSP, for example. I have done a bit of CCD imaging with my local society's camera and 12" SCT but quite honestly I felt divorced from what I was 'observing' and I found the whole process to be irritating and fiddly. I prefer to actually do my astronomy through an eyepiece than via a screen.
Clear skies
Cheers,
Faith Jordan