As you might guess from looking at all the Astronomical League Observing Program awards I have received, I really like these Observing Programs (OP). One thing is they provide list after list of things to observe. All I need to do is to find an Observing Program I want to explore and voila...I have a list of objects to look at.
I have completed all but 4 of these OPs. One of the remaining OPs that I would like to complete is the Occultation OP (https://www.astroleague.org/content/occultation-observing-program). In looking at what is needed to capture accurate timing of these events, I was thinking it would cost me several hundreds of dollars in imaging equipment. To my rescue is a group of IOTA Occultation watchers that have used imaging equipment. So I am looking at starting this OP soon, with the help of these great people.
For accurate timing of the event, I was directed to an app called "Occult Flash Tag" which at a prescribed time, directs a flash of light down the optical path of my telescope and is recorded on the video capture. Once I process my video on a video processing program, I can get accurate timings and report my occultation events based on the time of this flash recorded on the video.
By asking for help and asking enough questions, I have what I need to start this OP at a very little out of pocket expense. I'm looking forward to now completing this program someday.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
New Book Available
After many years of procrastination, I finally created my first book, Exploring Amateur Astronomy, Goal Oriented Observing. This book describes a process I've created and evolved over the years that centers on setting goals which then drives my desire to see more celestial objects. It is the impetus to get me out observing. For more information or to purchase my book on Amazon, visit my web page at http://www.mikehotka.com/SnowberryObservatory.html.
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