Jim, You just have to also plan for the unexpected yet inevitable distractions, and therefore put more realistic limits on your own list; don't make it as ambitious and then you won't have any regrets at the end of the night that you didn't get to all the objects on your list. I'm working through the Herschel-400, a rather huge list, and consider myself successful if I manage to get more than about a dozen objects or so logged in an evening, but I also don't feel too bad if I log fewer because I'm too busy being distracted by what my neighbor is oohing and aahing about and wanting to go have a look, or giving a newcomer a first glimpse at one of the flashier M-objects we've all seen a hundred times. At the last public star party I attended, when a young woman climbed the ladder and caught her first glimpse of M-13 in a big dob, and she let out that low moaning kind of "ohhhhh wowwww", those of us standing below all shared in her joy of discovery all over again. While it may be hard for some to comprehend why that shared experience is so satisfying, I think all of you know what I mean. Anyway, as they say, the joy's in the journey, not [just] the destination, so don't sweat the list. Keep planning, but also remember to include a plan for contingencies... -Rich --- Jim Gibson <xajax99@yahoo.com> wrote:

According to my log book, I attended my first private star party on May 30th 2003 at the Gravel Pit. Up to that point (which included all my experience from November through May) I had gone out by myself or with my son. I found out that planning ahead was useful and more productive than not plannig. I went to the Gravel Pit star party with a plan and imagined doing like I had always done. Generally I always like to take the Sky & Telescopes centerfold and I like to be able to identify a few new constellations each time and re-acquaint myself with ones I had learned before. Then I like to use a Telrad to locate objects that I have found before and add a few new ones each time out. I also like to write things down in my log book as a learning aid.

When I got to the Gravel Pit I set up and began to follow my plan and by 9:53 I found M3. My log ends there because before I got very far into my plan Don Colton found the some really cool object that I had never seen and wasnt in my plan for the night so I had to run over to his scope and check it out. After observing the object for a minute I noted the Telrad position and then ran back to my scope to find the same object. Then Kim Hyatt found an ooh aah and I had to go check it out, noting the position as well, then Rich Tenney found NGC 4565 in his beautiful 16 scope, then Mike, Tom and Dave all found neat stuff and round and round I went all night long. My plan and my log went down with the sun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. But I'm not sure if I learned anything.

To plan or not to plan that is the question. How do you plan for a star party when complete lack of discipline possesses your mind such as described above?

I think I need to attend lots of them.

Jim

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