Suburban observing/sketching objects to improve visual work

[skyjim]

Here's a link to an excellent article at Cloudy Nights - a fine web reference for telescope reviews:

www.cloudynights.com/Observation/suburb.htm

Thanks to Engaaraa for getting me thinking about a need for this type of link!

Jim

[engaaraa]

What a great article. If the sky is clear I'll start tonight.

[skyjim]

Excellent, Engaaraa!

[yales]

Dark Skies Facilitation Projector


(JUST A JOKE! Don't try this ANYWHERE!)

Join this instead:

www.darksky.org/ida/index.html
Sorry for the interruption!

[engaaraa]

Is this a sport?
Any sketches I would have done last night would be of clouds. I did have a geat look at the moon last night through the clouds, the shadow was cutting it at a great poisition to appreciate the apenines and that crater infested area in the south.
When I got the chance to see Jupiter four moons were to the same side, three of them almost the same distance forming almost a perpendicular line. Normally they all look aligned with Jupiter. Last night one could appreciate how much their orbits depart from Jupiter's equatorial plane.
Any way, I'll give this a try every night available and when I start seeing the good stuff I'll report. Other wise I might try Yale's device...

[skyjim]

I've often been a  suspect in my neighborhood when a streetlight burns out.....

Have fun, Engaaraa!

[engaaraa]

You are experinced in that too eh?
Should I aim at the bulb (too easy to replace) or at the light sensor?
LOL.

[skyjim]

If you are very clever, you can project a beam of light onto the light sensor, turning it off at will.  Some systems are too smart for this ploy, and use signals from the sensors on multiple lights to prevent a failed sensor from putting a light out of business......  

[dsnay]

I took a more mundane route. I called the local lighting
 company (We have a private one in our town) and asked for
a timer on the light. Three weeks later, there was a truck
outside my house putting it on. Now the light is off from
9:00PM - 1:00AM every night.

Sometimes you just have to ask.

ttfn,
Dave

[irwincur]

In the past I did some sketches and it really does help you focus on details.  It is amazing what you can see in a field when you are looking really hard at it to gain precise star positions and brightnesses.

[Jadison]

I took a more mundane route. I called the local lighting
company (We have a private one in our town) and asked for
a timer on the light. Three weeks later, there was a truck
outside my house putting it on. Now the light is off from
9:00PM - 1:00AM every night.

Sometimes you just have to ask.

Would never happen here in San Antonio only place to get electricity is CPS, it wouldn't make much of a difference too I'm afraid  :-/

I'll have to try the sketching when I get a chance to visit any of my family outside of town/state (would love to visit my cousin up in El Rito, NM...her property has an amazing and completely preserved view of the nightsky.