ATMoB Observing Awards Program

The Observing Committee is starting an Observing Awards Program to promote observing among the membership of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston.

There are 5 general areas for the awards:

• Messier Marathon
• Double Stars
• Galaxies
• Globular Clusters
• Open Clusters

For each category, there will be three levels of awards, each increasing in difficulty to attain:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Master

There will be certificates awarded for each of the five categories, with additional recognition for each level attained. For each category there are; instruction sheets, a catalog of objects, and a worksheet for recording your observations.

This is a NEW program - feedback is welcome!

Rules

• Participant must be a current member of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston
• Observing may be done from any location; you're not confined to the ATMoB Clubhouse (except for the Messier Marathon, which is done at the Clubhouse on a specific date)
• For each award category, there is a worksheet to be used to record your observations, and another to record your drawings (when required)
• The use of the Star-Hop Method to locate each object is encouraged, but not mandatory
• To qualify for your Observing Award Certificate, turn in your worksheet and drawings to an ATMoB Observing Committee member or observing@atmob.org

Messier Marathon

This is a great way to test and hone your observing skills.  Conditions are most ideal in March, when the sun occupies a part of the sky devoid of Messier objects. The ATMoB Messier Marathon will be held on March 4^th. Weather dates will be March 5th or April 1st or 2^nd.

Related Documents;

• Instruction sheet
• Catalog
• All of the above, combined in an MS Excel worksheet)
  (This Excel sheet has useful macros. You should enable them when you open the workbook.)

Double Stars

Double, triple, and multiple stars are the Rodney Dangerfields of the night sky. They "don't get no respect! That's unfortunate, because double stars like the gold and blue Albireo in Cygnus or the pure-white twin pair gamma (γ) Arietis rank among the loveliest of celestial sights.  The ATMoB double star list is comprised of 218 of the finest double stars visible from mid-northerly latitudes.  All are brighter than 6th magnitude and most are readily split with telescopes with apertures as small as 3-4 inches and magnifying powers between 75-150x.  The information required on your submission worksheet includes:

• Position Angle of the secondary (relative to the primary)
• Notes on respective colors or any unusual attributes
• A rough drawing of the stars in the FOV

Related Documents;

• Instruction sheet
• Catalog
• Drawing Template
• All of the above, combined in an MS Excel worksheet
  (This Excel sheet has useful macros. You should enable them when you open the workbook.)

Galaxies

This awards program is oriented towards visually observing galaxies.  There are a total of 159 galaxies on our list, all above magnitude 10.5.  The information required on your submission worksheet includes:

• Hubble Sequence Classification
• A rough drawing of the outline of the galaxy, and the brighter stars in the FOV

Related Documents;

• Instruction sheet
• Catalog
• Drawing Template
• All of the above, combined in an interactive MS Excel worksheet
  (This Excel sheet has useful macros. You should enable them when you open the workbook.)

Globular Clusters

This awards program is oriented towards visually observing globular clusters above magnitude 10.9. There are a total of 61 globular clusters on our list meeting that criterion that are visible from our northern latitudes. The information required includes:

• Shapely-Sawyer Classification
• A rough drawing of the outline of the globular cluster, and the brighter stars in the FOV

Related Documents;

• Instruction sheet
• Catalog
• Drawing Template
• All of the above, combined in an interactive MS Excel worksheet
  (This Excel sheet has useful macros. You should enable them when you open the workbook.)

Open Clusters

This awards program is oriented towards visually observing open clusters above magnitude 9.9, of which there are a total of 265 on our list. The information required includes:

• Trumpler Classification
• A rough drawing of the open cluster showing the brighter stars in the FOV

Related Documents;

• Instruction sheet
• Catalog
• Drawing Template
• All of the above, combined in an interactive MS Excel worksheet
  (This Excel sheet has useful macros. You should enable them when you open the workbook.)

Posted: 2/21/2011 - bberger