Observing Programs
Overview
We offer several observing programs to TVS club members. These programs are designed to help you
improve your observing skills and familiarity with the best deep-sky objects in the sky during
each season. If you complete a program, it should make you more comfortable in participating in
the club's outreach events and prepare you for participating in the Astronomical League's more
extensive
observing programs.
Our programs are designed to be completed by an individual in a single season. Some programs may
require a 4-inch or greater telescope. Certificates will be awarded to members who complete a
program.
Available programs
Summer program
Autumn program
Winter program
Spring program
Observing Techniques
Many of our programs require that you record information about how good the seeing and sky transparency were. There
are many ways to do this, but you can read
here
for simple techniques that are suitable for our programs.
Also do not overlook the resources on the Internet for learning about astronomy, telescopes and how to expand your
skills. Observing is a particular skill required for astronomy and must be developed, this includes the ability to
see features that may be fleeting when you do direct observation. We recommend that you use Internet to research each
object in a program before doing your own observations. Online images are spectacular in comparison to what you'll
see in a smaller aperture however you may be able to see many of the same features - outer stars may be resolved
when looking at globular clusters, the colors of Albireo will be more apparent after you've prepared yourself, the
dimensions of a lunar crater can be appreciated after you've researched it online. Prepare yourself for the
differences of what you see in a Hubble image and what you observe yourself and understand why. Look for the small
features and you'll learn to see the features acquired from large instruments. Get inspired!
Logging
To complete our programs, you will need to submit a log of what you saw and the conditions for your observations.
We provide logs in Excel format and PDF format as one way for you to do this, and you can read
here
for ideas on what information to include.
Awards
We have created a number of observing programs for exploring the night skies. These activities are
selected for seasonal observations as well as introductory activities
paralleling the Astronomical League and other astronomy club programs. When
you complete one of the programs you may submit your observations to the TVS
for their review and award recognition.
We recognize those who have completed these programs in the
following Honor Role and their certificate of completion number:
Summer
| Cert # |
Recipient |
Date Awarded |
| #1 |
Jenny Siders |
July 19, 2020 |
| #2 |
Ron Kane |
July 19, 2020 |
| #3 |
Roland Albers |
July 22,2020 |
| #4 |
Ross Gaunt |
July 27, 2020 |
| #5 |
Ken Sperber |
August 11, 2020 |
| #6 |
Dennis Beckley |
August, 27, 2020 |
| #7 |
John Barclay |
July15,2022 |
Autumn
| Cert # |
Recipient |
Date Awarded |
| #1 |
Ross Gaunt |
October 16, 2020 |
| #2 |
Roland Albers |
October 23, 2020 |
| #3 |
Ron Kane |
November 17, 2020 |
| #4 |
Dennis Beckley |
November, 22, 2020 |
| #5 |
Ken Sperber |
November 30, 2020 |
Winter
| Cert # |
Recipient |
Date Awarded |
| #1 with 4 Bonus Stars |
Ross Gaunt |
January 18, 2021 |
| #2 with 1 Bonus Star |
Ron Kane |
February 6, 2021 |
| #3 with 4 Bonus Stars |
Dennis Beckley |
February 28, 2021 |
| #4 with 4 Bonus Stars |
Roland Albers |
January 29, 2022 |
| #5 with 2 Bonus Stars - 2nd Award |
Ron Kane |
March 2, 2022 |
| #6 with 4 Bonus Stars +1 for Imaging |
Maria Razbash and Vladimir Afanasiev |
March 26, 2024 |
Spring
| Cert # |
Recipient |
Date Awarded |
| #1 with 3 of 3 Bonus Stars |
Dennis Beckley |
April 5, 2021 |
| #2 with 3 of 3 Bonus Stars |
Ross Gaunt |
April 12, 2021 |
| #3 with 3 of 3 Bonus Stars |
Ron Kane |
May 3, 2021 |
| #4 with 3 of 3 Bonus Stars |
Roland Albers |
May 8, 2021 |
| #5 with 3 of 3 Bonus Stars |
John Barclay |
May 9, 2022 |
| #6 Second Award |
Ron Kane |
May 12, 2022 |
| #7 Third Award / 3 Bonus All Imaging |
Ron Kane |
May 10, 2023 |
