2005-12-22

Stuck in the doldrums

It's been far too long since I last got out and observed (well, 11 days to be exact) and it's starting to annoy me now. On nights when I've got the time available it isn't clear; on nights when it's clear I'm busy with something else. It's made all the worse by the fact that I spent most of the summer looking forward to having nice long nights (and now they're starting to get shorter again) and now that they're here I'm hardly getting the chance to use them.

It's enough to make me feel quite apathetic about observing. Hopefully it'll pass. Hopefully it's one of those phases you have to get through when you get into observing for the first time (or, in my case, back into observing for the first time in about 20 years).

Still, at least I've not been totally inactive this year.

File Under: Amateur Astronomy, Observing.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It'll pass. When Saturn is looking down on you, or you up at it, with the Orion Nebula right there in plain view, the excitement somehow seem to renew. I went 7 weeks! Worked for me anyways.

Dave Pearson said...

Yeah, I've been telling myself pretty much the same thing.

In an odd way it's nice to know that someone else out there has had a lengthy "doldrums" period.

Thanks for the encouragement Tom; much appreciated.

Ian Musgrave said...

Well, I've only had one semi-proper observing night in a little over two weeks, things like family Christmases and horizontal rain getting in the way. I got the little 50 mm refractoor out to show the folks crescent Venus. And that's been about it. But Cresecent venus was great fun, and I'm looking forward to Saturn.

Dave Pearson said...

Well, finally, I managed to get out again and Saturn was the main target. I hope it clears up for you soon Ian.