Date: February 29, 2012

Title: Master Observing: The Astronomical League and Its Observing Programs

Podcaster: Scott Northcutt

Organization: Von Braun Astronomical Society

Links: www.vbas.org
www.twitter.com/Scott_N4JN

Description: The Astronomical League offers many observing programs that can take you from Astro Novice to Master Observer. This episode introduces the Astronomical League and its observing programs by the author telling of his initial exposure to them and relating the start of his journey towards Master Observer status.

Bio: Scott Northcutt is an electrical engineer who lives and works in Huntsville, AL, USA. He’s been interested in Astronomy for as long as he can remember and is currently a member of the Von Braun Astronomical Society in Huntsville. He has 3 kids, 2 dogs and 1 wife. He’s also interested in amateur radio and flying. He can be reached on twitter at @Scott_N4JN. He’d like to thank Allen, Misty, Karma and Dr. Farris from CAS for their editorial assistance and Charles for interesting drive-time conversation and for astronomical encouragement.

Sponsor: This episode of the “365 Days of Astronomy” podcast is sponsored by — NO ONE. We still need sponsors for many days in 2012, so please consider sponsoring a day or two. Just click on the “Donate” button on the lower left side of this webpage, or contact us at signup@365daysofastronomy.org.

Transcript:

Hi. This is Scott Northcutt. I’m an electrical engineer who lives and works in Huntsville, AL, USA, home of Space Camp. Today’s podcast is on the topic of becoming a master observer by way of the Astronomical League and its observing programs. There are a couple of caveats as I begin: I’ll be mentioning several organizations, programs and websites as I proceed. The URLs for these various items will be in the show notes. Also, the organizations I’ll be referring to are fairly US-centric. I know there are lots of podcast listeners who live outside the United States. These organizations will permit international members, which is fabulous, but I still encourage you to find and join both your local club and your national astronomical advocacy organization. Still, the info I’ll be referring to about observing should be useful regardless of your membership or your location on the planet. For those of you on other planets, however… well, you’re on your own. Sorry.

So, I’m a member of the Von Braun Astronomical Society here in Huntsville. Since the Von Braun Society is an affiliate of the Astronomical League, I’m a member of the Astronomical League as well. If you’re not familiar with the Astronomical League, here’s a little background. Per their website, the Astronomical League exists to “promote the science of astronomy by fostering astronomical education, by providing incentives for astronomical observation and research, and by assisting communication among amateur astronomical societies.” It can trace its history back to 1939 when 11 amateur astronomy clubs had a meeting in New York City. These meetings continued and grew and in 1947 the Astronomical League was officially established. Today the League is made up of over 250 amateur societies with a membership of more than 15,000 astronomy aficionados, both amateur and professional.

The League’s second stated goal is to “provide incentives for astronomical observation and research”. One way they do this is by sponsoring a set of 37 observing programs (formerly called “clubs” which you’ll still see in the literature) that include topics covering everything from analemmas to variable stars. They are tailored to astronomy lovers of all ages and experience levels. At the very beginner end of the scale, the “Sky Puppy” program, for example, is geared toward kids aged 10 and under. At the other end of the scale sits the “Caldwell” program. To complete it, telescopic observations from both the northern and southern hemispheres are required.

A garage full of expensive and complex equipment is not required either (although for those fortunate enough to have that, there are programs like “Arp Peculiar Galaxies” that will pique your interests). Some programs such as “Constellation Hunter” and “Meteor” require nothing more than clear nights and your own eyes. At least four of the programs require only binoculars. A couple of the programs don’t even have to be done at night as they focus on solar observing. If you’re more of a people person, two of the programs (“Dark Sky Advocate” and “Outreach”) will appeal directly to you as they require interacting with the public. Take a look at the program listings on the web – you’re bound to find at least a couple that strike your fancy.

Now that we’ve gotten acquainted with the Astronomical League and their observing programs, I’d like to focus on one in particular: the “Master Observer” program. Despite being an astronomy buff since I was a kid, I had never heard of any of this stuff until about 2007 when I signed on with the Cumberland Astronomical Society in middle TN and heard about some folks chipping away at becoming Master Observers. I looked it up on the internet and learned what it entailed. Initially, I was impressed but I didn’t even have a telescope at the time and just thought “Man, that’s *way* more involved than I can be right now”, and the idea slipped from my mind. Fast forward about 2 years. By late 2009, I’ve acquired a modest 8” Dobsonian scope and have relocated to north Alabama. I’ve signed on with a new astronomy club. While perusing the pages of “The Reflector” – the Astronomical League’s quarterly magazine – I saw all these awards for observing that people had earned listed right there in the magazine. It occurred to me to look into that stuff again, so I did. This time, it struck me that many of the awards were actually attainable if I would just throw some time at it…which I promptly didn’t. Zoom forward again to the fall of 2011. A few morning drive-time radio conversations with one of my ham radio buddies who also happened to be an astronomy buff brought to mind memories of the folks back in TN who were working on becoming Master Observers. This time it stuck. I was gonna jump in and do it come dew or cloudy skies! Even better, my ham buddy agreed to provide moral support and encouragement to get outside.

So by now you’re asking, what, exactly, does all this Master Observer stuff mean? Well, let’s consult the Book of Armaments, Chapter 2…oh, no wait, wrong story…let’s go back to the Astronomical League’s website and look it up. The Master Observer Award “recognizes those whose interests are broad and whose skills are deep. The effort requires a breadth of observing knowledge while also permitting the observer to pursue special interests.” What this translates to is this: to obtain this award, you have to earn 10 of the Astronomical League awards. Five are required and five are up to you. The required awards are: Messier, Binocular Messier, Lunar, Double Star and Herschel. By earning these five, you’re almost guaranteed to have a pretty solid fundamental knowledge of the sky, regardless of the time of year or the phase of the moon. And when someone asks if you can actually see anything cool with binoculars, you’ll be able to tell them, “Why, yes! Yes, you can!” because you will have done it. This is just the start, though. There are still 30 (thirty!) other programs to choose from to meet the requirement for the other five awards. They can be tailored to suit your tastes and observing style. Whether you are an urban observer who presents frequently to scouts and school groups or you have a 20” giant in a dome at your own dark sky site where you do nothing but image, there is a combination of five programs on the list that should interest you. Once you’ve knocked out all 10, you can submit proof that you’ve earned them and then you, too can impress your friends and family with the title of “Master Observer”. As with all the other Astronomical League awards, you’ll get a nifty looking pin and a dandy certificate as well. It may not impress your boss, but it will definitely earn you the respect and admiration of your fellow astronomy club members. Most importantly, it will give you a sense of pride in knowing that you have risen to a fairly large challenge, and learned a ton of cool stuff.

So, how am I doing on my quest to become a Master Observer? Well, as I record this in late February 2012, I’ve just completed my first one: the Lunar Program. I took advantage of some breaks in the clouds a few weeks ago to log my last needed feature: a wall called “Rupes Recta”. It had to be observed around first quarter (a half moon) so that the sun would be at a low enough angle that the wall cast a shadow. At any rate, to get credit for this award, all I have to do is submit records of the date, time and equipment I used for observation of each of the required items on the list. Other observing programs may require more than just logging everything. Some require simple sketches, some may even require images, but the majority of them just require logs. You *do* already keep a log of your observing sessions, right? Maybe even with sketches? Anyway, there is a chance that you’ll hear from me again and I’ll bring you a fascinating tale of lunar observational awesomeness and a listing of links and tools that can help you as you master observing (and not just of the Moon). One resource that I’ll go ahead and mention now is the enormously helpful “What’s Up, Doc?” newsletter made available each month by the North Houston Astronomy Club. It contains two pages of objects that are visible for the month, broken down by the (admittedly northern hemisphere) program to which they belong. See the link in the show notes.
Whether you’re a member of the Astronomical League or not, all of the program details are out there on the web and can be freely downloaded. Even if you don’t belong to an affiliate club and go it on your own by becoming an “At large” member, these programs are great ways to dive deep across a wide swath of the wonders that amateur observational astronomy has to offer. Even if you never submit a single log, I’d still encourage you to find a program or two, get an observing buddy, and encourage each other to get off the couch and out into the backyard anytime the skies permit. The camaraderie is great and you’ll learn a lot as you eventually master observing.
Thanks for your time. I hope this has been useful. Cheers and clear skies from the Rocket City. Bye!

URLs to items mentioned in the podcast:
Space Camp: http://www.spacecamp.com/
Astronomical League: http://www.astroleague.org/
Von Braun Astronomical Society: http://www.vbas.org/
AL’s observing programs: http://www.astroleague.org/observing.html
AL’s Master Observer Award: http://astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/master/master.html
Cumberland Astronomical Society: http://www.cumberlandastronomicalsociety.org/
The “What’s Up, Doc?” newsletter: http://www.astronomyclub.org/wud.htm

End of podcast:

365 Days of Astronomy
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