Observer's Challenge
The purpose of the Observer’s Challenge is to encourage the pursuit of visual observing. It’s open to everyone that’s interested, and if you’re able to contribute notes, drawings, and/or photos, we’ll be happy to include them in our monthly summary.
Visual astronomy depends on what’s seen through the eyepiece. Not only does it satisfy an innate curiosity, but it allows the observer to discover the beauty and the wonderment of the night sky. Before photography, all observations depended on what the astronomer saw in the eyepiece, and how they recorded their observations, through notes and drawings, and that’s the tradition we’re stressing in the Observers Challenge.
We’re not excluding those with an interest in astrophotography. Your images and notes are just as welcome. The hope is that you’ll read through these reports and become inspired to take more time at the eyepiece, study each object, and look for those subtle details that you might never have noticed before.
To participate in the Observer's Challenge, submit your observations to Fred Rayworth at fred@fredrayworth.com.
Month |
Object |
Description |
January |
NGC 1245 |
Open Cluster in Perseus |
February |
NGC 2024 |
Flame Nebula in Orion |
March |
NGC 2841 |
Galaxy in Ursa Major |
April |
NGC 3044 |
Galaxy in Sextans |
May |
NGC 4088 |
Galaxy in Ursa Major |
June |
NGC 5774/5 |
Galaxies in Virgo |
July |
NGC 6217 |
Galaxy in Ursa Minor |
August |
M56 |
Globular Cluster in Lyra |
September |
NGC 6891 |
Planetary Nebula in Delphinus |
October |
NGC 7027 |
Planetary Nebula in Cygnus |
November |
IC 10 |
Galaxy in Cassiopeia |
December |
IC 1848 |
Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia |
2023
