AstronomyLogs.Com

AstronomyLogs.com was created as a extension of the goodwill shared between most of the amateur astronomers I have met since becoming involved in the hobby. The heart of the site are the booklets which I created over the years working on the Astronomical League Observing Programs.

I created the booklets and logbook because I wanted a hard copy of my observations. In the 21st Century almost everything is done with computers. I use a digital recorder at the telescope to record all my observations and other pertinent information. This saves a lot of time vs writing in the dark. I use a great program called Astroplanner to make observing plans, print finder charts, and log my observations. There are too many things that can go wrong with your computer which is why I make the hard copy. It's also nice to be able to share and compare your observations at club meetings and star parties, or just browse through them on cloudy nights.

Specific information should be included in your log entries to help make that information of value to other astronomers. The minimum information is: Observer, Object, Date, Time, Site, Seeing, Transparency, Equipment (which includes) Telescope(s), Eyepiece(s), Filter(s), Magnification. Lastly, A written description of what you saw. There is, of course, a lot of other information you may wish to include such as Wind, Temperature, Moon Phase, Darkness rating, Coordinates, Constellation, Magnitude, Size, and Observing companions.

In each Booklet and Logbook there are pages to record your equipment, list the observing sites you use and a place to give each of those entries an abbreviation. There is also a copy of J. L. E. Dreyer's Astronomical Abbreviations. Using all these abbreviations will allow you to pack a lot of information into your logs in a small amount of space and time. Download a copy of Dreyer's Abbreviations from the Reference page and take it out in the field with you until you're comfortable with using them.

In addition to the Booklets and Logbooks, I've also provided .ZIP Files of both the .pdf and .doc versions of each page in case you want to edit or customize them. The .doc files can be edited in Word. The .pdf files can only be edited in Acrobat or an alternative which all cost $.

If you have any comments about the web site or have any observation log pages or astronomical reference material you'd like to share with the online community please email me at phred@astronomylogs.com