It is fun to review my observing log "discoveries" and sort of re-experience the naïve joy and fascination I had on clear nights over the past years.  On 8-11-99, I wrote, "Excited to see Jupiter and Saturn again, I'm up early.  The sky is unfamiliar... I only see Cassiopeia high in the North.  For reference, brighter stars are shown below.  I'm facing East-Southeast... Cassiopeia is back and to the left.  It's getting bright out, so I can't include many in the picture. (sketch)  I spotted an odd group of close stars after observing Saturn and Jupiter.  It was an open cluster and I could count 60+ stars in the field of view of the 25mm Plössl.  The beginning of the next page is a diagram so I can figure out which it is later."  The sketch of the open cluster on the next page is accompanied by a note added later: "The Pleiades open cluster in Taurus "The Seven Sisters" M45!"  Rob Lentini discovers the Seven Sisters.  Classic.

Maybe you have been keeping an observing log for a while or perhaps you are just starting out.  I have several suggestions for "good practices" to follow when logging your observations that will not only make your log an interesting and fun read for the future, but will enhance the educational value of your sessions.  Please note that you can start an observing log even if you don't have a telescope.  Writing about what you see through other club members scopes, or through binoculars or even with your naked eye will be worthwhile.  Let me record a few credits before I start.  I am modeling my suggestions after some really good observing reports I have seen on the NOVAC email listserv and the "starry nights" Yahoo E-Group.  In particular, Susan Delaney, a Georgetown grad living in Fairfield, CT, regularly posts very organized reports on the web.

Let's talk materials first.  I recommend working with what you are comfortable with, be it a spiral notebook, loose-leaf binder, observing cards or even a tape recorder.  I use a spiral notebook, but if you are prone to print charts and pictures that you would like to include with your notes, it may be nice to have a binder so you can add pages as you see fit.  A couple of companies make observing cards that have a sky map (of a constellation, for example, showing bright stars and describing deep space objects of interest) and room for notes.  Definitely use a pencil instead of a pen for a couple of reasons.  Some pens don't do well in cold weather, but more importantly, when you are drawing objects, being able to shade and express dark and light regions with a pencil will enhance your pictures.  This is perhaps less important with star clusters, but when you draw sunspots or nebula or even galaxies, you will appreciate the ability to control shades.  If you're not into drawing pictures, a micro-cassette recorder may improve your observations.  With a recorder, you can stay at the eyepiece without interruptions, and not have your night vision adversely affected by your red flashlight.  You can observe the object longer and perhaps pick up more detail.

My second suggestion is that when you get to your observing site, jot a few notes before you begin to observe.  Note the date, time (local time or Universal Time or both), something about the setting/site/location (even a latitude/longitude if you know them), the temperature, who you are with, who's out in the park with you, what kind of scopes they have, and what equipment (scopes and eyepieces) you brought.  I also recommend thinking about using a system for quantifying the weather conditions.  Describe the wind, cloudiness, humidity, seeing, and limiting magnitude.  "Seeing" is a measure of how steady the air appears to be, and you probably should make that estimation looking through the telescope.  If those stars are twinkling like mad, chances are the air in the atmosphere is really boiling, and highly detailed views of the clouds of Jupiter, for example, might be difficult or impossible.  A ten point scale for the seeing will keep your descriptions of the seeing more consistent.  You can use a similar scale for limiting magnitude.  There are formal ways to make these estimations described on the web and in certain issues of Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines.

As you starhop or navigate to the objects, don't be afraid to add interesting facts you spot in your books or on the charts.  Indicate the source of the information.  Keep a record of how you navigated to the object.  For each object, record its New General Catalogue (NGC) number, Messier number, or any other identifying catalogue references as you observe, or leave room to add this information later.  Include the common name (e.g., Trifid Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, the Hercules Cluster), note the object type (galaxy/open cluster/globular cluster/planetary nebula, etc.), and mention the home constellation of the object.

With your descriptive text, in addition to eloquently describing how the object appears, mention the magnifications you are using (which one provided the best view), any filters, and finder views.  Describe your photographic settings.  Compare and contrast the features with similar objects.  Draw a circle on your page representing your field of view for the eyepiece, and draw the object within that circle.  Label the drawing with star/moon names, magnitudes, object names and info.

A sample observing entry from Susan Delaney:

NGC 3556 - M108 - Gx - Uma
M108 appeared dim, thin, and needle-shaped elongated E-W at 64x and at 284x with direct vision.  Averted vision extended its size a bit more.  Curious as to how this compared to M82, I quickly centered it in the eyepiece at 64x.  In fact, M81 and M82 were in the same FOV at 64x!  The difference in surface brightness between M108 and M82 was obvious at first glance.  M82 was extraordinarily bright, large, had a core with fairly well defined edges and a diffuse halo, stunning!  Is there an edge-on that rivals the beauty of M82?  Perhaps it was unfair to compare M108 to M82.  They are each beautiful in their own unique way.

All of your fellow club members will appreciate an email observing report summarizing your outing.  I highly encourage everybody to send a report to the group every time you go out.  Let us know how you are doing on your observing lists or what your plan was for the evening.

I hope you will apply some of these ideas to improve your observing log.  Like an old diary or journal, you will find reading an old observing log is a window to your past and a great record of your accomplishments.