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Why should I take notes?

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Astronomy will become your own personal voyage of learning and no one will come along to grade your papers. By taking notes, you help yourself to learn and have a reference point. For example, you just might discover the very first night you saw that distant galaxy you’ve been hunting was the same night you could see certain stars you’d never noticed before!

It’s a learning process.

The simple act of a rough sketch of Jupiter and its moon’s positions will allow you at a later time to discover which moon you were looking at. Perhaps the next time you look, you compare the same rough sketch to what you see and you have now learned how Jupiter’s moons orbit. One night a moon might be missing to reappear from behind Jupiter hours later—or you might catch its round, dark shadow on Jupiter’s surface as it transits. Your notes are there to aid you!

As your experience increases, you will refer to your notes often. You will become proficient at learning what particular night a certain lunar feature will be visible, or what time a planet’s feature might appear. You will learn to judge what your equipment is capable of and surprise yourself when it exceeds your expectations! You’ll understand which eyepieces work best on certain objects and when conditions are the best to see them. By taking notes, you give yourself a valuable reference point—one which will only benefit you.

Many different astronomy clubs offer certificates of achievement for studies at all levels, so be sure to keep track of what time, conditions, equipment and the name of the object you viewed. No matter who you are, or what you use, it’s wonderful to be recognized for your ability to learn and the objects you’ve captured! From constellations to lunar features, double stars, comets and galaxies—the awards and rewards are numerous.

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