BAM600 - John Bambury's Southern Skies Observing List

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

About three years ago I put together an observing list of 600 (Southern Skies) targets. This list was for the benefit of the Northern hemisphere observers who travel down here to observe. As 3RF volunteers we host these people on a regular basis. The list is limited to targets with a declination South of + 50 degrees. I have selected the brightest and IMO, the most visually interesting targets. However, a few of them will be tough in small scopes

The list includes targets from all categories. I have uploaded the file as a zipped Excel File. The Excel spreadsheet contains all the information you need to allow you to re sort the file however you like. By RA, Dec, Object Type, Magnitude, Surface Brightness etc. I also have the file as a text delimited file for uploading as a User defined catalogue to Argo Navis. If anyone doesn't know how to create the delimited text file and wants a copy for uploading to their unit, send me an email or PM and I will send it to you.

All I ask is that if you use the list or post any references to the list, you acknowledge the source. Many hours of work went into compiling it.

There are a couple of minor errors which eminated from the source data, but these do not affect the use of the list in any way.

Cheers,
John B

{EDIT BY ICEMAN}
This list and associated files have now been incorporate into the following article:
BAM600 - John Bambury's Southern Skies Observing List (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-638-0-0-1-0.html)

Please use the article to download the files, as you can be sure it'll always be the latest version.

[erick]

Many thanks John. :thumbsup:

[ngcles]

Hi John,

Thanks for posting your wonderful list. I guess if you could see all these in say a 12-14" 'scope, you would be entitled to call yourself an experienced observer -- and now a thought occurs to me.

Perhaps this should be seen as a southern observer's equivalent to the Herschel 400? I wonder if there is a way we can (like the Herschel 400 or the Herschel 800) organise perhaps through IIS or elsewhere a certificate for completing (you have to submit observing notes for verification) a list like this.

Perhaps with just a few small modifications (additions and subtractions), it could be bought down to a 10" level (several are a very, very tough ask in 10" -- if not impossible like the Reticulum Dwarf) which would allow an even larger number of people to participate.

Of all these in the list, I believe I'm only missing a few. A couple of the variables and the Dk nebula in Lupus SL-7. I'd never heard of that object before. I've just had a look on the DSS/Megastar and it is a striking object very worthy of inclusion. Will take a look at it next new moon if the weather allows (if ever).

Just a thought.

Thanks very much for putting it up.


Best,

Les D

[mozzie]

thanks john im going to start the list and make some notes i may not get all of it with trees around me but it is going to be a great challenge
mozzie

[erick]

I'm game! (if I live long enough............:sadeyes:)

[vaztr]

Fantastic list John, I'll be testing out the 8" on as many of these as it can find!!!!

Just a quickie - I'm pretty much a noob and I don't get what some of the hedings mean :shrug:

Headings from SB to Sub Type (inclusive) mean nothing to me any chance someone out there can give me a hand.

I've sorted the list by month then Vmag - so theoretically I sould be able to find the easy stuff first then progress to the limits of my scope/eyes before starting the next month.

I can't wait to start on the N Amerian Nebula today!

[Liz]

Thanks John ... thats GREAT!!!!!! .. and another list for me :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Blue Skies]

I can help with some of these:

SB is surface brightness, which is different to Vmag (Visual magnitude)

Max and Min - um, might have a guess and say it's angular size with Max being the longest axis and Min being the shortest.

PA is Position Angle. 0 is north, 90 is east and so on.

Sub Type is refering to a number of things. For Galaxies its telling you whether its just a Spiral, a barred Spiral, an eliptical or... other. I don't recognise all of them, it must a more modern version of the Hubble classification I'm not familiar with. For Globular Clusters (GC) its telling you how condensed it is - there is a classification system for globs that rates whether they are rather loose or very condensed. I don't know the Open cluster classes.

Then you've got the RA and Dec coords.

Hope that helps a little and I'll look forward to other peoples clarification on the classes in Sub Type.

[wavelandscott]

I'm game...now just to give it a catchy name...

ausastronomer 600
John B 600


On a more serious note, John, is it okay to share this list with others? With attribution of course...how would you like it to be acknowledged/credited?

[iceman]

The Bambo 600!

I reckon it's a great idea!

[koputai]

But there's only 597!

Cheers,
Jason.

[gmbfilter]

There's one in every crowd!

[dpastern]

Thanks for the list - I don't know how well I'd go since I'm relatively inexperienced and only have 4" of aperture to view with...but I'll peruse the list and see what I can do.

Dave

[ausastronomer]

Hi Les and all,

Thanks for the positive feedback. I originally planned to submit the list to the Astronomical League. A large number of the visitors who come down here from the Northern Hemisphere set there observing program to the Astronomical Leagues' "Southern Skies Telescopic Club List", so that they can gain their AL certificate.

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/southsky/sskylist.htm

I proposed to submit this list to the Astronomical League as an "advanced" list for the repeat visitors. I haven't done that because the list needs more work on it to eliminate the errors and to be honest I lost some motivation a couple of years back to keep working on it, due to lack of time. There are some minor errors in terms of target position and magnitude etc which take a lot of time to check. I had checked the first 69 targets and provided an active link to a file downloaded from Robert Erdmann's NGC/IC website, which provided observing notes and a DSS image of each target. That website has now gone, so I can't complete that part of the project. On top of that the list needs further checking which I haven't had time to do. There are a number of other "glowing" errors which would need to be fixed, although not major they would not be acceptable for Astronomical League purposes. For instance at line 455, The Lambda Centauri Cluster is listed as Collinder 249. This is incorrect, it should be IC 2944. As I understand it, Collinder 249 is associated with IC 2944, but not part of it. At line 557 I have listed IC 2944 and called it "The Lambda Centauri Cluster" and identified it as a bright nebula. It should be IC 2948 and named as "the Lambda Centauri Nebula" or the "Running Chicken Nebula". Whilst the naming of this associated target area is possibly the most confusing in the entire sky, it should still be sorted out. I am sure there are some other similar errors and duplications, which would need to be checked and corrected.

I would be happy to have Mike post the list on IIS and call it "Bambos 600" and issue an IIS certificate to those that complete it. Computer GOTO should be allowed as its part of modern observing equipment IMO.

As time goes on I will sort out the errors and add a couple of additional targets in place of any duplications. There are certainly enough targets there at present, that are correct, to keep most people busy for the next couple of years, without worrying about half a dozen minor errors.

If anyone does identify any errors I would be happy for them to pass these on to me.

In terms of editing the list to create a target list for smaller scopes. There are a couple of ways to attack this.

eg. One could edit the list and eliminate the difficult targets, but difficulty often can be as much condition dependant, as scope dependant. Another option may be to award say a 'Bambos 600 4" certificate' for observing 400 of the targets on the list in a 4" or smaller telescope and a 'Bambos 600 10" certificate" for observing 500 of the targets on the list in a 10" or smaller telescope. This gives the observer a little more flexibility based on their conditions.

Any feedback is welcome.

Cheers,
John B

[telecasterguru]

John,
Thank you for the list and all the work that has obviously gone into developing it.
I think it is going to take a while to get all 600 images especially with my 127 Refractor.

Regards

Frank

[xnomad]

I love it!
A list where I can quickly filter objects by magnitude, type and best time to view. Great work! Many thanks for posting this.

[mozzie]

printed my and when the weather clears start the list looking forward ill let you's know how it goes
mozzie

[Paul Hatchman]

Thanks John!

Please see attached for the list which I've converted to an Argo Navis user catalog. The easiest way to use this with an AN would be to do
Mode->Tour
Find->User Object
And then put in any other tour parameters, e.g. faintest mag etc.

I haven't had a chance to test this yet, but it looks like it should work. If anyone can try it, please let me know how it goes.

Edited to Add: I didn't read your post properly the first time. I see you already have an AN user catalogue. Well, it's already done now, may as well share it :)

Cheers,

Paul.

AN Catalog removed so that John can publish his own.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Paul,

I am actually in the process of correcting some of those errors, which includes a couple of duplications. I am also adding a couple more targets to round it out to 600. I have also re labelled all of the Messier targets to show the M designation and not their NGC descriptor. When I am finished the list will be a little bit tidier and more accurate. I was going to wait until I have finished making those corrections before uploading the argo navis user catalogue. This will be another day or two. Certainly long before the moon gets out of the way again.

Cheers,
John B

[erick]

Thanks John, looking forward to the updated spreadsheet and an Argo Navis upload file. :thumbsup:

Eric

[lacad01]

This is a great list, thanks for sharing :thumbsup:
Another resource to add to my growing list of charts, info, etc :)

[ngcles]

Hi John & All,



Couldn't agree more! It'd be impossible to "police" against DSC/GOTO anyway and I think it fair to say maybe half the people here now at least have DSC.

Good idea with the 4" & 10" 400 & 500 -- solves the problem nicely.

Moving a tad off topic, I proceed on the apparently well-founded assumption that you've seen all these in the 600 and from that also assume that your " observing log" -- should you keep one, must be a very impressive size.

I only bring it up because I dropped into BINTEL to pick up some eclipse shades for China today and Don Whiteman and I ended up discussing observing logs and were speculating on which Australian observers (and Kiwis I guess) would have a "really big observing log". Yours was one of the first names I thought of -- and just wondered ...


Best,

Les D

[ausastronomer]

Yes !!



No !!

We digress, but let me expand on those rather short answers a little, as some might find a humorous side to it :)

When I put the list together I hadn't observed all the targets. I had probably observed all of them except about 20 or 30 only, so I had in my head a fair idea of what I was likely to want to include.

I then used a conglomerate process to create a database. I combined countless other lists and source material into the database including what I thought was worth including and leaving out what I thought a waste of time. Some of the sources I consulted were Hartung, Burnham, OMeara and a host of other smaller specific target type lists put together by others. eg. With the double stars I combined several different peoples double star lists and included the targets I had observed and liked. I eliminated the targets I felt less worthy of inclusion and those I hadn't observed. The 20 or 30 targets I included in the overall list which I hadn't observed, were based on comments and advice from others, including Andrew Murrell. Once I had completed the list I made a point of observing everything on the list I hadn't previously looked at.

My Observing Logs. Hmmmmmmmmm, that is a long story in itself. I started observing on a casual basis in the early 70's whilst in high school, with a 70mm Tasco refractor. Didn't have time for observing notes in those days as my observing time was limited due to schoolwork. Had a hiatus from astronomy in the late 70's to early 80's due to women, alcohol, the racetrack and completing a university degree part time at night, in no specific order. With the pending arrival of Haleys' comment in 1986, I got keen again in 1985, having recently finished my studies. I built a 6" dob around a Parks mirror and got to some serious observing. Notwithstanding that I had completed a university degree without taking one single lecture note, I decided I should start taking observing notes as this was far more important than university. At the time I was living with an Irish woman (yes she was mad), who worked as a legal secretary. She suggested the taking of my observing notes would be infinitely easier using this wonderful piece of technology called a "dictaphone". She suggested that I could just hold the "dictaphone" and talk into it whilst standing at the eyepiece and she could type my notes up neatly in her spare time. Isn't love blind. I proceeded to make my observing notes on little magnetic dictaphone tapes for the next 3 or 4 years. I ended up making some brilliant observations all wonderfully recorded on these little magnetic tapes stored in a box in the cupboard. Unfortunately she never got much spare time and the boxfull of tapes expanded and the beautifully typed observing logs never appeared. In 1989 we decided love wasn't so blind and we parted company, me taking all my magnetic dictaphone tapes and my 6" dob, with me. Dissillusioned with life, I started pursuing other spare time pastimes outside astronomy like women, alcohol and the racetrack, all of which I was already familiar with, in no particular order. In early 1994 with the pending arrival and impact of Comet Shoemaker Levy 9, I decided that I really should get back to astronomy, and so I did. I consulted a secretarial service to see what it would cost me to get all my observing notes typed up. She said it will be free because all the tapes have deteriorated and are indecipherable. Well you can imagine how impressed I was ! I then observed for the next 4 years with my 6" reflector spanning the arrival of the two great 1990's comets Hyakutake (1996) and Hale-Bopp (1997). I never got around to making detailed observing notes because I was totally peeved at what had happened with my dictaphone tapes. However, I did make a record of all the targets I observed during each observing session. In the period 1998 to late 1999 I again had a hiatus from astronomy. In late 1999 I met my wife and again rekindled my interest in astronomy. I thought she would approve of that moreso than alcohol, women and the racetrack. When I started observing again in late 1999, computers and the internet had progressed to a higher level. I felt as I had made so many observations that had gone unrecorded, it was a bit late starting so late in the day. Having regard to the material that was now available online, I felt it was a little superfluos, at that time. In late 1999 I upgraded to an 8" dob, which I kept for a year, upgrading to a 10" in late 2000 and to the 18" in 2006. I had spent some time observing with Andrew Murrell using his 20" from late 2002. In about 2003 or 2004 with all the new astronomy software that was available I thought "maybe I should buy some of this software and use it to keep my observing notes". I had a play with Starry Night Pro and Megastar 6, but I never did get around to doing anything about my observing logs, until last week !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I returned from another weeks observing at Coonabarbran last Friday and decided I needed to do something about my observing logs, as my memory was not what it used to be. In my earlier years I had an unbelievable memory, but age and countless years of brain cell abuse catches up with everyone. Hence I actually ordered a copy of Sky Tools 3 when I arrived home from Coona. It should arrive in a week or two. This will enable me to interface the laptop with Argo Navis and Servocat and record my observations into the laptop at the telescope.

So there you have the tale of a long time astronomer who used to have a very good memory and very poor notes :)

Cheers,
John B

[erick]

With apologies to George Best:-

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered (on telescopes)." :D

[ngcles]

Hi John,

An interesting tale and it is curious the number of parallels between yours and my "career" in amateur astronomy.

My Tasco was a 60mm -- not 70. My distractions didn't involve the gee gee's, but did involve an irish-woman. I married her.

My first log that I kept with the 60mm refractor and observing through telescopes borrowed from the Sutherland Astronomical Society in the 1970s and early 80s is now lost. It was in an exercise book but probably contained about 100 different objects and a few sketches. I completed an 8" f/5.5 mirror in 1978-79 but didn't have the money to finish the telescope

During most of the early 80s I did some casual observing with binos but it was Halley in 1986 and then 1987A that really got me going again. I competed the 8" 'scope in 1988 (I think), went to 10" in 1994 and it was not long after I moved to 10" that I started to keep a formal log in hard-copy A4 paper in Lever-Arch binders. Moved to 12" in 1999. I used to faithfully transcribe my tape-recorded notes by hand onto purpose-made forms. I used to file reference material with the observations as well.

Consequently, by the time I got to 2002, the log needed 4 Lever-Arch files and was in danger of undergoing gravitational collapse. I needed a milk-crate to carry it round. When I started on a 5th folder, that was the break-point. I realised it was now or never electronic -v- hard-copy.

In 2002 during a hiatus from work, I bit the bullet and purchased some appropriate astro-software and started typing. It took 3 months on and off but boy I'm glad I did it. Now in 2009 it is 75% bigger again than when I typed it out.

I'm interested to hear how Skytools 3 goes because I am thinking about swapping to that one.


Best,

Les D

[sally1jack]

Almost a mini series there John "The Rise & Fall & Rise again of Rambo 00ps i mean Bambo :P
Cheers Mate
Phil

[glenc]

Attached is a "map" of the 501 deep sky objects (DSO) in John's list.
143 Open Clusters are yellow
87 Globular Clusters are orange
55 Nebulae are green (incl dark neb)
52 Planetary Neb are blue
164 Galaxies are purple triangles

[ausastronomer]

Well Phil its probably safe to say that I have financed more fast women and slow race horses than your average astronomer :)

Cheers,
John B

[koputai]

I've been attempting to mod the xls file, sorted it by month, then
reformating to print nicely.
Unfortunately my excel skills aren't that hot.
Once you have finalised your list John, any chance of formating it
on a month by month basis in a pdf so we can print a monthly hit
list?

Cheers,
Jason.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Jason,

I can do that no problems. I am still a few days off finalising the list as I have been away on a business conference but will post it here as soon as its done. Sorting the targets by month will help you to some degree in planning but keep in mind that as the targets get close to the SCP they become circumpolar and are visible during almost any month.

Cheers,
John B

[koputai]

[QUOTE=ausastronomer;453798]
I can do that no problems.[\quote]

Excellent, that'll make life easy!



Unless you live on the Northern Beaches, where everything below the SCP (and a fair bit above) is lost in Sydney's muck.

Cheers,
Jason.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks for compiling this - should keep my occupied for years... I am trying to import the list into "AstroPlanner", but don't seem to understand how it works... Has anyone done this already?

Regards
DT

[Sentinel]

I have had a preliminary go, but it needs a little cross checking. I'll post something shortly.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks for that.

I've decided overnight to bite the bullet and download TheSky X SAE, rather than pay for Astroplanner (to get the complete catalogues) and then ultimately upgrade to TheSky.

I'll see how I go importing the list into TheSky, unless someone has done that already...

Regards
David T

[ausastronomer]

Hi Paul and all,

I am in the process of making some corrections to the data in the list. I have also deleted a couple of duplications and rounded the list out to exactly "600" targets. I am also adding a lot of target information that was not included in the original list. So far it has taken me about 2 weeks to check and update the data for 400 of the 600 targets. I have added quite a bit of additional data on a lot of the targets. The updated list will be a lot more accurate, contain a lot more information and be more useful.

I will have this finished in a week or two. Those corrections will make it easier to import the list into everything, including Astro Planner, Sky Tools and Argo Navis. The finalised revised list, with appropriate files for Argo Navis, Sky Tools and Astroplanner will then be uploaded as an observing resource and an observing challenge to the IIS forum. If you could all be patient for a week or two, everyone will then have a correct revised version of the list to work with and available for downloading in the resources section of IIS, including all the observing software files.

Cheers,
John B

[astroron]

Thanks for the update John:)
Look forward to it when it arrives:thumbsup:

[DavidTrap]

Thanks John,

Look forward to the revision - any chance of a version for The Sky?? (read I'm very new at driving this software and would appreciate all the help I can get!)

ta
David T

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

My apologies for not having the revised and updated target list ready for upload a couple of weeks back, as I indicated I would.

Unfortunately I got quite ill about a month back with a middle ear virus that gives you a constant feeling of vertigo/seasickness (Vestibular Neuritis). I can tell you it isn't much fun. I am still getting over it and slowly coming right. I hope to have the revision completed and posted to the forum within the next week, or so.

Cheers,
John B

[DavidTrap]

Whilst I've never had what you're recovering from, I've seen patients with it - my sympathies.

Hope your recovery continues swiftly.

Looking forward to the list.

Regards
DavidT

[Paul Hatchman]

John,

Please don't worry about it. Look after yourself!!

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

I have finally been able to get around to getting all of the corrections and revisions made to the list. I must apologise for the time it has taken but unfortunately my health needs to come first. I have been pretty ill the past 6 weeks, culminating in a rush trip to hospital last Tuesday at 4am. Hopefully the medics can isolate the problem, fix me and I can move forward from here.

I will be submitting a copy of the list to the Astronomical League for their consideration, for inclusion as one of their observing club lists. If they were to adopt it, the list could be used on a more formal basis by observers visiting the Southern Hemisphere and seeking a serious observing challenge.

The list is currently attached as an excel spreadsheet with targets sorted in Right Ascension (RA) order. You can re sort the list to suit your own observing goals.

Within the next couple of days I will modify and edit the list to produce an ascii file suitable for uploading as a user defined catalogue for Argo Navis.

I have removed the old file from the thread as it has a lot of superceeded data in it. If you have a copy of the old file you should probably delete it and start again with the new one. I would also like to thank Glen Cozens for helping me with one of the formulas in the spreadsheet.

Cheers,
John B

{EDIT BY ICEMAN}
This list and associated files have now been incorporate into the following article:
BAM600 - John Bambury's Southern Skies Observing List (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-638-0-0-1-0.html)

Please use the article to download the files, as you can be sure it'll always be the latest version.

[ausastronomer]

Unfortunately, I can't edit the old post and remove the old file because it is too old. Could a moderator please remove the old file and attach the new file to my first post in this thread.

Cheers,
John B

[erick]

Many thanks John, for your efforts under difficulties. Eric :thumbsup:

[Robh]

Thanks John,

A real treasure trove of southern delights!
And a nice even 600 of them.

Wishing you good health, Rob.

[DavidTrap]

Thanks John,

I hope the arrival of the modified list is a sign that you are improving.

Regards
David T

[coldspace]

Thanks for the list John,

This is very handy and I will try and track down all these objects over the next 12 months and will start in a few weeks once my observatory is complete and running. I have the right equipment to hunt down all these objects so this will be fun.

Same as doing a Messier marathon and ticking them off once done but now it will be known as the John marathon. Only difference its not a 400mtr race but a 42mile slog.
Well done on all the time involved in setting this up this is going to keep me busy for some time.:thumbsup:
Your services to the astro community are top shelf.

Regards Matt.

[koputai]

Love your work John!

Just a question if I may. In the 'Type' column I can see what most of them are, but there's a few abreviations I can't work out due to my lack of knowledge. Here's what I have:

Gal = Galaxy
Gal CL = Galaxy Cluster
GC = Globular Cluster
MS = Multiple Star
PN = Planetary Nebula
OC = Open Cluster
VS = Variable Star
SR = Supernova Remnant
Star = Star

DN = Diffuse Nebula ?
EG GC = Extra-Galactic Globular Cluster ?
BN = ?
CS = ?
EN = ?

Also, there are three constellation abreviations, AQL, AQR, and AQU which appear to be used across two constellations, Aquila and Aquarius.

Once again, thanks for your work, this is an excellent idea.

Regards,
Jason.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Jason,

DN = Dark Nebula
EG GC = Extra Galactic Globular Cluster
BN = Bright Nebula
CS = Carbon Star
EN = Emission Nebula

Some of the references I sourced use the term bright nebula to cover both emission and reflection nebula. Where that was the case I stuck with the terms used in the reference material. In many cases the term Bright nebula has been attached to nebula complexes which contain both emission and reflection components. I thought about breaking this down an extra level but ultimately I decided it was a fair bit of extra work for zero gain.



There was actually one target in Aquila and one target in Aquarius that were given the wrong constellation abbreviation of AQU. That came about as a result of slipping fingers, a brain fart or tiredness; or a combination of all 3. In any case I have corrected both of those errors and Mike Salway will upload the revised file for me within the next few hours. Thanks for pointing that error out. If anyone else sees any other "glitches" could they please let me know.

Cheers,
John B

PS: Book posted today.

[astroron]

Great Work John:) any news on the Argo Navis loadable file?
Cheers:thumbsup:

[mdgodf]

This is a great list John. Hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of creating an observing list for skytools for it. The attached file (Bambos.stx in the zip file) can be imported into skytools through the data manager. I've included an acknowlodgment to you in the obs list description.

I've also attached in the zip file the csv file I created to import the designation list into skytools in case it's helpfull to anyone else.

Though one issue I can't figure out is that 600 objects were imported but only 597 show:shrug: For some reason even though there are 600 in the csv file and it imports completly only 597 display in skytools. Perhaps somone more familiar with skytools can figure that one out:help:

[ausastronomer]

Hi Mark,

This happens when one or more of the data fields contains extraneous or missing characters. It drops them off the list. I am currently resolving this issue to create the Argo Navis User upload file. I will have it sorted in a day or two. When I have done this you need to use the revised list which will have all fields correct and your list will have all 600 targets in it.

Cheers,
John B

[mdgodf]

Thanks John

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

After significant difficulty we finally have the Argo Navis user defined catalogue available for download.

A big thanks to Gary Kopff from Wildcard for his programming work to get this observing list into Argo Navis format and ready for download.

Cheers,
John B

[erick]

Fantastic! Downloading now!

Thanks John and Gary.

Just in time for new Moon weekend!

[astroron]

Thanks John and Gary, mighty effort:)
Downloaded to file for future installation into ARGO data base:thumbsup:

[pgc hunter]

That new moon weekend is looking like a massive load of crap!! As per usual here in Melbourne, Australia's own answer to the Shetlands, the Orkney's, to the Svalbards, to the bloody Bering Sea.

Only chance for clear skies in this icy cold cloudy abnomination of a climate is tuesday night.

I'm going to pull a sunset-sunrise session on Tuesday night, as I'm sure it'll be cloudy for the next several weeks in this pathetic climate.

[erick]

And uploaded into the Argo........ Huh?

........OK, purge everything from the User catalog and.....

.......upload into the Argo!

That's better. Got too enthusiastic there. A mixed Bambo's and my extract from the Messier list was a bit confusing :D

[mozzie]

printed and placed the list in a folder went through the list for whats visable at the moment with my trees to the north i get to around +35deg so ill miss only a few from where my pod is set up opened the dome to cool everything down and off corse in comes the weather was very excited about starting the list well theres always tomorrow or the day after ill keep on posting with any progress
mozzie

[Starkler]

Looking forward to using this in the argo.
Thanks John.

[JethroB76]

Yes, much appreciated

[gary]

Thanks all!

When we were at IISAC at Lostock, I took over from John late on the Saturday
night conducting sky tours on one of the 18" Obsessions.

I noted that John had loaded the file into his Argo Navis, which proved very convenient.
I started to TOUR on USER CATALOG objects that were above the horizon
and thus was presented with one "BAM" object after another. And they were all
good ones with satisfying "oohs" and "aahs" come from each observer who looked
through the eyepiece! :)

John, when I converted the list to an Argo Navis User Catalog, I thought to
myself I should give each object a prefix and not having read this thread,
chose the prefix of BAM.

I would recommend this name to you for a generic name for the list, rather than
Bambos, for several reasons, including -

a) It's much shorter to type :)
b) 'Bam' is a word, usually synonymous with "bang", which has exciting
connotations.
c) Many other catalogues have three lettter prefixes, such as NGC, UGC, SAO, etc.

Thanks again everyone and enjoy!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[qld]

hello gary i have two of you argo navis ,how do i get hold of this programme,
regards Qld

[erick]

Download the text file for subsequent upload into the User Catalog in your Argo - see post #53 in this thread.

[mozzie]

some clear nights haven given me the oppurtanity to use it ive been surprised that a few of the objects i havent seen before,looking forward to useing it over the next 12 months anybody who hasnt down loaded it yet should
mozzie

[mozzie]

enjoying this list as there visable at my location :thumbsup:moon rising know start chasing d/s taurus at least its clear

[StarGazing]

Nice one. Great targets ....... will keep well entertained for quite a while.

Thanks Alex. :thumbsup:

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

It is good to hear you guys are enjoying observing some of these targets on the list and getting some benefit from it.

I can't say too much at the moment but for those who are working their way through this list, they should record their observations in a log as there may well be some formal recognition for observing the list in the not too distant future :) Unfortunately, I can't say any more than that at the moment.

Cheers,
John B

[erick]

Well the list is nicely embedded in my AN. But I haven't had a scope to connect the AN to......:sadeyes:. But soon I should be able to share in the fun! :)

[mozzie]

aahhh erick your going to bring the rain to victoria:rofl:

[mozzie]

thanks john for the list, if we were to record our targets what would you write :question: just some points " i dont to look like a dill writing the wrong stuff"

[erick]

No, secret trick - the scope is being built in Victoria so that should cancel it out! No rain, no clouds!!

[Vanda]

2 questions -

1. What is Argo? (excuse my ignorance)

2. All you Victorians who wish for for more cloud free nights - why not come to Perth? Sure its cloudy in winter and the city lights seem to get brighter every year - but hey - you cant have everything!

[JethroB76]

Argo Navis, Ian.
Have ran through a smallish portion of the 600 a week or so ago using the AN, from my new observing site

[erick]

Here you go:-

http://www.wildcard-innovations.com/

[mozzie]

how long till you get your scope

[erick]

Patience - good things come...etc.

[pgc hunter]

All clouds and rain in the icy cloudy and rainy tundra of southern Vic will be, as of now, officially your fault :lol:

[ChrisM]

Thanks John for the BAM 600 list - it's a great piece of work.
I started with some of the December list last night and was pleased to see some new objects: Hind's Crimson star and some other carbons, and some nice doubles.

I need to work out whether there is an easier way of loading some of these into my LX90. (I manually loaded some via the User Object facility last night.)

Chris

[mozzie]

hi chris im doing the list and what ever isnt in the hand controller i manually
hold the mode button down for 2 seconds once in this menu its easy to load each object

[ChrisM]

Thanks Peter, I'll give that a try to see if it's any quicker.
Chris

[ausastronomer]

Hi Peter,

I would advise recording the following information.

Object's name/number
Your observing location
Seeing and/or transparency
Approximate altitude of the object above the horizon
Size and type of telescope used
Eyepiece (s) and resultant magnification (s)
Any filters used
Description of object

The description can be fairly brief. For instance with a target like 47 Tuc, you might record something like, "Large very bright globular cluster with a very condensed intense core". With a target like X Velorum (Dunlop 95) you might record something like, "bright yellow and blue pair with wide separation giving an excellent colour contrast".

You could set this up by adding extra columns to the original "EXCEL" spreadsheet and recording all the information on the spreadsheet.

Cheers,
John B

[mozzie]

thanks john ill start to log my seeing on the 600

[ausastronomer]

Hi all,

The list has just been added by the Astronomical League as an extension list to their Southern Skies Telescopic Club.

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/southsky/sskytele.htm

The sad news is you don’t get a formal Astronomical League award or certificate for observing the list. It has been included as something more advanced and an extension of their Southern Skies Telescopic Club. It does give you something to work towards, if you are looking for something challenging with a medium aperture scope.

It's worth keeping in mind that just over 5 years ago there were no Southern Hemisphere lists or awards of any description so there is a fair chance this list could progress to the next level, if there is some interest in it and positive feedback to the astronomical league by the members.

Cheers,
John B

[gary]

Hi John,

Good to see! :thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

This thread should be sticky :)

Thanks John for the work here. I have done few lists mainly my own and a few taken out of old books.

But I will take this one on board and go through it over the next year. I will do it the old fashioned way Star-hop till I get my Argo :rolleyes:

Thanks again for your work here :thumbsup:

[astrospotter]

Yes thanks John. My first visit to southern skies will be the next new moon in mid March 2010 and objects on your list as well as assorted other lists and recommendations have been very helpful in helping a guy from 'up north' form his targets.

Of course the entire list is out of the question for a 7 night stay but I hope to break the 3000 logged object observations count all done from +35 degrees or higher using the grand southern objects.

The observers from the south do have a better collection of fine objects overall and I look forward to viewing the treats that await. Have put well over 25 hours and counting in setting up lists, charts, priorities so as to make the most of my stay. Also have spent a great deal of time looking at Starry Night pro with all text off so I will not be (completely) lost down in those most excellent southern skies.

'No worries',
Mark

[MarshMan]

Is that you DG (Dave47tuc), The Hugeman? What have you been up to? I have been doing a lot of deepsky myself lately, and started a few lists of otherwise uncategorized objects.

Catch up with you,

Adam.

[DavidTrap]

Has anyone created an Astroplanner file for this list - I copied the names into Astroplanner and came up with a list of 579 - don't really want to spend hours working out which ones are left off if someone has already done the hard work...

Anyone?

David T

[steve000]

Also available here
www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/southsky/ (http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/southsky/)BambosSouthernSkiesList.XLS

I cant link it properly so please copy and paste it.

This is unmodified and looks like the original list. very good.

[iceman]

Hi all

This list and associated files have now been incorporate into the following article:
BAM600 - John Bambury's Southern Skies Observing List (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-638-0-0-1-0.html)

Please use the article to download the files, as you can be sure it'll always be the latest version.

The article includes:
- A zipped version of the BAM600 list
- A text-delimited version of the BAM600 for uploading into Argo Navis
- A zipped version for SkyTools

Thanks!

[smitty]

Well, this should keep me busy for a while.....:D

Sean

[norm]

Hi Mike,

I hope John doesn't mind, but attached is as text-delimited version with the month listed first, enabling users to scroll via Argo by month.



Cheers Norm

I removed BAM, but I can edit the file and tag it to the end so John gets credit for this if need be.

[Gem]

What size scope do people think would be needed to complete all 600 objects?
I have always logged my observations but I have never systematically gone through a list like this. Usually I go constellation by constellation through Hartung's or some similar guide.
Should be fun! Best bit is that there are NO photos - only a list of objects. Things always look much more impressive if your expectations aren't raised by a Malin photo!

[ausastronomer]

Hi Grant,

I hope you enjoy working through the list. What scopes do you have?

What size scope you need to observe all the targets is very subjective. The major variables being the skill of the observer and the sky quality. Then again different people's sensitivity to different wavelengths of light can have an effect also. The Horsehead Nebula is a classic example of this. In a 25" Obsession under dark clear skies I see the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) fairly comfortably, without any filters (yup a 25" er helps a lot :D ). I have had very experienced observers take over the eyepiece and see nothing. The main reason is the Emission Nebula (IC 434) which provides the illuminated backdrop, emits most of its light towards the red end of the visible spectrum. This is clearly evident in the AAT photograph in the attached link

http://spider.seds.org/ngc/ngc.cgi?i+434

What this means is someone with a low sensitivity to red light, no matter how good an observer they are and how good the conditions, will struggle to see it.

I have observed the targets on the list in a variety of scopes over a number of years. The vast majority in my 10" scope (about 90%). Several I have only done in my 18" scope and they can be a tough get in an 18". I have only recently acquired the 14" scope and haven't tried some of the more difficult ones in the 14". I can probably see deeper than 90% of people and I reckon I could get them all in a 14" under excellent conditions. In some cases it also comes down to knowing what you're looking for and using the right magnification to pop them. With some of the dimmer galaxies don't be scared to increase the magnification to increase the contrast. A few of the planetary nebula are small, consequently in a low power eyepiece they will look stellar and you could be looking right at the thing and not know it. Use more power! A couple of the more difficult targets IMO are the ESO Galaxies. For example ESO 350-40 (Cartwheel Galaxy in Sculptor) and ESO 118-31 (Reticulum Dwarf), would be tough in anything under 14".

Good luck with it!

Cheers,
John B

[Gem]

Thanks John!
I used to do a lot of observing with a 10 inch dob, but have been overseas for years. The dob is now interstate and the focal length ( f 5.6) isn't easily transported, so I have a new Celestron 9.25" ordered. Should arrive next week.
In the past I used to read Hartung constellation by constellation (cross checking in NGC 2000.0), then get Star Atlas 200 or Herald-Bobroff and look for new objects. Mostly I had excellent dark skies (Wagga Wagga or Narrabri), so I used that 10 inch for all it was worth.
Even as a kid I used to use a 50mm refractor and took a log book around trying to list as many objects as I could see. BAA star parties usually increased my log book no end!
Now, after a decade out of astronomy, astronomy has changed. The new scope will have an eq mount and goto! I feel like a newbie again! I want to use the GOTO as best as possible and find new objects! The old dob was never that good on double stars, so that is one area I am hoping that new optics will excell at. I am kind of expecting that a quality 9.25" will see around the same amount as my old 10" visually.

Look forward to seeing how many I can tick off... then I might have to track down a star party or two to pinch a look in an 18" or 20"!

I should add that although I wear glasses, my night vision is quite good. I topped night shoots when I was in the RAAF but was a below average shot during day shoots.

[casstony]

The 9.25 should be close; my XLT C11 is brighter than the GSO 10" dob I had previously.

eg. From my light polluted backyard the area around Carina is filled with nebulosity through the C11, whereas the 10" showed just the brightest parts of the nebula.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Tony,

That could be because the "out of the box" baffling on the C11 is way better than the 10" GSO and Synta dobs. I baffled my 10" GSO dob many years ago by fully flocking the tube, and installing annular knife edge baffles just above the primary and either side of the focuser. This improved contrast and the scopes performance conservatively by 25%. The black paint used on the inside of the Synta and GSO dobs actually bounces an enormous amount of light around. On top of that, the focuser is too close to the front of the tube and allows stray light to enter the focuser, hence the knife edge baffles. I also baffled the focuser.

Out of the box the 10" GSO and Synta dobs aren't a true indication of how deep you can go with a good 10" newtonian from dark skies. With a bit of simple modification they improve dramatically.

Some photos of my 10" scope attached.

Cheers,
John B

[Gem]

Update on progress:
97 objects observed so far.
I am counting any object I have observed AND recorded in my log book.

Hmmm.... long way to go! I should have taken better notes over the years!! :lol:

NGC 5979 is not on the list, but is quite an easy PN. I can pick it up easily in town under moonlight with the 235mm. Maybe if you ever decided to revise the list, it could make a subsitute appearance... :)

[Gem]

170 and counting... :)

Anyone have a handy way of getting the SAO numbers for the double stars?

[Gem]

http://www.alcyone-ephemeris.info/search_in_bsc.html

In reply to my own question of SAO numbers!! :lol:

[ausastronomer]

Hi Grant,

Good to see you making in roads into the list.

That website is really helpfull and gives you everything you need. Alternatively most good astronomy software programs/packages, like Sky Tools 3 etc, will give you all this information and much more.

Cheers,
John B

[Gem]

193 and counting... :)

[Gem]

219... :)

This is taking time!

[technofetishism]

Whipped up a EQTOUR format file for those who use ASCOM devices :)

You'll need to rename the file extension to .lst for eqtour to use it though.

[andyc]

I'm much enjoying tackling your list John, thanks for all the work you put into it :thumbsup:. I'm up to 280/600, though I have the advantage (cheat?) of having viewed some of them from north of the Equator! Added 18 last night in a lovely tour of Puppis , Vela and Pyxis, using your list and SkyAtlas 2000, finding some hidden gems along the way. My last and favourite was the little NGC2972 cluster, a sparkling mound of dust almost hidden away.

It's also making me look for some things I don't always seek out, like the carbon stars and doubles, which is nice too!

A great list!

[ausastronomer]

Hi Andy,

Glad to hear your enjoying the list and getting a good ways through it.

I am just moving into a new house in Kiama in a couple of weeks on a 1 acre block on the outskirts of town with mag 6+ skies in the backyard. I am going to set myself a test to see if I can revisit all of these from my backyard in the 14" SDM. If I can get them all in the 14" from home I am then going to try for them all in the 10" SDM, which will be very tough from this location. I should get the 10" SDM within the next couple of months, if my good friend Mr Read extracts his didgit and gets his sheds built :)

Cheers,
John B

[ausastronomer]

Hi Grant,

Seeing you have done so many "hard yards" you can now cheat a little :) A Gary Kopff supplied Argo Navis unit takes a lot of the pain out of it :)

Cheers,
John B

[Gem]

The old dob and Sky Atlas 2000 have done many a nights observing... but now the dob is retired in a shed in QLD and the CGEM 925 is the main scope.
The C9.25 is doing a great job. I have been dabbling in imaging for the past 6 months... very much the amateur when it comes to that!
I need to count, but I would guess that I am near to 300 now. Need to stop imaging for a while.
My wife has promised a 16" dob, but it will probably come when the tax return comes... :)

With a 16" I will have no excuses not to finish the list! Our new place in Canberra has quite decent skies for a city location.

[andyc]

Hi John, it would be very interesting to hear if you can see all the faint ones / split all the tight doubles with the 14". Some of the close and unequal ones are too tough for the 8"! I'm up past 380 now as the centre of the galaxy has wandered into the evening sky. I've been pleasantly surprised how many of the Leo/Virgo galaxies I've seen from Melbourne, though you have to wait for the good nights. I reckon I can reach 500 with the 8", of which maybe 400 are visible in southern suburban skies (milky way visible but faint, LMC barely visible). 25 or so of my tally I've only seen because of having been in the Northern Hemisphere. A few more trips to dark skies might take my tally well above 500 with the 8", the rest will have to wait at least till I get my dream scope - my own 12" or similar. I don't doubt that some are probably too tough for even a 12"! Thanks again for the great challenge :thumbsup:

[ausastronomer]

Hi Andy,

That's a really great effort to get that far with an 8" scope. The critical thing is sky conditions and you obviously have pretty decent conditions. Under pristine skies there are probably only a handfull (10 to 20) that are out of reach of a good 8"/10" scope. It's very refreshing to see people trying for these with with smaller scopes. I try to push my 18" to the limits and hunt targets that are on the limit for that aperture ( Arp Galaxies & Palomar globs, etc).

Cheers,
John B

[1kmodem]

:thumbsup:Glad I came across this! can't wait to get started

[CAAD9]

The BAM600? Great, I need a new list. After 20 years of small aperture newts, which mostly collected dust, I decided to get into it properly and bought a push to 10" dob last year.

Wow what a difference, I chose the Messier catalogue to get started on ( I'm up to 91/110 :) ). Since I am coming to the end of what's possible from brisbane I have been scratching around for a new target list.

Since the 10 was getting used every second night the wife gave permission for a 14" goto dob when an opportunity came to get one on special. Size does matter, 14 teases out a lot more than the 10.

Thank you for putting this list together John.

Regards

Adam

[GrampianStars]

:thumbsup:
Adam Great effort there

[CAAD9]

Thanks Rob.

I have to confess 5 of the 91 were found with the goto. But, the telescope itself is a tool, so one more layer to the tool can't really hurt. Or is that cheating?

Anyways, only 4 more to go that have a declination of 20 or less. It's all the northern stuff after that, will be a challenge from Brissie.:)

[bigjoe]

A belated thank you for this list John; that you have tirelessly put together.

I will be going through it at years end, when I have set up an observation
shed at a property in Castelreagh on the outskirts of Sydney that I have.

Let's hope some of us report on what we have seen in certain scopes that we possess; mine will probably be with a 10" SCT hope it is good enough!

Cheers bigjoe.

[CognitiveBias]

Great job glad to have found this :)

[gaseous]

I'm obviously very much a johnny-come-lately on this thread, but huge thanks to John B for this AMAZING list.

[ausastronomer]

I am not sure if anyone in Oz has completed this list but I can tell you that Brad Young from the USA who has been on 3 OZsky trips in the last 5 years has completed all but 10 targets on the list, necessitating his return next year to another OZsky event to finish it. Brad has managed to achieve this from only 16 nights observing. What is even more remarkable is that he has sketched all 590 of the objects he has observed to date. While Brad pulled "all nighters on the 6 clear nights we experienced at last week's Spring Ozsky event, it's still a remarkable effort. An accurately pointing Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer was certainly instrumental in helping Brad observe so many targets in a short period of time.

Cheers
John B

[FourOwls]

Hi there
Thanks for your efforts but it is also nice to see people committed to something 'nature focused' and real! I live in Logan City (near Brisbane) and I hope that I can (with my slightly old 12 inch Dob) get through most of this list! Well, it provides focus and rids that aimless star hopping anyway!
Cheers!
Andrew Hill

[Bendy]

Hi all,

Has the Bam600 list been converted into a SkySafari observing list (.skylist)? If so, I'd be most grateful if someone could share it as I don't fancy trying to create it myself! ;)

Regards

Ben

[ausastronomer]

Hi Ben,

I have no idea of the format required for upload to Sky Safari.

If someone can tell me what format is needed for Sky Safari, I might be able to create the file for you.

Cheers
John B

[Steffen]

The Sky Safari FAQ gives some hints, see question 23:
http://www.southernstars.com/support/faq/skysafari.html

Also, this might be useful:
http://skygazerlists.com/using-list-converter/

[Bendy]

Hi Gents

Thanks for your help.

John - a kind offer. I don't know how easy it would be as the Sky Safari format appears to have unique numbers assigned to each object - I can't tell if these are reserved to the program or are a more widely used astronomical reference. It might just be easiest for me to work with your existing formats for the list.

Regards

Ben

[Steffen]

This question is answered in the FAQ above. Just put -1, -1 and SS will fill in the blanks (if it finds the object in any of its catalogues).

[Bendy]

Sorry Steffen, I didn't read your post correctly. Thanks for clarifying :)

[gaseous]

For anyone interested, I've created a SkySafari observing list for John's "Bambo's 600". There were a few objects which I could not get SkySafari to recognize, so let's call it "Bambo's 594, give or take".

[miker]

Hi Patrick, will you be making the Skylist available to IIS members?

Michael.

[ausastronomer]

I'll get in touch with Andrew (RocketBoy) who can contact Patrick and get it uploaded to the relevant thread under projects and articles (where all the other files are)

Cheers
John B

[gaseous]

Absolutely Michael, I tried to upload it in my message but the file type isn't recognized. Happy to email it (if it attaches) to anyone interested, and hopefully one of the mods can make it a sticky somewhere.

[gaseous]

Hi all, hopefully there is a .zip file attached with the Bambo's 600 list attached as a .csv and .skylist file for SkySafari. There's also a .txt and .pdf file explaining a couple of minor discrepancies between John's original excel spreadsheet and what SkySafari has in its database of objects. Hope it works for you all. Thanks again to John for such a great list.

[miker]

Thanks Patrick, loaded straight into Skysafari Observing Lists. :thumbsup:

Mchael.

[EpickCrom]

Thank you John for creating this list:thumbsup:

Thank you Patrick for making it available for Sky Safari :thumbsup:

This is one of the many perks of being a ISS member :thanx::thumbsup::bowdown:

[geoffl]

Thanks for the List !

Great !:)

[ausastronomer]

My list has been listed as a supplementary list to the Southern Skies Telescope Observing list with the Astronomical League (AL), on their website, for the past 14 years.

It's just had an UPGRADE.

The Astronomical League will now issue an endorsed certificate to anyone who has completed this list.

Is there anyone still around here on IIS who has completed the list, or pretty close to it ? If you send me a PM or an email, I can put you in touch with the Southern Skies observing program Co Ordinator at the AL to receive the certificate.

They will update their website within the coming weeks.

You don't need to be a member of the Astronomical League to receive the Certificate. Any Amateur Astronomer who has completed the list can receive the Certificate.

Cheers
John B

[ausastronomer]

The Astronomical League have updated their website already.

Here is the link to the relevant page

https://www.astroleague.org/observing-program-division-announcement-bambury-600/

Cheers
John B