In case anyone is interested in observing targets for this new moon cycle, I'd
like to remind you
about TAC's Observing Reports Archives:

http://observers.org/reports/

For several years TAC-SAC's Randy Muller was the archivist, and is responsible
for their format
and structure. If you like how they look (or hate it), let Randy know, I'm just
the labor. ;-)

I'll also mention an exchange between Steve Gottlieb and me from Saturday
evening, pertinent to
the observing report archives. We were picking objects off a list I put
together, and Steve
commented that the description I had included sounded rather familiar. Many of
us know what an
observing monster Steve is, responsible in great part for descriptions in such
references as The
Night Sky Observers Guide, and the mammoth NGC-IC project (www.ncgic.org - but
here's Steve's
contributions - http://www.ngcic.org/gottlieb/default.htm ). So, when Steve
commented, I had to
admit it was his description. But I also mentioned where and how I get
descriptions...

First I look in TAC's Observing Reports Archives. I told Steve I did this in
order to have
variety in the types of descriptions, otherwise, they'd all be his! I then
said, next I go to the
NGC-IC Project, which almost invariably turns out to be his descriptions. But,
it turns out many
of the descriptions in TAC's OR Archives are also Steve's (when I do a search of
the archives for
a particular object). So, the truth is, a good majority of the descriptions I
use, and that we'll
find out in the Internet ether, probably belong to our fellow TACo!

Still, there are others I include. Muller, Huey, Johnston, my own, Dillon,
Jardine... variety
makes it more interesting. So.... send in your OR's. They get archived (OMG!
Back to 1995!). And
do go to a good use - people all over the Internet read 'em. And don't think
"beginner" reports
are unwanted, fact is, those are the ones that get more people out observing!

Mark