Astronomy Hacks

Use a Voice Recorder for Logging

Don’t write it, speak it.

Traditionally, amateur astronomers have kept written logs of their observations, and most still do today. An increasing number, though, have started using a voice recorder to supplement or replace their written log sheets.

There are a lot of benefits to using a voice recorder:

• Most important, using a voice recorder encourages you to record more detailed observations.

• Because you can log your observations while you’re right at the scope, looking through the eyepiece, your records tend to be more accurate and to include details you might overlook if you have to move to your chart table to write them down.

• A voice recorder can actually help you make better observations in an absolute sense because it encourages you to look more closely at the object as you search for details to speak into the recorder.

• Using a voice recorder saves precious observing time. What takes you 15 seconds to dictate into a voice recorder may take you 5 minutes to write down on a paper log sheet.

There are two types of voice recorder available:

Mini-cassette recorders

These devices are miniaturized versions of a standard tape recorder. They use small, dictation-size magnetic tape cassettes and are very inexpensive. You can find them in big-box stores selling for $25 or less. Unfortunately, that’s about the best that can be said of them. The tapes they use are fragile, particularly in cold weather, which may cause the tape to break. Because they have a motor, ...