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Visiting the Great Observatories |  |
Astro Imaging |
Close Enough, for Now:I have to agree with the gross over-generalization stating many astronomers are astronaut-wannabes. It's obvious I fit into this category. Until space travel is affordable, and not the exclusive regime of highly-trained people, the best one can do is look out the window at the magnificent spectacles in the heavens. Sounds good to me... if I can't get there any other way. ("Zits" copyright 2002, King Features Syndicate)
One of the best ways to learn your way around the
sky, and learn about the fun of observing the heavens, is to find
your local astronomy club. Some cities have more than one
astronomical organization, and you might be surprised how many
folks from many walks of life, are interested in observing. Just
try a search on the Web, and you'll find one near you. After
finally settling down in Texas, I found a great
astro-organization in San Antonio (logo link). Not only do we
talk stars, planets, and deep space objects, we have a large
public outreach program for local schools, community events, and
regular star parties. These are large observing sessions, usually
at a location well away from city lights, where you can look
through a whole bunch of different types of scopes, at a lot of
different celestial sights. If you want to check out whether you
might really get into astronomy, or want to test drive a
particular telescope, this is a great way to do it, and get
plenty of informed, friendly advice from experienced people.
Here's the most important rule I've learned about
telescopes: never ever buy a department store telescope! You
know, the kind they sell around Christmas-time. They are poor
quality, darned near useless, and you can't see what you want to
see. You need to spend at least U.S. $300.00 to get a real
telescope. The best advice I know is to read a good basic guide
like the one at Sky and Telescope Magazine or the Astronomical League.
I am happy to have two of
the three basic types of telescopes: a refractor, and a compound
scope. Refractors (left) are the 
traditional looking long tubes with lenses in both
ends. The second type of scope is the reflector, which uses a
mirror at one end of a tube to gather light. A compound scope
(right) uses both lenses and mirrors to fold the light path into
a much shorter tube.
A compound scope is also called a "catadioptric (meaning: pertaining to both types of optics)" or "cat." My specific type of cat is a Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope (SCT), which is named for the inventors. You may notice a cat sitting under the refractor in the photo on the left. This cat is not at all related to the SCT cat. I married into cats - so please have a heart if you're a dog person.
Small Scope Specifications: The refractor is a Orion model ED80, with an 80mm (3.1 inch) objective (main lens) and 600mm F/7.5 focal length. It is mounted on an Meade LXD-500 German Equatorial Mount (GEM), and has been retrofitted with sturdy set of Al's Oak Legs. Here's my full review of this scope.
Bigger Scope Specifications:
The SCT is a Meade model LX-90, with a 305 mm (12 in) objective,
3048 mm F/10 focal length, using an altitide-azimuth (alt-az)
fork mount, the Autostar computer system, all sitting on a Meade
Field Tripod. I was an early adopter of the larger 12 inch/305mm
LX-90, having owned the original 8 inch/203mm size since 2001. Read my early review and see a comparison of both
scopes here.
In 2006, I purchased what is almost a revolution in sun-watching: the small, affordable Coronado Personal Solar Telescope (PST). It is a basic refracting telescope, but with a specialized filter which isolates the hydrogen alpha (HA) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This allows us to see the Sun's active outer atmosphere (coronasphere), including solar flares.
Newest Scope: Like many amateur astronomers, I
develop strong opinions on equipment. I have always enjoyed the
beautiful views available in apochromatic refractors, plus their
clean & simple design. I'd always planned to get a larger
example of this original telescope design, but with 21st century
enhancements. So, in Spring 2007, I ordered a TMB (Thomas M.
Back) Signature Series 130mm (5.1 inch) refractor. This
instrument is a triplet (3 lens) design with a 910mm F/7 focal
length. TMB is a builder of premium refractors, with what many
would consider premium prices. Fortunately, their SS line brings
all the qualities of a top drawer apo design into a more
affordable price range. In the field, this instrument is simply
stunning on the planets and the Moon, and holds its own against
deep sky objects with its medium aperature and high contrast. See my full review of the TMB 130 SS. The scope rides very well on a Meade LXD-75
Autostar-computerized German Equatorial Mount.
Meade Instruments Corporation, Celestron International and Orion Telescopes & Binoculars are the three big scope companies. I have had a chance to sample multiple products from all three, and all make or supply very good quality instruments.
