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Date: 01 May 2007 16:24:31
From: Dolly Swalerd
Subject: what can one do
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What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
time?
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Date: 02 May 2007 03:12:39
From:
Subject: Re: what can one do
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On May 1, 12:24 pm, "Dolly Swalerd" <D...@nopam.com > wrote:
> What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
> than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
> time?
If your local astronomy club is a member of the Astronomical League or
if you join as an AL Member-at-Large, you could try for some of these
programs and awards:
http://www.astroleague.org/observing.html
The important point is to observe at every opportunity, even if
conditions aren't perfect.
Once you've learned your way around the sky you could volunteer to
help with observing sessions for the general public.
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Date: 01 May 2007 20:33:24
From: SkySea
Subject: Re: what can one do
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- Double-star observing: positions, separations.
- Lunar, planetary (rare) and some asteroid occultation
observing/recording.
- Variable star observing/recording
- Observe/record the orbits of Jupiter's moons, and try to determine
on your own which is which.
- Crescent Moon recovery after New phase.
- Enjoy clusters of stars and brighter nebulae.
- Observe the Sun (eyepiece projection or get a filter for the
objective end).
- Observe phases of Venus.
Gads, there's a UNIVERSE of stuff to look at...
>"Dolly Swalerd" <DS@nopam.com> wrote:
>What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
>than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
>time?
>
=============
- Dale Gombert (SkySea at aol.com)
122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
http://flavorj.com/~skysea
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Date: 01 May 2007 14:39:57
From: W. H. Greer
Subject: Re: what can one do
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On Tue, 01 May 2007, "Dolly Swalerd" wrote:
>What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
>than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
>time?
Related to some of the other suggestions would be maintaining an
observing log -- a record of what was observed when and with what
instrumentation, as well as any other desirable details.
An observing log can be as formal or as informal as desired. One
could use loose pieces of paper, a spiral notebook, a loose-leaf
notebook, a hard-bound 'blank' (or lined) book, a computer, or even a
website or blog. An observing log could be reserved for one's
personal use only, or it could be shared with others.
Regardless, an observing log of some form is highly recommended for
*anyone* involved in this hobby.
--
Bill
Celestial Journeys
http://cejour.blogspot.com
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Date: 01 May 2007 19:43:26
From: Davoud
Subject: Re: what can one do
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Dolly Swalerd wrote:
> What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
> than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
> time?
You could learn to take astrophotographs with it. That's what I'm
trying to learn to do, and I am using a 76mm telescope. One of my
photos (my first-ever CCD image) is here
<http://www.davidillig.com/ast-stl-firstlight061125.shtml >. Another one
is here <http://www.davidillig.com/ast-rosette-Ha.shtml >.
I guarantee you that you will pass /a/ /great/ /deal/ of time learning
this process. At the same time you will learn patience, especially if
you live where you where you are lucky to have two clear nights per
month. But it's still fun for me, and that's why I continue to bang my
head on that wall.
So: whatever you do, have fun.
Davoud
--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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Date: 01 May 2007 16:58:07
From: Sam Wormley
Subject: Re: what can one do
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Dolly Swalerd wrote:
> What kinds of activities with at least an 80mm telescope can one do rather
> than just point and look. Are there astronomy exercises that will pass the
> time?
>
o sketching
http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/
o learn star hopping
http://education.gsu.edu/spehar/FOCUS/Astronomy/star-hop/Star-Hopping.htm
http://calgary.rasc.ca/starhop.htm
o general observing
http://edu-observatory.org/eo/observing.html
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Date: 01 May 2007 15:06:41
From: Dennis Woos
Subject: Re: what can one do
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> o sketching
> http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/
>
The solar observing at NEAF was severely limited by clouds, and we got only
one brief look through a very nice Ha setup. However, the scope's owner
also had on display some of her sketches, and they were fantastic. To
capture such nuanced detail requires excellent observing as well as drawing
skills. So often I see folks take a brief look at a target and then move on
to the next, and I know that they have seen little more than nothing. One
doesn't have to sketch to be a good observer, but one cannot be a good
sketcher without being a good observer.
Dennis - a non-sketcher who fancies himself a decent observer!
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Date: 01 May 2007 21:06:49
From: Sam Wormley
Subject: Re: what can one do
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Dennis Woos wrote:
>> o sketching
>> http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/
>>
>
> The solar observing at NEAF was severely limited by clouds, and we got only
> one brief look through a very nice Ha setup. However, the scope's owner
> also had on display some of her sketches, and they were fantastic. To
> capture such nuanced detail requires excellent observing as well as drawing
> skills. So often I see folks take a brief look at a target and then move on
> to the next, and I know that they have seen little more than nothing. One
> doesn't have to sketch to be a good observer, but one cannot be a good
> sketcher without being a good observer.
>
> Dennis - a non-sketcher who fancies himself a decent observer!
>
>
I can get stuck on the Orion nebula for hours.
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Date: 01 May 2007 20:01:46
From: Davoud
Subject: Re: what can one do
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Dennis Woos wrote:
> The solar observing at NEAF was severely limited by clouds, and we got only
> one brief look through a very nice Ha setup. However, the scope's owner
> also had on display some of her sketches, and they were fantastic. To
> capture such nuanced detail requires excellent observing as well as drawing
> skills. So often I see folks take a brief look at a target and then move on
> to the next, and I know that they have seen little more than nothing. One
> doesn't have to sketch to be a good observer, but one cannot be a good
> sketcher without being a good observer.
That would have been one Erika Rix. I met Ms. Rix in the ground-floor
hallway as she was talking to my old friend Alan Friedman shortly
before the sky started to improve on Sunday. We had a tour of Ms. Rix's
sketchbook. You say fantastic, I say stunning; the point is she does
beautiful work. My feeling is that people who can do what Ms. Rix does
must the most skilled observers of all. Ms. Rix does not have a web
site (yet) but I hope that Alan has persuaded her to start one. The
college's 802.11 network was unavailable on Sunday, but I connected my
MacBook Pro to the Internet via my Verizon Express Card and my forearms
served as a laptop table as Alan showed his site
<http://www.avertedimagination.com > to Ms. Rix.
> Dennis - a non-sketcher who fancies himself a decent observer!
Davoud - a casual observer who fancies himself as one who could
/approximate/ a circle for you if you gave him a saucer, a pencil, and
paper.
--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
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Date: 01 May 2007 15:01:49
From: Shawn
Subject: Re: what can one do
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Davoud wrote:
> Dennis Woos wrote:
>
>> The solar observing at NEAF was severely limited by clouds, and we got only
>> one brief look through a very nice Ha setup. However, the scope's owner
>> also had on display some of her sketches, and they were fantastic. To
>> capture such nuanced detail requires excellent observing as well as drawing
>> skills. So often I see folks take a brief look at a target and then move on
>> to the next, and I know that they have seen little more than nothing. One
>> doesn't have to sketch to be a good observer, but one cannot be a good
>> sketcher without being a good observer.
>
> That would have been one Erika Rix. I met Ms. Rix in the ground-floor
> hallway as she was talking to my old friend Alan Friedman shortly
> before the sky started to improve on Sunday. We had a tour of Ms. Rix's
> sketchbook. You say fantastic, I say stunning; the point is she does
> beautiful work. My feeling is that people who can do what Ms. Rix does
> must the most skilled observers of all. Ms. Rix does not have a web
> site (yet) but I hope that Alan has persuaded her to start one. The
> college's 802.11 network was unavailable on Sunday, but I connected my
> MacBook Pro to the Internet via my Verizon Express Card and my forearms
> served as a laptop table as Alan showed his site
> <http://www.avertedimagination.com> to Ms. Rix.
Some googling found these:
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/hrc.ARCHIVE/2006/2006216.000000-2006216.240000/SpaceWeather/swpod2006/03aug06/rix.jpg
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/hrc.ARCHIVE/2006/2006287.000000-2006287.240000/SpaceWeather/swpod2006/14oct06/rix1.jpg
Very nice.
Shawn
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Date: 01 May 2007 17:02:51
From: Dolly Swalerd
Subject: Re: what can one do
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It's a good start it seems.
>>
>
> o sketching
> http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/
>
> o learn star hopping
>
> http://education.gsu.edu/spehar/FOCUS/Astronomy/star-hop/Star-Hopping.htm
> http://calgary.rasc.ca/starhop.htm
>
> o general observing
> http://edu-observatory.org/eo/observing.html
>
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