Astronomy

[frances_larina]

I have a nice 130mm refractor and my friends have the big guns. Planets and some star clusters are much better through my smaller scope.

Cindi

It's funny, we now have a simple but comfortable collection.  But no combination of scope & eyepiece has recreated the feeling when our initial homebuilt dob had it's first light and we stumbled upon the double cluster.

[jeni]

I'm a professional astronomer, does that count?

However, I don't know anything much about stars, and have a hard time finding the Big Dipper sometimes.... but my telescopes are measured in meters, not millimeters. :-)

[frances_larina]

Like a cat my sense of curiosity often gets the better of me...

Jeni, how does a professional astronomer not know "anything much about stars" and not be able to find the Big Dipper (assuming your are No. Hemisphere)?

[jeni]

 

I do radio astronomy, where stars are relatively irrelevant (except when they're forming, dying, or returning to life as pulsars).

[stephaniec]

I'm a Scorpio

[Joelene9]

  Radio astronomy does count! Welcome, Jeni, to the Dark Site (no heavy breathing here) where we find and catalog far photon sources, no matter their wavelength! We have a few radio astronomy amateurs out there as well. Jeni, did you got bit during your college years? Or as an attachment of an engineering or physics degree? You are not alone. There are a lot of "optical bandwidth" professional astronomers out there are from the same type. They have a hard time visualizing the constellations as well.

Joelene

[jeni]

 

I didn't get into astronomy until grad school. I came at it from the engineering side, though my undergrad was in physics also. That's part of why I'm such a lousy casual astronomer: I was only vaguely interested in astro stuff until I started looking for places to point an antenna. And once you've spent some time observing billion solar mass black holes, puny little stars start to seem sort of blase.... 

I've actually done some optical observing as well, though never on anything much less than a few meters across. So I'm pretty spoiled in that band, too.

But yes, most of the astronomers I know are not particularly good at constellation-finding. Astrophysics is pretty far removed from the Zodiac.

[cindianna_jones]

I know most of the constellations in the northern hemisphere. I probably can point a scope manually to a hundred or so bright galaxies, globs, nebulae, and planetary nebulae. Oh... and then there are a few really nice star clusters. I've used some big scopes. I used to design and build scopes. And I've had my fair share of looking, sharing, photographing, variable star luminance measuring, discovering, and verifying discoveries.

My principle scope used to be an eighteen inch reflector. Now it's a five inch AP refractor. It doesn't matter what you look through as long as the scope has good optics. There are literally tens of thousands of things to see in scopes in these ranges.

But to see an image of what the constellation represents? I don't see them either except in one and that is Scorpius. It really does look like a scorpion.

Cindi

[Joelene9]

  I have an 18" and 10" both F/4.5 Newtonian telescopes. I still manage to go out and do some imaging with the neuropathy problems with my feet the past 3 years. The type of neuropathy (CIDP) I have was found and I am getting the proper treatment for that. I will be out next month to a star party for 10 days camping out with my 18" in my homemade observatory dome. I have volunteered to help setup the field a day before the gates open for the past several years. A record number of registrants for that this year.
  I have done minor planet confirmations since 2002 at my club's Dark Sky Site (DSS). I am a board member of my club and on the DSS committee. I have done more DSS maintenance than observing runs due to the neuropathy flare-ups which are quite painful with loss of motor in portions of both feet. A lot better now with the monthly treatments. A list of objects is being compiled for this.
  I have been an amateur astronomer since 1962 when Glenn went into orbit. Opened my darkroom in 1967 while in Junior High. Started doing more serious imaging in 1983 when I got the 10". Got the 18" in 1991 and both telescopes have been modified since. Over 680 finished CCD camera images logged in my spreadsheet not counting the stuff I have still on negatives and slides and of the asteroid and comet chases. I have 2 photo albums of the film images I made and I took them to the public events in the past.

Joelene

[cindianna_jones]

I too have neuropathy in my extremities. I find it difficult to walk without falling down. I also have autonomic neuropathy. Cool huh? That with a broken neck has put me completely out of work by my medicos. I can't do anything that requires long periods of standing or sitting (that would be three minutes for standing and twenty for sitting up in a chair) Neither am I allowed to lift anything weighing more than five pounds. So I have sort of a NASA flight couch where I can lean back and pull the Ergotron mounted computer monitor over my lap and adjust it to the right height and I use a lap board with a bluetooth keyboard for my writing. I have to switch back and forth from left to right handed work and from a mouse to a trackpad or the pain becomes excruciating.

So, how do I do astronomy? I either use my observatory where I can sit or stand at my leisure or I visit with friends who help me set up the refractor. My observatory is fitted with a C14 at the moment and I can put a camera on it to do real work or mostly in the past few years, I just look through it. When using the camera with my refractor or Tak Mewlon, I do it from inside the house. It's much warmer there in the winter I do have the appropriate equipment to do minor planet data catching and I was going to do that when my health issues got in the way.

It's really sad, but I've put my place up for sale. 40 acres near Yosemite in some really great dark skies. I just can't manage the place by myself anymore. Within 3 or 4 years I better be relocated. Life sucks sometimes. But the good news is I have had great A1C levels for the past 4 years. I got off all the drugs and lost some weight. Now I severely restrict my carbohydrate intake and I don't eat meat. I also walk every day for a half hour. That has put an end to high glucose levels. I wish doctors knew how to give that advice to diabetic patients instead of just prescribing pills and injections. I could have done it a long time ago. I had to figure it out by myself.

Now, how did we degenerate into health issues? Oh, yeah, you started it!

Astronomy rocks!
Cindi

[Joelene9]

  It took over 35 years for the doctors to diagnose this. It hid behind a resistant athlete's foot infection that spanned that time. The athlete's foot was cured, but the pain remained. It took several attempts of pain relievers and getting on Medicaid to finally get the right neurologist with the right diagnoses. I did a lot of workarounds such as getting up after getting the imaging run started, walk back and forth 800' to the warming hut. Just to alleviate the pain. Walking did help some until the last phase of this happened. It became a 24-7 odyssey of severe pain and sleepiness. My observing runs became limited to less than 10 nights a year. I would get up whenever to get the house in order, some club business done and other things. CIDP is an autoimmune disorder. It would of been put down 35 years ago if I was prescribed Prednisone. This disorder was known in 1952 when the first human trials for Prednisone was used on them according to a white paper I found. This is treatable with 90% effectiveness. CIDP is a rare disorder that my Dr. did not know what it was.
  I hope to get back to do more observing on a more regular basis.

  Health issues on an astronomy thread? Another of my forum groups is astronomy based and most of us are over 60. A lot of geriatric health issues, surgeries, creaking and the like on their version of General Discussions!

Joelene

[cindianna_jones]

Well Jolene, I wish I could honestly say that it's nice to know someone else is in a similar situation but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Believe me, I'd rather be working in my chosen profession rather than trying to get by on 4 percent of what I used to make a decade on. And worst of all it is invisible, so I can't discuss disability issues and finance with most people. Since they can't see the problem, they figure you're a leech.

Still, with all the hassles, it is a joy to get out under a dark sky with friends.

Cindi

[KathyLauren]

Astronomy can be one of the cheapest hobbies there is.

I am into astrophotography, which can be one of the most expensive hobbies there are.  I have an 8" f/4 Newtonian and an 11" SCT.

[cindianna_jones]

I am into astrophotography, which can be one of the most expensive hobbies there are.  I have an 8" f/4 Newtonian and an 11" SCT.

Yes, it can be one of the most expensive as well. But you can start out really cheap just by going to a star party and looking through the other scopes. Most groups sort of make it a rule to let others look. But when you get into liquid cooled cameras, high end refractors or RCT's, and a custom observatory, yeah, it gets up there. But even at that, you are still in it for less than buying a Harley or getting an RV or any number of the more expensive pastime.

Look up!
Cindi

[Joelene9]

  It can be expensive. However in my case, I bought both of my telescopes long ago. Both telescopes are of the 1984 vintage, but my 10" was bought new. The 18" in 1991, used. Both telescopes were modified over the years to improve performance with most of those modifications done by myself. Both telescopes the mods amounted to half of what I originally paid for them. The 10" does not resemble the the Meade OEM version I got new. The original drive corrector was gutted and a new, stable circuit of my own design installed with an autoguider port installed as well.
  My first CCD camera was also a stand-alone guider and this model I seen in the professional observatories. I used that to autoguide my film images in the latter 1990's with some images done with a Win 95 laptop. Crude images, this particular camera model was the one the amateurs cut their teeth on. My second CCD camera lasted 6 years until I bought a newer version with an external autoguider/ image stabilizer port and a much cleaner CCD chip inside. This camera I had for 7 years now. Both of those earlier cameras were sold. I foresee no new purchases here as my finances are month to month. But overall, if you spread out the cost over the years of use, you'll find the hobby quite cheap.
  I do see the fellows whom buy a new system every 2 years with all of the bells and whistles attached. The Ritchey–Chrétien telescope (RCT) types with their huge mounts and large cameras that automatically slews to the objects you program in. These guys just setup the observing run then go to bed. These fellows also come to the sites with an RV with a Harley strapped to the back. I'll stick with my little camera, homemade portable dome and both of my push-to telescopes. 415 people to my next event coming up in 9 days have signed up. Types of telescopes at these events runs the whole gamut.

Joelene

[cindianna_jones]

Joelene, we'd get along just fine in the dark!

Cindi

[KathyLauren]

But when you get into liquid cooled cameras, high end refractors or RCT's, and a custom observatory, yeah, it gets up there. But even at that, you are still in it for less than buying a Harley or getting an RV or any number of the more expensive pastime.

I have the cooled camera and observatory.  But you are right: what I have spent in total on the hobby is less than the price of a tricked-out Harley.

[Joelene9]

  I went to the event mentioned in a pick-up with a bicycle strapped to the back. I got a couple of images done and some much missed bike riding done. I need no stinking Harley! My neuropathy is responding to the treatment, but there is still the fatigue that comes with the neuropathy and the treatment, a double whammy. I get around that on most of the good nights we had. One of the images I took there of a polar ring galaxy.

A picture of NGC 660:

[schwarzwalderkirschtort]

i don't know anything about astronomy really to be honest, but i love to look at stars. in the past month i've seen three shooting stars! i go out at night and sit in my back yard with some music and just look at the stars. it's nice

[bmapwv]

I am currently rebuilding my 10" f/5.6 Dobber. The main scope assembly is done but I need to make the box and fit the bearings and the whole thing has to be light enough for me to lift. A few years ago that was not an issue but now I have arms that look like transplanted chicken legs compared to the muscly, beefy ones of old. Picking up the old base box was simply out of the question and so a new, lighter one is needed.

One of these days .....