Archives for the 'amateur astronomy' Category
Seeing in the Dark
Published on 17 Sep 2007 at 2:18 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under amateur astronomy, books.
Long before I decided to be a physics and astronomy professor, long before I decided to study astronomy, I was fascinated by the sky. When I was in junior high school, my Dad subscribed to Astronomy magazine (which was fairly new at the time). In college, I studied and read about astronomy […]
Seeing and Transparency
Published on 9 Sep 2007 at 2:11 pm.
6 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, atmosphere.
When you want to have some idea how to dress to go to a ball game or a picnic, or even to walk around outdoors, you turn to the radio or television and listen to the weather forecast. If you want more detail, then there are web sites, such as the National Weather Service […]
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My new Sky and Telescope is old
Published on 6 Sep 2007 at 7:31 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, books.
I got my new Sky and Telescope magazine in the mail today. When I opened the packaging, my first thought was, “Wow. What did they do to it?” Then, I had a feeling of deja vu. You see, the October 2007 Sky and Telescope that I was holding in my hand […]
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Alien Eyes
Published on 22 Aug 2007 at 7:23 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under amateur astronomy.
Yesterday I had an eye exam. My eyes require a bit different exam than most people every two to three years. This involves, among other things, extra strong eye drops that dilate my pupils. I can’t drive afterwards, so my girlfriend drove me to the appointment. But, she couldn’t hardly look […]
The Celestron SkyScout
Published on 17 May 2007 at 2:34 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, skywatching.
We recently got a handful of new things for our astronomy classes. And, I got together with a friend and she and I were able to test one of the new arrivals last night. So, I thought that I might share some of my observations. The item is Celestron’s new SkyScout.
The SkyScout […]
After the Rain
Published on 27 Mar 2007 at 4:05 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy.
We just had a very nice rain here. It hasn’t rained in some time, and the air was full of dust and pollen. The rain cleared all that out. The ground had been dry, too, and the rain has helped a bit with the drought. After the storms, it is cooler […]
Eyepiece Filters
Published on 31 Dec 2006 at 8:54 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under amateur astronomy, telescopes.
Once you get comfortable with your telescope, you might want to consider buying filters for your eyepieces. As I said in my eyepiece post a couple of days ago, telescope eyepieces come in standard diameters. For at least half a century, they have also had standard thread in them, allowing threaded filters to […]
