Taking up astronomy

I sure hope folks will bring their scopes to the QZ rally!

Hi Tom,

Blimey, this is an old topic still on the front of the board!

Well I thought it worth putting this information up if anyone does read it.

I am into photography - will put something up about this elsewhere - and really fancied getting into Astro Photography. So I joined what I consider to be the best forum for information and suggest anyone interested join. They are a great bunch of people and will give you as much help and advice as you need:

http://stargazerslounge.com/

Having spent a few thousand pound on the gear I then discovered I was struggling. This is because I suffer with pure double vision! I see two of everything. Sounds awful but like everything if you have had the problem for a long time - I believe over 30 years - then it is just normal. My eyes are not crossed and no the optician cannot sort it out! So every time I tried to align the scope to set it up I was struggling to see the stars to calibrate off! Well in truth I could see too many of them!

In the end I gave it up and sold most, but not all yet of my kit.

Best regards

Chris

Aye, this is an old tooic. We don't seem to have too many discussions on this subject.

Ev though this is an old topic, i'll add my 2 cents worth. The best prices on equipment are at Astronomics. Their web site also has an excellent section on how to pick a telescope. See http://astronomics.com/main/category.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/How%20to%20pick%20a%20telescope/Page/1

Joel

This is coincidental. It just so happens that today is the first day of the annual Star Party at the Grand Canyon. It is amazing. The skies at the Canyon are about as clear as you will see in North America. The party lasts for the next week. About 60 telescopes from the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association will be set up in the Visitor's Center parking lot from dusk till dawn with free viewing for every one. If you love astronomy and are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon then try and time your visit for the middle of June near the New Moon phase.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm

Don't know how clear the skies at Grand Canyon are going to be. Between the pollution from the coal-fired power plants in the area and the smoke from the fires, our blue skies aren't.

Wendy

Greetings,

Astronomer here also. I am a astrophotographer and use to shoot film. Hypered my film so I could shoot longer without reciprocity failer (where the film stops being sensitive after the first few minutes). Digital is the way to go now a days.

Selecting an RV that can haul my scope is one of my considerations.

Astronomy is a part of nature and enjoyable hobby that doesn't require a lot of money. You can buy a dobsonian telescope that can see a lot of things for a few hundered dollars. Best!

Greetings,

Keeping the thread alive (and RV related), perhaps interested members could attempted to have a mini rally at one of the star parties where astronomy and astrophotography take place. I'd suggest the Texas Star Party or the Oregon Star Party. One could plan other sight seeing trips before or after the star party. Might even get someone who is a bit more knowledgeable to show us the ropes on taking digital shots at the shows. Best!

CamperAl,

Where and when do these parties take place??

Hi Jim and all,

The Oregon Star Party was August 14th through the 19th this year. Great viewing as I have been there several times. Here is a link: http://www.oregonstarparty.org/index.cfm      You can see the milky way from one end of the horizon to the other!!! Location is 45 miles east of Prineville, Oregon.

It will be held near a new moon date next year (better seeing without the moon) sometime around August. Very pretty scenery.

The Texas Star Party will be held May 5th to the 12th, 2013 next year. Here is a link to that one as well: http://texasstarparty.org/ 
and is near Fort Davis, Texas. The McDonald Observatory is close by and can be toured.

I might add for new comers to the astronomy star parties that making sure you have no bright lights on during observing time is a requirement. Takes about 30 minutes to get your eyes adapted to dark settings. Plus some sensitive equipment in use that could get fried with a sudden burst of headlights or inside lighting turned on. Most astronomers pull lights out or put a red filter over lighting so it isn't a problem. These places don't accept light night arrivals  for the same reason. There not unfriendly but many people have time, mileage and equipment invested in these star parties. New comers welcomed for sure. Just ask questions.

One thing we might be able to do is set up near either place to be part of the star party. There is a lot of room at the OSP. Best!

CamperAl,

Darn, both of those dates clash with our work commitment at Yellowstone NP. Sure sounds like a neat happening! 

Hi Jim,

I'd offer to take your place so you could get to one of the star parties, but I might make a mess  and don't want people to avoid Yellowstone. We plan on going to Yellowstone sometime soon and if at all possible in an RV. I will make an effort to contact you if we do.

There are other star parties also. You  can look those up by simply typing in Star Party in a search engine. Anyone that would go would enjoy it. Nice quiet nights with thousands of stars. At one, Jupiter was casting my shadow on a white chair, that is just  how dark it is at one of these. We might also try to form an informal group of stargazers and have a RV Form Star Gaze. Perhaps Tucson during the winter time. Best to all!

CamperAL,

We will be there all summer this coming year. Pancake Bill will also be there. He's our District Manager.

Greetings,

I know this is an older topic but wanted to post here anyway as there are few topics that are astronomy related.

Don't know if I can get enough interest here or not. Might have to post other places and try to find interested parties but would like to see some sort of activities that are both RV and astronomy related that could be conducted together once or even several times a year if there is enough interest. My idea is a sort of a mobil astronomy club.

Astronomy deals with the physical study/observing of the sky (not to be confused with astrology which is different subject).

One avenue might be to contact astronomers directly. Since I know many astronomers being one myself, I could probably get things rolling.
It would be nice to plan some sort of informal event to get other like minded people or those who might want to learn a bit about stargazing under clear skies. We could stargaze at night and do RV activities by day (usually a bit later in the morning as your always tired after a part night or more under the stars.

I thought this event might coinside with other RV Forum activities, either before or after such events.

I did find one location where a group might stay on the boarder of New Mexico and Arizona. I am not in any way linked to these folks and have yet to contact them. They apparently have groups come in already. I'll post the link I ran across tonight for those who might want to comment and offer up advise. Rates seem reasonable and there would be other astronomy like minded folks. This is just an idea I am throwing out and perhaps there are better places.

http://rustysrvranch.com/home.htm

I realize in the spectrum of RV'n, there are a ton of things that people can do. I want to do many of those myself. I have yet to buy an RV but am working on that. In the mean time I could assess the idea. I have planned a major yearly convention (along with others) and think this could be some fun of a different nature for some of the folks who RV here.

Always interested in ideas thoughts from the experts here. My best!

I can hear the crickets chirping. Apparently there isn't any astronomers here. Oh well.

Since there doesn't seem to be too much interest in Astronomy while RV'n, I thought I might suggest a possible idea. I know that I am new here and it takes time for people to get to know you. I am still about a year out from purchase of an RV (unless the right deal comes along). I plan on attending some of the forum member campouts. I will offer up stargazing to those folks who might want to look threw a decent sized telescope at various objects. Moon, planets and brighter deep sky objects are always attention getting viewing. It is a way to get to know a bit about astronomy and have fun standing around the scope talking while others are looking. I usually have interesting facts I share for such "star parties" and always interested in people throwing out  information that know better than me.

The advantage of this type of star gaze is you can come and go when ever you want. Ideally would try to have a star gaze about ever clear night. Usually you don't have to climb up more than one step of a ladder to see through the eyepiece. I will offer up information when I attend one of these Framily campouts. Quartzite seems like a good spot as well as Catalina State Park.

Usually I have some extraterrestrial objects I pass out as well  Best!

Good idea Al; That could create a real interest in the subject.

A couple of the guys in the photography club I recently started are very active in astro photography. Through a couple of demos and explanations, I've learned that so much of what they "see" is only visible after post processing of the images captured on camera.

Hi Tom,

Astrophotography is something I have participated in for well over 4 decades. I have a lab at my house (which is seldom used these days) and use to process after a night out taking photos. Perhaps I need to post some photos here somewhere. Developing photos right after taking them helps you figure out what you are doing wrong. With the digital cameras these days, with a little effort, you can take some outstanding shots of sky objects. Trick is to start with brighter objects and work your way down to fainter objects. There is also the art of guiding your telescope to follow the object so it doesn't drift in your picture. A complicated process for sure but rewarding when you get a nice shot.

It is one reason astronomers don't want bright street lights around where they are doing astronomy. Things we look at are hundreds of thousands times fainter than a dim setting at night. I like the idea of an invite for people to see things. Craters on the Moon, Saturn's Ring, Jupiter's Moons, double stars, galaxies, nebula and a great many other objects are out there just waiting to be discovered! I'd like to be the astronomer in the group if it's not too far off the norm for people. I am sure we would have fun and always nice to learn a bit about something that is a mystery for most people.

There is also the art of guiding your telescope to follow the object so it doesn't drift in your picture.

Click to expand...

Aye, it's fascinating listening to these guys talk about how they do that.

Every year in June there is a one week star party at the Grand Canyon put on by the Tucson Astronomy Club. About 60 telescopes are set up and there are no street lights for hundreds of miles.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm