Amateur astronomy Puns

Hopefully one where people speak english :) Or Spanish or Portuguese, although I think those might be more unlikely lol

Stupid, simple but serious question here. What do you like about amateur astronomy? When I saw some pictures of what is possible to see with amateur telescopes, well, i was a bit dissapointed (for example this: HERE Planets are almost like dots ..and better not to mention nebulas or galaxies... Many people must go and they really go out of cities, like many many km by car to dark place, to actually see something (a dot). Why do they do that? Is it just the visual part of it what you appreciate? Or do you like the process itself of finding objects? (Then why someone would buy those goto telescopes?) Or what do you actually like? Sorry if the question seems a bit dishonouring, I do not mean it, I am just curious :) also note that I have never watched the sky through telescope, so maybe this is why i need to even ask such a obvious question.

I'm looking to get a nice pair of binoculars (maybe a good portable telescope down the line) for some night sky viewing. Anyone know a good spot with low light pollution? I don't have a car but don't mind a little bit of a hike for good opportunities. Any tips appreciated!

Hi Miltonians,

I'm new to the town. I'm really into stargazing and wonder if there are some places in/near Milton that are suitable for stargazing using naked eyes and telescopes?

Thank you:)

Let's say someone has the best equipment money can buy. They also have a ton of expertise. What is approximately the maximal focal length at which you can take good pictures?

By good I mean that we can track accurately, and that with enough good weather and lucky imaging, you can get a relatively detailed image, not just a blur of light?

EDIT: or to put it differently, what is the minimum apparent diameter for an object, where we can still take a decent image of it with the best consumer equipment out there?

I will be moving to Tonopah later this year and it occured to me that since it's so far away from any big cities, the area will be perfect for stargazing. Just drive a few miles outside of town.

On a side note, needing to include the words nevada or silver state in every thread title is annoying.

Anyone able to ID the telescope make and model at the 49 min mark. I assume it has been painted and maybe a piece added to give it a different look but I think I know what it is.

Not that I need a radio telescope in my backyard but how possible/impossible would it be for various wavelengths?

My fiancé and I really want to bust out our telescope on Monday for the Saturn/Jupiter thing. But we don't really know of any places where there's low light pollution.

Plus, I was curious if Athens had an astronomy club or anything and would like to meet up with some other hobbyists!

Recommendations for places or any info is much appreciated!

What*

It seem to me since I was young (long time ago) the main advance in amateur scopes has been the Dobsonian. Does anyone produce other newer technology scopes? If not why? Are there no new developments? Am I missing something here. I should be able to buy a small very light portable scope (physical disability) for direct viewing without my only serious option being the small Questar. If that’s the only thing even close I guess I have no other viable options.

Hello! I recently had my proposal for a new club on camps approved. I started the Mountaineer Skywatching Club this month. I want to be able to share my love of the night sky with App State and the Boone community as a whole, and have a place for astronomy enthusiasts to gather. We'll go stargazing on the Parkway, set up telescopes to look at planets on the Sanford Mall, learn about the basics of the fun side of astronomy, and maybe even travel to places like the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute. If you're interested in the club, send me a PM with your app state email so I can send you an invite to the appsync page. We also have a discord server.

Keep looking up!

Hi all,

I hope I can ask this question here after reading the rules. If not, feel free to remove this.

My background: I'm working in the technology sector for 15 years having a master in computer science. My hobby however is also astronomy and astrophotography.

I would actually like to combine both domains and maybe create a software project for amateur astronomers.

So my question to you all: is there anything today that you're missing while doing your hobby from a software point of view?

I'm not looking at the following:

- software for image acquisition: have enough there with NINA, APT, sharpcap etc.

- software for stacking: have enough there with DSS, autostackert, ...

- software for image editing: have enough there with pixinsight, gimp, photoshop, ...

- also have enough software such as cartes du ciel/skychart, stellarium etc.

However, I'm wondering: is there anything else you are missing today? Something that could make your hobby easier/less frustrating?

Thanks for letting me know!