Re: ATM Astronomy Club's Choice: Big DOB or CCD?

[Ken Hunter <kb7h@cei.net>]

At 08:56 AM 7/9/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
>You mean like a 10" or 12.5" was a big scope 20 years ago? ;-)  But yes
>I agree - a large dobsonian to start with and in a few years upgrade to
>alt-az tracking is the way I would recommend to go.  The smaller scope
>with a CCD can really only be used by one person at a time, doesn't
>bring people together for observing, is limited as to what it can do -
>for instance novices will be unlikely to ever use it.  The dob can
>always have CCD added later, or members supply their own. 

I would like to dis-agree a bit here...

A CCD camera could be used to advantage by the whole club as a project.
There seems to be a lot of interest in NEA (Near Earth Asteroids) at the
present time, thanks in part to a few recent movies and a NEA that 
started it all. A club project of monitoring a few areas of the sky for
changes would be doable and could include ALL members of the club.

Some would be deciding what area (areas) to watch, others to do the CCD
imaging, others to do the image processing while still others could be
involved in comparing the CCD pictures either thru manual or computer
comparison routines. Just think, your group may find a new comet, or the
asteroid with our name on it.

Indeed one person could HOG a CCD equipped scope but it doesn't have to
end up that way, with a little creative thinking EVERYONE could be involved.

HAPPY GRINDING,

Ken Hunter