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

["Wagner,Rick [NCR]" <Rick.Wagner2@ec.gc.ca>]

I think you have just supported my point, Ken (Lowther).  While
personally _I_ would like to have access to a sophisticated CCD equipped
instrument and doing science would be terrrific, your club president
wants a visual instrument.  You are proposing to build an instrument
which is not capable of serving the needs of members like him who want
to look through the scope.  I would enjoy the science side, but I also
enjoy the spiritual thrill of getting out under the night sky, observing
visually, communing with friends and nature, teaching the beginners,
learning from the experts.  I wouldn't get that sitting in a bright room
peering at a computer monitor.  And it seems unlikely to me that you
would get a significant number of members in there observing together -
an observing party in somebody's basement?

And, Ken (Hunter), who is to say that ALL members would have the least
interest in searching for near earth objects.  It would likely be
totally unproductive (though imagine having your name on the object that
destroys the human race!), many would find it devastatingly boring, and
I'm not sure I would really call it "science".  I think photometry or
astrometry, or colour magnitude work perhaps would be far more useful
and productive.  But it is only a personal choice.

Hence my recommendation that a club should build a general purpose scope
to which individual members, or small groups, or even, later, the whole
club can add specialized instrumentation.

Rick Wagner
Ottawa Centre  RASC
45d27'16.6"N 75d31'34.9"W


---------------------------------

Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 15:04:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ken Lowther <s0109366@cc.ysu.edu>
Subject: Re: ATM Astronomy Club's Choice: Big DOB or CCD?

On Thu, 9 Jul 1998, Ken Hunter wrote:

> 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.
> 

I would agree with your disagreement.  Our club president is an avid
visual astronomer.  We have most of what we need to finish up a 25 inch
cassagrain.  He is pushing to mount the mirror dob.  My argument is that
we  have plenty of scopes to be used visually.  While there is nothing
wrong with using a scope for visual pleasure, there is nothing wrong
with
doing a little science either!

Ken Lowther  
s0109366@cc.ysu.edu
Youngstown, Ohio  USA