Been a while
I am pleased. I put together my new telescope today, and after some trouble figuring out how to work the equatorial mount, went viewing the stars tonight. My list of objects viewed is as follows:
The Moon
Jupiter
The Pleiades (M 45)
Aldebaran
Vega
Altair
The only problem was that the light pollution of the harvest moon, and the lights were I live, made viewing difficult. However viewing should be better as the moon wanes, and I know several places in the area were general light pollution is lessened.
I cannot wait for the winter constellations to start rising earlier. The Crab and Orion nebulas will be easily visible, as well as a myriad other objects. I know there are just as many in the summer sky, but I know the winter constellations better, and it will be easier finding guide stars.
In his book, The Varieties of Scientific Experience, Carl Sagan quotes the poet Edward Young “The undevout astronomer is mad.” Now I do not wholly agree with that statement, as I am not a religious person; however, I can agree that looking through the telescope can be humbling. I think you really cannot get a concrete idea on the immense size and age of the universe without looking at distant objects in the night sky. It is easy on an abstract level of course to say that the universe is big, and it is just as easy to say that the universe is 13.5 billion years old. However when you start to study astronomy, and look for yourself the abstract becomes concrete, and it is humbling. Because in a universe of 13.5 billion years, what is our life span of 70-100 years but less than a blink of an eye?
All in all, I am reminded of a tea shirt I used to see at cons, with the picture of the milky way, with an arrow and a circle pointing to one of the spiral arms, with the caption “you are here”. However, there is another thought, that for all of our insignificance in the cosmos we are, as far as we know unique, and I think that counts for something.
The Moon
Jupiter
The Pleiades (M 45)
Aldebaran
Vega
Altair
The only problem was that the light pollution of the harvest moon, and the lights were I live, made viewing difficult. However viewing should be better as the moon wanes, and I know several places in the area were general light pollution is lessened.
I cannot wait for the winter constellations to start rising earlier. The Crab and Orion nebulas will be easily visible, as well as a myriad other objects. I know there are just as many in the summer sky, but I know the winter constellations better, and it will be easier finding guide stars.
In his book, The Varieties of Scientific Experience, Carl Sagan quotes the poet Edward Young “The undevout astronomer is mad.” Now I do not wholly agree with that statement, as I am not a religious person; however, I can agree that looking through the telescope can be humbling. I think you really cannot get a concrete idea on the immense size and age of the universe without looking at distant objects in the night sky. It is easy on an abstract level of course to say that the universe is big, and it is just as easy to say that the universe is 13.5 billion years old. However when you start to study astronomy, and look for yourself the abstract becomes concrete, and it is humbling. Because in a universe of 13.5 billion years, what is our life span of 70-100 years but less than a blink of an eye?
All in all, I am reminded of a tea shirt I used to see at cons, with the picture of the milky way, with an arrow and a circle pointing to one of the spiral arms, with the caption “you are here”. However, there is another thought, that for all of our insignificance in the cosmos we are, as far as we know unique, and I think that counts for something.
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