Astronomy Talks - Episode One

[@TheUrbanAstronomer]

Enjoyed the talk, look forward to more!

[@smartbutcher1]

Great talk Dr. Keep these going.

[@smalloptics753]

In a nutshell, appreciation, not, expectation... Great chat guys, you made some good valid points there.

[@dmb2951]

Well said, "find your place in Astronomy", there is room for everybody.

[@nickstefanac6048]

What a nice change to listen to astronomers discuss their appreciation for the awe of the universe, and not techno wankery about chasing the latest gadget. Imagine fine art painters coming together and endlessly discussing their choice of brushes. The ability to be lost in something bigger than yourself is where the soul of astronomy lies. Intergalactic astro imaging pissing contests are reductive and boring.

[@darrenthibodeau8381]

So true.

[@milllworks]

PS… Now live in Northern New Mexico, but my first telescope was a 4SE, which I bought from Woodland Hills Camera and Telescope.

[@milllworks]

So agree with the sentiment here. IMHO astrophotography is not photography, it’s simply a photoshop (or software of choice) exercise.

[@dmb2951]

I agree with everything said, however in my light polluted sky astrophotography seems to be the only option mixed with some visual if conditions allow.

[@astrodad656]

Correct. For the past 16 years I have done visual but how frustrating with light pollution. I would have to travel one and a half hours to get anywhere near dark. Then I realized that my CMOS sensor can see the things that I can't and I haven't looked back. I agree with what they are saying to learn the sky but it is getting harder and harder to see it.

[@Erniej270]

I started as a visual astronomer and I’m just getting into Astrophotography. I’m getting to the point where when things are going well, I pull out the Dob and observe visually while imaging. In fact I had my best night viewing Mars this October. Was out Deep Sky imaging, the sky was amazing, pulled out the Dob and was blown away.

[@adientoledo2098]

The internet and ease of looking up pictures has ruined expectations in terms of the patience and work required to truly enjoy astronomy, visually or photographically. I often run into friends and family who are internet astronomy junkies but have never pointed a telescope at the sky and therefore do not have a perspective of what they see online. Amazement then manifests as I explain the basics of star/planet movement, angular size of objects, atmospheric conditions, the fact that planet earth easily fits inside most sunspots, time it takes for light to arrive from different targets, and other basic concepts. Only then do their eyes open up realizing how much there is to it!

[@tjzambonischwartz]

I started in amateur astronomy when I was 10 in 1993. Been a visual astronomer solely ever since, and it's hard not to feel that the hobby is deliberately trying to leave me behind sometimes. I think it's particularly egregious that an astronomy KZbinr who also acts as a spokesperson for celestron (Dylan O'Donnell) continually degrades and tears down visual astronomers in his videos. I completely stopped watching his channel because I was so disgusted, and kinda don't want to buy any celestron products until they drop that utter schmuck as a spokesman. I don't like what's happening to the hobby from a cultural standpoint. When the nature appreciation that has always been crucial to my enjoyment of the hobby is being deliberately denigrated by the companies selling us the equipment, it becomes harder and harder to enjoy.

[@darrenthibodeau8381]

Agreed, Dylan O'Donnell is a clown.

[@louboom5711]

I don’t understand why he puts observational astronomy down.