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[...] I just received word that the first review of my new book, Classic Telescopes, has now been posted online. You can read it here. [...]
The Sky is Waiting.
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Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New. A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth’s shadow is apparent in the image.
The Algonquin Indians had names for each of the seasonal Full Moons, many of which survive today. The Full Snow Moon pictured occurs in the month of December, when the first large winter storms coat the ground with snow. This Full Moon also tends to fall near the Winter Solstice, and thus rides high in the nightly sky opposite to the Sun on long winter nights.
Every rocket launch is unique, but twilight shuttle launches where by far the most impressive. The image pictured was of the April 5th, 2010 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center at dawn. The exhaust plume caught the rising Sun overhead just right, and numerous noctilucent clouds persisted right up until sunrise. Unfortunately, space shuttle launches are now relegated to the pages of history.
Review: Classic Telescopes by Neil English.
A Classic on Classics!
Is that old refractor in the basement/attic worth anything? We’re always saddened a bit when we see a telescope that’s fallen to disuse at one of Florida’s ubiquitous eternal yard sales; our belief is that a telescope providing a view of the sky is a happy telescope, whether a noble brass refractor or of the mass produced variety. It is said that when astronomer David Levy returned to a classroom to find a 6-inch reflector he donated to a classroom being used as a trash can (!) he took it straight back.
Of course, a great many of these abandoned scopes are disused 60mm refractors, department store toys gifted around the holiday season and scarcely used. This week’s review, Classic Telescopes: A Guide to Collecting and Using Telescopes of Yesteryear by Neil English may be a one of a kind. Part of Patrick Moore’s Practical Astronomy Series out from Springer Books, Classic Telescopes approaches the topic from a skilled collectors and telescope operators perspective. The focus is primarily on refractors of yesteryear, with a scattering of reflectors from the past century thrown in.
Chock full of photos, it’s just plain fun to browse the old Dollonds, Clarks & Brashear-produced instruments and wonder what views through them might have been like. Truth is, if anyone wanted a large reflecting telescope prior to World War II, they had to build it themselves. Even after the war, the 6-inch Newtonian represented the “coin of the realm”¯ almost right up until the advent of the Dobsonian and the 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector in the 1970s.
Still, it’s amazing the amount of craftsmanship they put into those old refractors, something seldom seen today. Classic Telescopes tells you how to spot a true original, as well as how to be wary of the numerous fakes that spring up on Ebay. Yes, there is actually a cottage industry in crafting fake antique telescopes!
It’s also fun to see such time-honored classics as the Unitron and Fullerscopes get their due, along with the venerable Astro-Scans and beloved Questars. Questars are a collector’s phenomenon unto themselves, and have actually appreciated in value over the years as they’re sought out by collectors, a tribute to true craftsmanship.
Chances are, you just may see that first scope you had as a kid mentioned in Classic Telescopes; in our case, it was our old 60mm Jason refractor. Sure, it was a department store mass-produced jobbie, but I pushed it to the limit, scouting out the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, & more. I remember I even homemade a set of alt-azimuth setting circles for it using two plastic protractors!
Classic Telescopes is an indispensable reference resource for anyone refurbishing or hunting for a piece of astronomical history. Interspersed with expert reviews and great close-up pics, this guide provides a unique insight into a fascinating branch of optics and astronomy. What’s in YOUR attic?
Next week: We journey back into the alternate Steampunk world of the Weird West with Mike Resnick’s The Doctor & the Roughrider!