Review:Redshift 7: The Ultimate in Astronomy Software.
November 6, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Astro Culture, Astro News, Astro News & Commentary, Do It Yourself Astronomy, Gear & Gadgets
Desktop-based planetarium programs have really come into their own in the past few years. From their early evolution in the 1980’s with computer programs written in Basic that would show you stick figure constellations, planetarium programs are now full fledged sky simulators that allow you not only to control your telescope and plan your observing [...]
21.9.9: The Autumnal Equinox.
September 21, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Astro News & Commentary, Gear & Gadgets, Great Science Fiction Novels, Weekly Astro-events
Can you feel it? The brunt of northern hemisphere summer is about over, giving way to our favorite season here at Astroguyz; Fall. It’s not just our collective imagination; this Tuesday marks the Autumnal Equinox, or the spring (vernal) Equinox for those down under. This marks the mid way point for the Sun’s apparent journey [...]
A Home-made Solar Filter for Cheap.
June 17, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Astronomy on the Cheap, Do It Yourself Astronomy
Never Drink & (Solar) Observe! (All photos by Author).
Solar observing is just plain cool. While some celestial objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy will look exactly the same on the day you die as when you were born, the face of the Sun can change day to day, or even minute to minute. As we [...]
Constructing the Very Small Optical Observatory.
June 4, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Astronomy on the Cheap, Do It Yourself Astronomy
The Very Small Optical Observatory in its heyday. (All Photos by Author).
Ahhh… eternal the lure of having ones’ own observatory. Batman has the Bat-cave, Superman has his Fortress of Solitude, and sooner or later, every astronomer heeds the siren song of having a place he and his mammoth telescope can call home. The perks [...]
Mirror Collimation; Some Tips & Tricks.
April 30, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Do It Yourself Astronomy, Gear & Gadgets
Have Dog, will Collimate! (Photo by Author).
This week, we here at ye ole Astroguyz are going to delve into an oft avoided but crucial technique that will allow you to get the most out of your shinny new (or old!) reflecting telescope; the fine art of mirror collimation. Sure, nearly every owner’s manual gives [...]
The Universe of Astronomy Podcasting.
March 5, 2009 by David Dickinson
Filed under Do It Yourself Astronomy, The Vagabond Astronomer
The Beaten & Battered Astroguyz Nano…(photo by author).
Technology has changed nearly every aspect of astronomy. We’ve gone from auto guiding long exposures on hyper-sensitized film to automated observatories that patrol the skies while we sleep. Technology is just plain cool. It’s hard to imagine that slightly more than a decade ago, the Internet was non-existent, [...]
