Philosophy
Like many backyard astronomers, one question I get asked all the time is “When did you get interested in the stars?” The truth is, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawn to the night sky. Maybe part of the reason was that my family lived on an orchard under a splendid, dark rural sky. For me, the stars were as much a part of nature as the birds in the trees and the bugs crawling on the ground.
Unlike most of my astronomy friends, I never had a big “Aha!” moment when I found myself suddenly fascinated with the wonders of the universe. That’s not to say there weren’t some important episodes that remain fresh in memory many decades later - there were plenty. And one memory that stands out with crystalline clarity, even now, is my very first look at the Moon through my first telescope.
A very nice narrative of one person's "first telescope".
Read the rest and enjoy the other features at Gary Seronik's website.
Gary Seronik.com
- Sarah Chinski Is Selected Essay Winner And Will Go To Neaf
Her trip should be a lot of fun...congratulations. "Astronomy selects 2014 Youth Essay Contest winner" Seventeen-year-old Sarah Chinski of Marion, Iowa, wins a trip to the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show with her entry for Astronomy’s...
- Deceased--john Lowry Dobson
John Lowry Dobson September 14th, 1915 to January 15th, 2014 "John Dobson, “The Sidewalk Astronomer”, 1915-2014" by Steve Owens January 16th, 2014 Dark Sky Diary John Dobson, known as “the sidewalk astronomer“, and the inventor of the Dobsonian...
- Alvan Clark & Sons--telescope Makers
US Naval Observatory's 26" telescope. Lick Observatory's 36" telescope Yerkes Observatory's 40" telescope Bill Ashworth [Linda Hall Library Newsletter] wrote... Alvan Clark, an American lens maker, was born Mar. 8, 1804. With his sons,...
- Things Disappear
Amazing how some are stored in the memory or photographs long after the actual item is gone and one often wonders what happened to that object. Near me is Park University and had high on top of a hill an observatory that had been designated as the oldest...
- Thomas Harriot And The First Moon Maps
Thomas Harriot 1560 to July 2nd 1621 First drawing of the moon. A later drawing via telescope observation. It is really satisfying to know that some 400 year old drawing has survived relating to the early history of astronomy. These items are truly...
Philosophy
My First Telescope--Gary Seronik
Like many backyard astronomers, one question I get asked all the time is “When did you get interested in the stars?” The truth is, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawn to the night sky. Maybe part of the reason was that my family lived on an orchard under a splendid, dark rural sky. For me, the stars were as much a part of nature as the birds in the trees and the bugs crawling on the ground.
Unlike most of my astronomy friends, I never had a big “Aha!” moment when I found myself suddenly fascinated with the wonders of the universe. That’s not to say there weren’t some important episodes that remain fresh in memory many decades later - there were plenty. And one memory that stands out with crystalline clarity, even now, is my very first look at the Moon through my first telescope.
A very nice narrative of one person's "first telescope".
Read the rest and enjoy the other features at Gary Seronik's website.
Gary Seronik.com
- Sarah Chinski Is Selected Essay Winner And Will Go To Neaf
Her trip should be a lot of fun...congratulations. "Astronomy selects 2014 Youth Essay Contest winner" Seventeen-year-old Sarah Chinski of Marion, Iowa, wins a trip to the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show with her entry for Astronomy’s...
- Deceased--john Lowry Dobson
John Lowry Dobson September 14th, 1915 to January 15th, 2014 "John Dobson, “The Sidewalk Astronomer”, 1915-2014" by Steve Owens January 16th, 2014 Dark Sky Diary John Dobson, known as “the sidewalk astronomer“, and the inventor of the Dobsonian...
- Alvan Clark & Sons--telescope Makers
US Naval Observatory's 26" telescope. Lick Observatory's 36" telescope Yerkes Observatory's 40" telescope Bill Ashworth [Linda Hall Library Newsletter] wrote... Alvan Clark, an American lens maker, was born Mar. 8, 1804. With his sons,...
- Things Disappear
Amazing how some are stored in the memory or photographs long after the actual item is gone and one often wonders what happened to that object. Near me is Park University and had high on top of a hill an observatory that had been designated as the oldest...
- Thomas Harriot And The First Moon Maps
Thomas Harriot 1560 to July 2nd 1621 First drawing of the moon. A later drawing via telescope observation. It is really satisfying to know that some 400 year old drawing has survived relating to the early history of astronomy. These items are truly...