I know what you're thinking. I'm just jumping on the International Year of Astronomy bandwagon. Yes, just like everyone else you know, I'm starting an astronomy blog just in time for 2008, when the UN will be doing its damnedest to get everyone interested in space.
Be that as it may, here I am. Rather than crud up my other blog with posts about my ham-handed stargazing activities, I decided to start up this here sciencey blog, and the CH Big Mijefe was nice enough to give me a whole nother blog.
I began my astronomy kick about six months ago, and clung to it long enough to realize that it wasn't just a passing fancy. So, a few months later when I found myself with some money to burn, I decided, after much urging by Dr. M, to buy myself a telescope. That telescope didn't work out, so after I returned it I bought this thing:
Unlike the previous telescope, this one doesn't have an expensive and pointless onboard computer, and also doesn't have a motor (though I'll eventually have to buy one, it seems). It's also extremely heavy, which makes lugging it from my second-floor apartment to the best viewing spot in the complex no mean feat. Those white disk-looking things are counterweights to balance the scope, to give you an idea of how heavy and awkward the damn thing is. I'm hoping this blog will inspire me to make the effort at least once a week, weather permitting, and assuming I don't throw out my back.
Another fun feature of this scope is that the viewfinder is a good four inches from the tube, which means that I have to find an object at least a mile away in order to align the viewfinder (a close object would create parallax problems). This has proven to be somewhat difficult in light of the fact that I'm surrounded by trees. But the viewfinder is still much better than the viewfinder on the old telescope, because (1) it's installed properly and (2) it only has two positioning screws, rather than the impossibly complex array of six screws, one of which didn't work. It's easier to think in two dimensions than six, trust me.
But I'm still excited, and I'm convinced that once I get the scope up and running I'll finally be able to see some cool deep-space crap.
In the meantime, happy Year of Astronomy.
...the international year of astronomy is 2009. so you're actually a year early.
that camera looks awesome. i wish i could stare at space. in a delighted dorky way i'm pretty excited about this new blog of yours.