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Scopeseeing

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Scopeseeing

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    1. Scopeseeing “Where Seeing The Scope Is The Objective”

    2. Big Whup! My 16” Dob Is Huge: NOT!!

    3. Bigger Whup!! This ‘Aint My Father’s Telescope To paraphrase Unusual Telescopes author Peter L. Manly: “The important part of a telescope is a few micrograms of reflective aluminum; the rest is simply mechanics!” Ironically, his book revels in unusual configurations, fantastical mounts and other mechanics

    4. Biggest Whup!! Astronomy Is Ultimately Rooted In Wonder And Awe The generic astronomical experience is all about reveling in the wonder and awe of the universe Stars, galaxies, asterisms, planets, comets, clusters, asteroids, nebulas – all the usual suspects Scopeseeing is about reveling in the majesty and wonder of man’s own accomplishment!! Telescopes are technological marvels and represent the virtual apex of man’s scientific striving Telescopes and observatories are literal “objets d’ artes”, beautiful and commanding in their own right

    5. Destinations 5 Great USA Observatories You Can Visit McDonald Observatory Yerkes Observatory Chabot Space & Science Center Palomar Observatory Lick Observatory

    6. Destinations McDonald Observatory – USA’s Largest Reflector w/Eyepiece Fort Davis, TX http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald Telescopes: 9.2-meter Hobby-Eberly 2.7-meter Harlan J. Smith 2.1-meter Otto Struve 0.8-meter Telescope Robotic Optical Transient Search (ROTSE) Enough yapping, show me da pickturz!!

    7. Destinations Yerkes Observatory – The World’s Largest Refractor Williams Bay, WI http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes Telescopes: 40-inch Refractor (Word’s Largest!) 41-inch Reflector (Yes, It’s Only 40”) 24-inch Reflector 10-inch Reflector Schmidt Camera So it’s big and all big-like? Well, prove it!!

    8. Destinations Chabot Space & Science Center – The Easiest Public Access Oakland, CA http://www.chabotspace.org/visit Telescopes: 20-inch Brashear Refractor (Rachel) 8-inch Alvan Clark Refractor (Leah) 36-inch Reflector (Nellie)

    9. Destinations Palomar Observatory – Big Doesn’t Begin To Describe It Palomar Mountain, CA http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar Telescopes: 200-inch Hale Telescope 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope 60-inch Telescope Palomar Testbed Interferometer Planet Search Telescope 18-inch Schmidt Telescope

    10. Destinations Lick Observatory – Scary Switchbacks; Amazing Scopes Mount Hamilton, CA http://www.ucolick.org Telescopes: 120-inch Shane Reflector 36-inch Refractor 40-inch Reflector Almost like being there–NOT!!

    11. Jeepers, Creepers What Can I Do With My Peepers? With the exception of Chabot, the observatories all have full-time nightly observing programs Most offer regular tours only during the day, if at all! Even when observing sessions are available they’re often offered on bad nights and/or on inferior scopes When premium observing sessions are even possible there’s usually a significant cost and bother The best day and nighttime tours are private As an example, the generic tour at Lick sucked and it didn’t even include the 120” Shane Refractor

    12. Middle Of Nowhere They Don’t Put ‘Em Next To Disneyland It’s axiomatic that “the better the scope, the longer and more difficult / scary the drive” It takes close to 90-minutes to drive the last 11 miles up the mountain to Lick Observatory McDonald Observatory is 5-hours from El Paso If you can swing it, 4-wheel drive is a definite plus Accommodations are generally a far way off Two notable exceptions to this are Lick & Chabot

    13. Who Should I Bring? Leave The Kid’s, Animals & Novices At Home From a cost perspective alone you’ll probably want to organize a substantially sized group Sharing costs amongst 4 to 12 attendees usually makes sense; as an example our recent trip to McDonald Observatory cost $850 per attendee This is not your typical family vacation Bring experienced enthusiastic amateurs who are willing to put of with a lot of hassles Again, the notable exception to this rule is Chabot

    14. Tour, What Tour? Here’s Where Creativity And Cajoling Counts (1 of 2) As a general rule, the best tours need to be conceived of and organized by you Most of the best scopes have no formalized tours; in some cases tours are specifically proscribed The best scopes are seriously overbooked; you need to find a time when they’re underutilized Turn A Hassle Into A Benefit The observatories will only be happy to host you if you give them a good reason; like bringing them good press and other publicity

    15. Tour, What Tour? Here’s Where Creativity And Cajoling Counts (2 of 2) Cash is King! Most observatories need money; a couple of thousand bucks often carries a lot of clout Even where an observatory has a formal tour program it’s a good idea to give a substantial donation to sweeten the deal Be Nice And Make Friends Almost none of the people at the observatories that you’ll be working with will be doing their primary jobs

    16. Wrangling Cats Even The Simple Things Are Hard Handle the details ASAP Lock down a singe date for the event and stick to it Get the money you need to pay the observatory up-front; people love to drag their feet on this one Coordinate but DON’T book the travel yourself Get full / emergency contact details from everyone Setup regular coordination emails / phone-calls Share the load but don’t give up authority In particular, the observatory will need a single point-of-contact

    17. Where Next US Naval Observatory –Astrometry In The Light Dome Washington, DC http://www.usno.navy.mil November 27th or December 11th (TBD) Both dates are Monday’s; no other options Public access to the 26” is very unlikely Mucho security (Cheney lives on the grounds) Telescopes: USNO 26-inch Refractor 12-inch Alvan Clark Refractor Several other historic scopes & instruments A nearby adventure; I’d love to have you along!!

    18. Destinations 7 More Observatories You Can Visit Kitt Peak National Observatory Mauna Kea Observatories Lowell Observatory Allegheny Observatory The Leviathan of Parsonstown (Ireland) National Radio Astronomy Observatory Mount Wilson Observatory

    19. Talk, Talk!! Heckle, Heckle?!? (Your Choice!) Feel free to call / write / lob bricks at any time Louis S. Berman 215-316-8538 (cell) louis@bitmaven.com http://scopeseeing.com A great resource for Scopeseeing enthusiasts The “Under Construction” signs are temporary I’d love some help in constructing the site ?

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