In his recently released book, “Dante and the Early Astronomer: Science, Adventure, and a Victorian Woman Who Opened the Heavens,” Tracy Daugherty tells the story of Mary Acworth Evershed, a pioneering female amateur astronomer who was fascinated with Dante Alighieri. Daugherty is a professor emeritus of English and creative writing […]
In a recent post on the Sky and Telescope website, Dave Tosteson provides a tribute to Barbara Wilson, who passed away on the evening of September 24, 2019, after battling cancer for several months. As Tosteson writes, “Barbara was very well known in the amateur astronomy community as a dedicated […]
This is a great time to be an amateur astronomer. There are lots of good telescopes out there that are relatively inexpensive. Back when I was a teenager, we had no internet, so there was no online shopping, and the telescope stores were few and far between. Sometimes you could […]
The heart of William Optics’ Super ZenithStar 103 f/6.9 imaging APO is a f/6.9 air-spaced FPL53 doublet housed in a CNC-machined ultra-precision lens cell. Add a 0.8x flattener/reducer, and the focal ratio becomes f/5.5. Focus duties are performed by the Zenithstar 103 ultra-robust 2.5-inch, 1:10 dual-speed, rack-and-pinion focuser with […]
Repair Your Telescope Equipment: I used J-B Weld for years to repair minor cracks and breaks in metal components when I couldn’t justify the cost of a proper brazing-machining repair. It’s great stuff, but it sets quickly – within four minutes – and requires mixing the epoxy filler with […]
I read Uncle Rod’s post on Amateur Astronomy “What’s Gonna Happen to Us?”, and I walked away with quite different conclusions. First, I want to say I have the utmost respect for all that Uncle Rod has done for amateur astronomy. His work in print and online is sage advice […]
As many of you know, I (Gary Parkerson – pictured here) am editor of the magazine Astronomy Technology Today as well as the content on this website. You also many be familiar with the work of Rod Mollise, although you probably know him better as Uncle Rod. No doubt, you’re also aware […]
Everyone loves astronomy. The planets and the stars fill us with wonder and awe. But under the light-polluted skies of major cities, few people know how to connect with the night sky and explore their own universe. That’s all changing with southern California’s newest and only astronomy events company, SkiesAway. […]