Did you ever get frustrated with the time and effort to set up a telescope for observing? Skyscraper member Steve Hubbard did, and found that a backyard home observatory was the perfect cure. Ever wondered about having an observatory or your own? Steve will take the mystery away with some practical tips and solutions to help you decide if having a simple, easy to build backyard home for your telescope is for you.
Tim Barker will show six samples in a plexiglas disk of material returned from the Moon by the Apollo program nearly half a century ago. Twelve astronauts, supported by 400,000 other Americans who worked on the program, walked on the Moon, engaged in scientific experiments, and brought back lunar samples and their own compelling personal stories. Their work led to a revolution in our understanding of the history of the solar system and our place in it.
You’ve always wanted a telescope of your own; or, you’ve gotten one as a gift. Now what? What can I see with it? How do I work with it? Where can I go to learn all about using a telescope to find what is in the sky?
Skyscraper member Jeff Padell will introduce you to the basics of taking your equipment outside and using it to find the beautiful celestial objects waiting to be seen through a telescope. From setting our equipment up, to learning how to find some easy and challenging objects, to care and maintenance of your instrument, Jeff will have you enjoying your new hobby, or learning which telescope is right for you, before the night is over.
Have you ever looked at a beautiful astronomy image and wondered whether you could come close to taking something as breathtaking as that? Although none of us can compete with those from the Hubble Space Telescope, you can, with very little help, soon be taking astroimages you can be proud of.
Bob Horton and Jim Hendrickson, both members of Skyscrapers, Inc., have been taking incredible images of celestial objects for many years. They will tell you exactly what you need to start, and give you pointers to begin to create your own astrophotos. Come and learn a new and beautiful hobby!
Allen Hall and Dick Parker will talk about the building of their 3/4 scale replicas of the 1878 Alvan Clark telescope at the Seagrave Memorial Observatory, cared for by the Skyscrapers. The talk will include photos from the first light ceremony and Stellafane 2016.
