About me
I am a professor at a university in Washington, DC. I write and teach about the ways in which different cultures have thought about, and interacted with, outer space. I try to figure out why everything beyond Earth's atmosphere has mattered for people in the past, and how it might matter in the future.
I am also an avid amateur astronomer. I grew up under much darker skies, in rural Canada. From time to time, I still travel to national parks, in Canada and the United States, where the sky is so dark that the Milky Way casts shadows. The last time I tried to view the night sky in one of those parks, I was chased away by wolves. Perhaps fortunately, I'm usually stuck in light-polluted Washington, DC. It's what amateur astronomers call a grey, or "Bortle 7," sky. I make do.
I believe humanity's future lies beyond our little world. To survive as a species - and to ease our burden on Earth - we will need to expand into space. To get past the petty suspicions and prejudices that always threaten our survival, we will need to think bigger. Looking up into infinity is a great way to start. For me, amateur astronomy is both an educational and spiritual vocation - and at times, it gives me the thrill of genuine revelation.
I write this blog for myself. But if it gets anyone interested in the wonder of our universe, so much the better.
I am also an avid amateur astronomer. I grew up under much darker skies, in rural Canada. From time to time, I still travel to national parks, in Canada and the United States, where the sky is so dark that the Milky Way casts shadows. The last time I tried to view the night sky in one of those parks, I was chased away by wolves. Perhaps fortunately, I'm usually stuck in light-polluted Washington, DC. It's what amateur astronomers call a grey, or "Bortle 7," sky. I make do.
I believe humanity's future lies beyond our little world. To survive as a species - and to ease our burden on Earth - we will need to expand into space. To get past the petty suspicions and prejudices that always threaten our survival, we will need to think bigger. Looking up into infinity is a great way to start. For me, amateur astronomy is both an educational and spiritual vocation - and at times, it gives me the thrill of genuine revelation.
I write this blog for myself. But if it gets anyone interested in the wonder of our universe, so much the better.
A cold night with my now dearly departed Takahashi FC-100DC.
About this site
This is a simple journal of my observations and thoughts as an amateur astronomer. Its main purpose is to help me remember what I've seen and experienced. If you've run across this site, you may enjoy reading my impressions of planets, galaxies, and telescopes.
About my equipment
I own five telescopes: three in Washington, DC and two in Winnipeg, Canada. In Washington, I have to walk up or down a flight of stairs, and often at least 10 minutes from my apartment, to use any of them. I only very rarely have more than two hours to observe - and sometimes less than one. Since we are often under the jet stream, seeing is only rarely better than average, especially outside the mosquito-infested summer. In my DC telescopes, I therefore value simplicity, portability, quick acclimation, and (with one exception) a lack of central obstruction, which hinders telescopic performance in poor seeing.
In Washington, I use three excellent apochromatic refractors: a William Optics Zenithstar 81 APO, a Takahashi FC-100DZ, and a TEC 140 ED. The latter two in particular are arguably the finest refractors ever made in their size class, with wonderfully sharp optics that show exceptionally little false color (until quite recently, a common affliction of refractors). As you can read in these pages, it took me years of cycling through less capable telescopes to settle on these choices. Some telescopes I've owned offer much of the performance I get with my current refractors at the fraction of the cost, but amateur astronomy is all about what can be glimpsed at the edge of perception. After a while, I found I needed the best.
I use DM-4 and DM-6 manual mounts to hold these refractors, on Berlebach Report and Uni tripods. Once again, if you read through this website you'll see that I experimented with many different options before settling on these choices. They, too, are expensive, but I can set them up within minutes - with no electronics - and then manually track objects at the highest magnifications I can typically use in Washington, DC. I also use an Unistellar EVScope, a reflector that uses innovative electronically-assisted astronomy (EAA) to reveal nebulae and galaxies in even light-polluted skies.
in Winnipeg, I keep a Celestron C6 and a tiny Celestron C90 telescope, and set them up on an Explore Scientific Twilight I mount. If you hunt for the right deal, you can get the C90 new for $120, and you can sell the accessories it comes with for another $50. That's $70 for a telescope that fits comfortably in a small backpack and throws up some very serviceable planetary and lunar views.
Some amateur astronomers have far more gear, others far less. If you're looking to start in the hobby, I'd recommend picking up a few books. You might then start with a good pair of binoculars and eventually a small telescope. Many seasoned observers encourage newcomers to get a cheap Dobsonian (that is, simply mounted) reflector, since it's easy to use and offers the most aperture you can get for the money. I can also vouch for an inexpensive 3" or 4" achromatic refractor - a telescope you don't have to collimate and takes minutes to acclimate - while encouraging everyone to follow their own path, and to take all suggestions with several grains of salt.
With that said, here's some advice anyway: I'd strongly encourage newcomers to resist the urge to buy the biggest and most expensive telescope they can. The best telescope is usually the one you use most often - and that often means going small. If you do have the money, you're typically better off spending it on optical and mechanical quality, rather than aperture. Just remember that, in this hobby, you easily spend double or triple the money for a marginal improvement in performance.
In Washington, I use three excellent apochromatic refractors: a William Optics Zenithstar 81 APO, a Takahashi FC-100DZ, and a TEC 140 ED. The latter two in particular are arguably the finest refractors ever made in their size class, with wonderfully sharp optics that show exceptionally little false color (until quite recently, a common affliction of refractors). As you can read in these pages, it took me years of cycling through less capable telescopes to settle on these choices. Some telescopes I've owned offer much of the performance I get with my current refractors at the fraction of the cost, but amateur astronomy is all about what can be glimpsed at the edge of perception. After a while, I found I needed the best.
I use DM-4 and DM-6 manual mounts to hold these refractors, on Berlebach Report and Uni tripods. Once again, if you read through this website you'll see that I experimented with many different options before settling on these choices. They, too, are expensive, but I can set them up within minutes - with no electronics - and then manually track objects at the highest magnifications I can typically use in Washington, DC. I also use an Unistellar EVScope, a reflector that uses innovative electronically-assisted astronomy (EAA) to reveal nebulae and galaxies in even light-polluted skies.
in Winnipeg, I keep a Celestron C6 and a tiny Celestron C90 telescope, and set them up on an Explore Scientific Twilight I mount. If you hunt for the right deal, you can get the C90 new for $120, and you can sell the accessories it comes with for another $50. That's $70 for a telescope that fits comfortably in a small backpack and throws up some very serviceable planetary and lunar views.
Some amateur astronomers have far more gear, others far less. If you're looking to start in the hobby, I'd recommend picking up a few books. You might then start with a good pair of binoculars and eventually a small telescope. Many seasoned observers encourage newcomers to get a cheap Dobsonian (that is, simply mounted) reflector, since it's easy to use and offers the most aperture you can get for the money. I can also vouch for an inexpensive 3" or 4" achromatic refractor - a telescope you don't have to collimate and takes minutes to acclimate - while encouraging everyone to follow their own path, and to take all suggestions with several grains of salt.
With that said, here's some advice anyway: I'd strongly encourage newcomers to resist the urge to buy the biggest and most expensive telescope they can. The best telescope is usually the one you use most often - and that often means going small. If you do have the money, you're typically better off spending it on optical and mechanical quality, rather than aperture. Just remember that, in this hobby, you easily spend double or triple the money for a marginal improvement in performance.