Why video astronomy? And what the heck is it, really?

February 4 - "When is video not video?" That was a recent question raised on the Yahoo Group. Video Astro, with this post. It's a good question and technically the answer is not at all clear. Essentially there are at...

A new visual intimacy – with the universe and others

To understand my enthusiastic reaction to a new, tiny, and inexpensive 2.5-inch LCD video monitor, you have to understand my fundamental goal – helping people connect with the universe. In doing that I have been very suspicious of putting too...

Video, sketching, observing and education

My focus of late has been on how to best integrate video astronomy into my educational programs - and personal observing - so I retain the sense of intimacy - the connections - with the night sky. I'm skeptical of...

Cubs, the moon, M42, Video, Saturn - parents. . . it all adds up

Had a delightful time observing with three Cub Scouts and their mothers the other night. This is a group that began their four-session observing program last fall and is just now finishing up. It's amazing how cloudy nights, holidays, bitter...

Seeing through clouds? Ya gotta be kidding!

OK, if I didn't have an excellent witness sitting beside me, I would not have believed it myself, but yes, I can now see through solid cloud cover with telescope and video camera! Maybe this is old hat to some,...

Live, from the moon. . .

. . . we bring you Gassendi! A French theologian, mathematician, and astronomer - got to love that combination - he's been dead for about 350 years, but a magnificient crater bearing his name lives on. I like the nickname...

M35 in action- an example of "integration"

"Integration" is part of the astro-video lexicon. Near as I can tell the result is about the same as taking a time exposure for whatever number of seconds. But what continues to astound me is what I see on the...

UPDATED: Uh oh! Interesting, but ????

11.15.06 - From discussions generated by the MallinCam Yahoo Group I'm pretty sure that the problem lies in the refractor. Either it's hopeless in terms of getting true color, or I have to make serious changes to the camera settings...

No house burning, but . . .

As I've said before, "The Star Splitter" by Robert Frost is a favorite poem of mine and many amateur astronomers, not only because it captures the wonder of starry nights, but because it captures the obsession – and the pressure...

The Holy Grail - or at least The Horsehead

Well sort of. , , I'll be the first to admit, this view of the Horsehead is not overhwelming. But, it is there - honest - take a close look. Seeing the Horsehead has been one of my main goals,...

Messier, mystery, and SWAN and Halloween

Updates: Double-trouble Mystery solved!?! Comet SWAN, toodling through Hercules on its way back out from the sun, presented a wonderful opportunity for education – but then it got zapped by space aliens! Well, maybe not aliens, but help me out...

Lessons learned from Orion's sword

One of the more enlightening moments I had last year was when a visitor to Driftway Observatory peered into the 15-inch and asked me if the three stars in a row she saw were Orion's Belt. It was a good...

Two swans and a new "zoom" lens

Hey, the great attraction last night was Comet SWAN – but I did capture the above image of the well-known constellation Cygnus the Swan with my new zoom lens as it (the heavenly swan) plunged into my trees to...

Hooked on Video

My days as a dedicated visual-only observer are over - in the past week, with wonderfully clear skies, I've gotten more than 15 hours in using my new Color Hyper MallinCam with the 8-inch LX90 and 15-inch Obsession. Anyone want...