Re: Fun with Microfilm

RMOLLISE wrote: 

lal_truckee wrote:
.

One thing that I noticed from the amateur astronomy article evolution is
that the amateurs sure seemed to have more fun in the early days than
today. Today the main topic of discussion seems to be which expensive
telescope or camera deserves our surplus cash, rather than what to build
next.



Hi:

"Fun" is in the eye of the beholder. IMHO, amateurs have just as much
fun --if not more--today as when I got started in the early 60s. After
all, back then, if you didn't have any nearby amateur friends, your
monthly immersion in amateur astronomy was Sky and Telescope, the
Strolling Astronomer, a club meeting, and a mimeographed newsletter or
two. The resources available to the amateur today are just overwhelming
in comparison.

You know what - I think that's exactly what triggered the feeling I had - if you wanted to do amateur astronomy before the 60s you had to connect with other people to make equipment and to learn the ropes - today you can order from a catalog (or the net) and never have a live conversation with another amateur. Feeds our already likely budding nerdiness.


And I think the average amateur loves the night sky just as much now as
then--though a dark enough sky to allow real appreciation is harder to
come by now.

I'm lucky there - have a fine dark site about 5 miles away. I bitch and moan about the effort to get to it, just to keep in practice, however.


And I recall hearing the same thing back then, about how much those
misguided folks buying those fancy Unitrons, Caves, and Dynascopes were
"missing." ;-)

Well, that's certainly true - every new generation since about 50,000 BCE went straight to hell, according to their elders. For instance, what's with these newfangled inventions? - "fire," or "clothes," or "apochromats?"
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: LSST: The Death of Amateur Astronomy?
    ... how amateurs will be able to discover anything new in the sky. ... LSST will always be there first. ... Amateur astronomy isn't just about competing with the pro's. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Fun with Microfilm
    ... > One thing that I noticed from the amateur astronomy article evolution is ... "Fun" is in the eye of the beholder. ... And I think the average amateur loves the night sky just as much now as ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Amateur research?
    ... I am afraid that real scientific contributions by amateur astronomical ... left for us is to have fun doing our research. ... projects I've created a message forum devoted to such topics. ... astronomers out there interested in discussing such topics to keep the ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: Sociological/Psychological Phenomenon
    ... My Java code reproduces results consistently. ... I had fun doing it. ... I admitted readily to my status as an amateur. ... neither a cryptographer nor a mathematician". ...
    (sci.crypt)
  • Re: mars
    ... make Dom look like an amateur. ... Do you ask if you can fun their wife? ... I can be a real motherlover once I get behind the wheel. ...
    (uk.media.tv.misc)
Quantcast