MallinCam in the Flesh

[rabbithutch]

As I reported, I attended a star party Saturday evening. It was auspicious for me in several respects, but I must report that having seen what a MallinCam does - at first hand - I have to say that it is the apparatus I would most like to have and the most unlikely I will ever own.

I was more than a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience (including my first sighting of the rings of Saturn). There were several veteran observers and they shared their knowledge and enthusiasm generously. One of the gentlemen had the MallinCam set up with a 9" monitor. I saw the Barbell or Apple Core and the Eagle (are they galaxies or nebulae?) in full color and many other firsts. It was a fascinating experience.

I was told that the optics were a 9.5" Schmidt Cassegrain device and that the mount was an inexpensive one - lowest cost, lowest quality. The electronics include a menu display that allows all kinds of filtering including one to track satellites and display their transit. There were also ports for other video outputs and connection for recording data on a computer.

Next time I attend one of these events, I'm going to use my digital voice recorder because my brain could neither keep up nor remember all the information that overloaded it. I could not possibly have taken notes either. The experience was that rich and that rewarding.

At my advanced age, it takes a great deal to overwhelm my senses. This event did.

[Macavity]

I decided that "Video Astronomy" was the way to go for me. On a limited (early retirement) budget my Watec camera proved (just about!) "possible". Although I can still just about manage the contortions (at the eyepiece) and the UK climate, it becomes less pleasurable now. Ersatz, maybe, but having a real-time image of a faint DSO on screen is surprising(!) - Indeed, sometimes overwhelming...