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Let's predict the future of amateur astronomy


Jessun

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With GPS equipped semi auto aligning guiding mounts, and 1/40th wave gold plated mirrors already on the shelves I wonder what the future holds in terms of telescopes and mounts and cameras - imaging being on my mind.

I wasn't into this 10 years ago, but I would guess that an awful lot has happened in terms of what is available and at what price.

So 10 years from now, what will be the buzz?

I'll kick off with amateur priced laser guide stars. I personally loathe anything green or red pointing to the night sky, but if the market is there...

I also predict motorized alt/az adjustment bolts or similar that combined with automated drift alignment will set up your mount whilst you have a cuppa.

I predict networking software making it simple to run a bunch of scopes at the same target, say all SGL members...

I predict data to be stored in the 'cloud' so anyone can combine data from multiple scopes for the processing.

In effect I predict the end of the solitary imager...

I hope to be wrong by the way:glasses1:

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Computer controlled street and other lighting, combined with more efficient manufacturing and positioning techniques will substantially reduce LP, giving astronomers access to dark skies from urban environments.

Well, a boy can dream.... :D.

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I think that everyone wants light pollution to be controlled more and if we do get a darker skies for viewing than I can see astronomy becoming a science on every school curriculum and lots more people getting involved.. like the computer a telescope in every home maybe:)

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Affordable adaptive optics? Auto collimating reflectors? I also play guitar and only ten years ago we used to joke/imagine about a guitar that could be set to tune itself and a database of many different turnings - that's now a reality ( and works brilliantly) so absolutely anything that can be imagined will probably be created and sold..

I love the idea about an amateur networked telescope array..

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Laser guide stars? Doesn't have to be visible. Some cheap and powerful IR ones now available. Guide cameras already sensitive?

I would expect serious amateur version of the SkyProdigy system very soon., e.g. Add on for the next EQ6 / EQ8. Just power up and 30 secs later it's all aligned and ready to go.

I also expect all optics from China to nearly double in price over the next ten years.

I expect in the next ten years I'll get one clear, warm, dew free night where everything works, I'm not too tired and I get an image I'm super happy with :D

Cheers

Ian

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If we're looking over the next 10 years, I'd say the current trends will continue.

Low-end kit will become cheaper and more able.

High end kit will become more expensive and much, much more able.

(so no surprises there).

Mirrors, objectives and eyepieces will drop in price and the reflectivity will increase, optical defects such as coma and false colour will decrease and we'll improve our ability to produce low F-ratio scopes - expect F/3 and better to become more common.

I'd hope for tunable-filter optics, so a user can put a "notch" in the visible spectrum to remove LP, or enhance a particular colour/frequency.

Amateurs will start imaging in the infra-red.

CCDs will become less noisy and get higher QEs and be mostly chinese.

Mounts will incorporate feedback systems to remove or at least reduce the effects of machining / production. P.E. will disappear.

Machining of larger optics will become practical, so Dobs and "SCT" type scopes of over 0.4m will be available at prices that aren't dependent on the square of the aperture size.

Lighter weight mirrors (maybe not based on "traditional" glass) will be commercially available and OTAs will weigh less as a result.

We'll get new image processing tools, possibly with adaptive or Kalman filters that will allow us to reduce noise, yet keep detail. Higher quality printers and computer displays (greater than 8 bit per colour) will let us print high dynamic range images more faithfully.

We'll still have light pollution. Aircraft/satellite pollution (of images) will get worse.

And finally, there'll be a one-in-a-century comet to get our teeth into. :D

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Automated polar alignment via onboard computer and servos(similar to prodigy system).

Automated collimation using the same system or second webcam.

Amateur interferometry(Imagine having the resolution of a 60" mirror by having two 100mm scopes spaced apart).

Imagers that are cheaper, finer resolution and faster speeds.

Finer resolution in amateur spectroscopy software.

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I think most pieces of kit in 10 years time will be geared towards portability and more automated setup procedures, the trend has already started I think. Very few options for fixed/permanent setups, because towns and villages around the World will be able to turn night-time into daylight everywhere at very low cost with next generation LED streetlights, pushing the need for astro-portability even higher. I'd expect more remote control astronomy from home, using remote telescope setups in the few remaining dark patches in the World.

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James and I will still be stood in a field at 3am on the few clear weekend nights discussing how much happier we are looking at stars than telly. Hopefully by then someone will have invented some warmer socks.

When I get home my fully automated robot observatory will have imaged DSOs, planets, Luna and various spacecraft using a load of bits and bobs I got off ABS, astroboot and eBay for a meagre pittance.

I see myself as a glass half full kind of bloke :D

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There is clearly plenty of scope (couldn't resist:D) for advances in imaging, be it processing or kit and is probably where the money is. From an observers point of view, I predict that there will be more in the way of stand-alone night vision type eyepieces or even binoviewers that will help enhance the view, perhaps even see even colour? Admittedly, this opens up a challenge for those who wish to 'see' objects for real, but I think it might be something that will appeal to those with smaller apertures who would like to get more out of their existing kit. I believe there is a guy in America who is currently developing this idea and already has a prototype made.

Clear skies James

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If we're looking over the next 10 years...

....there'll be a one-in-a-century comet to get our teeth into. :D

Slightly off topic.

If we are looking over the next 100 years, there will be a comet that gets its teeth into us :)

(Renders the previous well made points moot):(

Sent from my GT-I9100

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DSLRs and other imaging devices will have become so sensitive (eg see current review of new Nikon D4, with an ISO 204,800 capability) that EQ mounts will be a thing of the past.

All imaging will be done with alt-az mounts and stacked, short exposures - after all, with increasing populations, even more supermarkets littered across the countryside with full 24 hour floodlighting, massive LP everywhere, what will be the point of exposures longer than 1 sec or so?

Astronomy will have been relegated to be Open University material, an arcade game, or an occasional telly programme on an obscure digital channel....

Chris

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Well what with the immenent arrival of private space excursions then private off world astronomy tours cant be far behind. A scope with generic camera attachments mounted in a special astronomy bubble on the back of the ship, you take your future ultra sensitive point and shoot and hey presto instant near hubble quality images .

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Interesting mix of predictions! LED streetlights would spell doom for sure... Perhaps they can be made to flicker at 60Hz so all we'll have to do is install a shutter that syncs with the same frequency...

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Interesting mix of predictions! LED streetlights would spell doom for sure... Perhaps they can be made to flicker at 60Hz so all we'll have to do is install a shutter that syncs with the same frequency...

But then some paranoid parent of a small child out after midnight will complain that their child has discovered a 60hz shutter device which they can hold infront of their eyes, and it made their environment look like night-time. So that was scary, and then get the paranoid masses to campaign for continuous brightness lighting that does not follow AC frequency.

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