Let's predict the future of amateur astronomy

[E621Keith]

I dont really understand why auto PA isnt already common place. If you can randomly hold a iphone up to the sky and it knows where its pointing i dont get why its not built into mounts yet. Surely if you couple the current mount software with a built in GPS and maybe some sort of digital spirit level then it should be able to auto PA?

I agree with Michael here, your smart phone might show you a map of roughly what's in the sky, but it doesn't have the precision required to achieve polar alignment. Phone's gyro and accelerometer is accurate to may be a few degs, certainly not the arcminutes precision required for decent polar alignment.

[symesie04]

Agreed i wasnt suggesting the phone is accurate enough to achieve accurate polar alligment, simply that the technology is there for a highly accurate PA to be presented in a EQ mount at reasonable prices. Although "reasonable" is of course a matter of perspective

[SamAndrew]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but automatic collimation would be cool.

moisture repellent coatings so dew isn't an issue ?

segmented mirrors that allow you to slowly build you way to the apature of your dreams, you start off with one peice and buy more over time and combine them together so that your mirror grows.

[Uranium235]

segmented mirrors that allow you to slowly build you way to the apature of your dreams, you start off with one peice and buy more over time and combine them together so that your mirror grows.

Or cheaper modular systems for refractors, a bit like Borg, but a lot less expensive! A SW modular system would be cool, you could keep the focuser and tube - just swap over the objective lens.

[cantab]

Wouldn't automatic polar alignment mean having to have extra motors, gears, and so on to rotate the polar axis itself?

Personally I think it's more likely that equatorial mounts would become obsolete. They already are in big professional telescopes. Computerised alt-az mounts will track the sky, and a field derotator will make them suitable for imaging.

[Jessun]

Personally I think it's more likely that equatorial mounts would become obsolete. They already are in big professional telescopes. Computerised alt-az mounts will track the sky, and a field derotator will make them suitable for imaging.

What is the main advantage of this type of mounting? Is it cheaper when building big?

[SamAndrew]

Does a feild rotator work with diffraction spikes ?

I would think the main reason big scopes are alt-az is for cost reasons

[E621Keith]

Personally I think it's more likely that equatorial mounts would become obsolete. They already are in big professional telescopes. Computerised alt-az mounts will track the sky, and a field derotator will make them suitable for imaging.

I doubt it, professional telescope have simply grew to such a size that it is impractical to mount it on an equatorial system. An alt-az mount needs to track in 2 axis and the field de-rotator adds a third, while a equatorial mount only needs to track in one axis. One precision drive train is always go to be cheaper than 3.

Computerised Alt-az with field derotator have been around for ages (Meade LX200), but they never caught on.

If you look at the smaller professional telescopes like the ones used in superWASP and 2MASS, often they are equatorial mounted as well.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Electromagnetic wave telescope, that is so dated. In the future the sky will be so polluted across all spectrum that will render optical, radio and gamma ray telescope obsolete.

Amateur neutrino and gravitational wave astronomy is the way forward

Incidentally, gravitational wave telescopes will suffer their own form of light pollution (heavy pollution?) as more and more obese people trundle past your scope

[jason.p]

Fascinating thread, especially for one who has yet to actually see a star or planet with a telescope

My future seems to be everyone else's past! But I'm still looking forward to it!

[Monty]

I predict local weather control.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I predict local weather control.

Well, wouldn't the levers on the controls snap as amateur astronomers and farmers bicker over the desired settings

[E621Keith]

Well, wouldn't the levers on the controls snap as amateur astronomers and farmers bicker over the desired settings

I think it will be perfect for both groups actually. Farmers want rain, and we don't want cloud. We can shoot the clouds out of the sky during the day to create rain for the farmer and then we get our clear sky at night.

The drought earlier this year was created by a shortage of rain, not a shortage of clouds.