Skywatching Series Review

[Kn4fty]

Not sure if y'all get the the astronomy magazine "Sky and Telescope" there. In case y'all do, here is a review of the magazine's video series for beginners. 

I found this at a book store back home while visiting my parents. It was cheap and I figured it would be fun to watch. It is hosted by Kelly Beatty from S & T and by Dean Regas from the Cincinnati observatory. Dean is also one of the host from the mini TV show "Star Gazers". The series is not about the sky itself, but about equipment. It's definitely geared towards folks that know nothing about telescopes. The video is broken down into sections that are further broken down into chapters. The topic sections are:

Buying your first telescope-

This covers the different types of scopes and their differences. It also covers what to avoid.

How to use your telescope-

This covers the basic operations of the different types of scopes and mounts.

Care and cleaning of your telescope-

This section really caught my interest. Cleaning mirrors and lenses is not something I've ever been comfortable doing. In fact I've only tackled that once or twice in 20+ years. But after watching the simple method they demonstrate at the observatory, I'll be less worried about doing it in the future.

Guide to accessories for your telescope-

This covers all the basic extras you can find out there. They show items that available and how they are used. They cover EPs, barlows, filters, ect.vThey also talk about what not to use, such as EP solar filters.

This is a very basic video, but I believe a good video, for newbies. They each takes turns playing the roll of a newbie. Overall I give the video 3.5 out of five stars. It would of made 5 if they spent a little more time showing how to collimate and also if they showed some actual sky time use. The collimation chapter felt rushed and only covered the bare bones. With that being said, it's a good enough video that I will pass it on to the next newbie I meet.

Rob

 

[SIDO]

I started out with S & T in 1974, read those issues over and over then Jack Horkhiemer started The Star Gazer in 1976...Great stuff, I still use the S & T Saturn's moons link...

[Kn4fty]

Yeah, I remember when Star Gazers was still called Star Hustler. 

[cletrac1922]

Down under we have an annual book title Astronomy year book

Covers things buying and caring for scopes, sky maps by season, astronomical events such as sun and lunar eclipses

Been published every year since the early 1980's, and is the holly grail for astronomers

 

[Louis D]

On 19/09/2018 at 00:20, SIDO said:

I started out with S & T in 1974, read those issues over and over then Jack Horkhiemer started The Star Gazer in 1976...Great stuff, I still use the S & T Saturn's moons link...

I still remember his tag line "Keep Looking Up".  Good stuff in the pre-internet days for knowledge starved astro geeks.

22 hours ago, Kn4fty said:

Yeah, I remember when Star Gazers was still called Star Hustler. 

I hadn't realized they'd renamed it in the 90s for the following reason according to Wikipedia:

Jack Horkheimer was probably best known for his naked-eye astronomy television show Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler, which started in 1976 and was broadcast nationally in 1985. Created, produced and written by Horkheimer, the show changed its name to Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer in 1997 because Internet searches were producing results for the adult magazine Hustler.

Once again, the internet ruins everything that was good and innocent.  I had a high school teacher whose wife Amanda dressed as a panda to cheer up kids in the children's hospital.  She was known as Amanda the Panda.  They've had to file multiple lawsuits to protect their trademark from various internet offenders over the years trying to debase their good name.

[Kn4fty]

Yeah I grew up watching Star Gazer/ Hustler. Jack Horkhiemer definitely had a way to make a person excited about the sky.