Are visual astronomers a dying breed?

[Ratlet]

11 hours ago, Pixies said:

I doubt that many astrophotographers would say that!

No.  It doesn't sound like they would lol:

[Pixies]

41 minutes ago, Ratlet said:

No.  It doesn't sound like they would lol:

His following tweet was a little more 'sweary', so I won't link to it and break forum rules!  

[OK Apricot]

13 hours ago, cajen2 said:

I agree wholeheartedly. Please, people, post observing reports. I love reading them and learn so much from them.

Strangely enough I enjoy writing one as much as reading one - finding the right way to describe your experience really helps cement the images in your memory as you keep thinking back to how it looked, comparing with notes etc. 

Any fan of reports will have a gem in mid June as I'm going to Fuerteventura and plan on taking the 127 with me - can't wait to see what she's capable of under some of the darkest skies on the planet! 

[Elp]

Don't think visual is going anywhere. It's mostly based on circumstance, I do AP due to my light polluted area, dsos are off the table visually. I think most newbies also like the idea of visual but get disappointed when they can't see something like the photos show, they get wowed with planetary views (with comments about the small views) and much less so when a DSO is faint, I find they also don't have the patience for live view capture. For me, seeing something with my own eyes will always surpass the AP experience, but AP unlocks the ability to see images over time whereas visual is at the time, if I were purely visual I would have given up due to my local (and immediately accessible) environment. Saying that I did see m13 my first DSO from my backyard for the first time the other day with my 130pds after trial imaging it the session before, it was good to image it, but the feeling of seeing it, even though is was a very faint brown smudge in the centre of the eyepiece is something that stays with you (as did seeing Hale bopp and a 22 degree halo in the past). It's why we do it whether imaging or visual, the wonder of discovery is a very human trait.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Elp

[Ian McCallum]

1 hour ago, Ratlet said:

No.  It doesn't sound like they would lol:

That's comical, happening to a comedian!😂  The irony...🙄

Edited March 23, 2022 by Ian McCallum