Fifty Years of Progress

Comet Arend-Roland was one of my first experiences with enjoying the night sky. It is a bit frightening to realize that was fifty years ago, but it also got me thinking how much the world of amateur astronomy has changed since then. There are so many things we have today that were not available back in 1957.

1. Large, relatively portable Newtonians with quality optics.
2. High quality apochromats.
3. High quality, portable mounts.
4. Tracking altazimuth mounts with GoTo.
5. Digital imaging (amazing deep sky and solar system abilities).
6. A choice of conventions near virtually every new Moon.
7. Well corrected, wide field eyepieces.
8. Short focal length eyepieces with good eye relief.
9. Internet "astronomy communities" (help is close at hand).
10. A wealth of information right at hand via the web.

I am sure there are many more, but those are the ones that come to mind easily and quickly.

Clear skies, Alan

Alan, if you would have predicted your 10 listed facts 50 years ago folks would have thought you were crazy. I wonder how crazy our next 50 years will be now that the power of the computer and internet are firmly entrenched world wide???? Scary or exciting? My fingers are crossed.

Regards
Jeff

Also the very affordable deeper field charting available now, in pixel or paper.

Alan:

We certainly are living in the golden age of good quality affordable equipment and the golden age of information. Instead of star charts, I use a Palm Handheld that is loaded with programs to graphically display the IC, NGC catalogs as well as various others and stars down to magnitude 11.

But in the back one's mind, the question of light pollution and general observing conditions must at least foster some reservations about the overall state of affairs.

I guess when you add it all up, a 30mpg car on a nice smooth highway with a 12.5 inch Truss DOB taking up the space of one passenger and traveling to a dark site in an hour or truly dark site in a day, it can't get much better...

Happy Holidays to all

Jon

Alan French said:

Comet Arend-Roland was one of my first experiences with enjoying the night sky. It is a bit frightening to realize that was fifty years ago, but it also got me thinking how much the world of amateur astronomy has changed since then. There are so many things we have today that were not available back in 1957.

1. Large, relatively portable Newtonians with quality optics.

Uh...dude...you left out THE SCHMIDT CASSEGRAIN TELESCOPE. Love 'em or hate 'em, I don't think anybody can dispute this design's tremendous impact on amateurs! IMHO, that's your "number one" rat there.

8)

Alan French said:

...... There are so many things we have today that were not available back in 1957.

I am sure there are many more, but those are the ones that come to mind easily and quickly.

Clear skies, Alan

The only one I could add was already mentioned by Rod M - The commercial SCT. While I own 6, 8, and 20 inch Newts and a 10" RC Cass, I've always considered the SCT a wonderful invention.

I've been observing since the late 50's myself, and the only thing I miss from "the old days" is a darker sky.

George Normandin

In addition to SCTs Alan left out wide field eyepieces. And I know he's got no shortage of wide field glass himself; may not make a difference for on axis viewing of a planet or a nebula but wide field, low power views like we can have to day just weren't out there back in the 50s or 60s.

And don't give me no talk about erfles.

thanks
Greg N