I am of the opinion that bigger is worse for public outreach.
I've been holding public astronomy nights for about 5 or 6 years now. I want scopes that i can show people how to operate. I want scopes that are not bigger than the kids that look thru them, that are not imposing, that are realistic sizes of scopes that any one of these people, most of whom don't own a scope, might go out and purchase.
I have two 6" scopes, a CR150 and a 6" SVD. The are usually both set up at my outdoor sessions. But by far the best scope I have for public sessions is my 5" C5 SCT. It is the easiest to use. It can be operated by most anyone after just a minute of instruction. It provides great views. The viewing height is always about the same. As I move about the field during the night, the people at the C5 are managing by themselves to keep that scope operating, on target and everyone is viewing.
My second best scope at these sessions is an AT1010. These two scopes get used more than all the others.
I would say the third that I have is the SVD6".
All three of these scopes are mounted on easy to use equatoral mounts.
Most all of the outdoor shows I put on are in conjunction with teaching students. Most of my groups are centered around a 5th grade class and their families. Just last week and again last night we had about 50-60 people out for a night. Constantly, all night long, part of the learning experience is the fact that the object is moving so fast thru the eyepiece and the mount is used to track by counteracting the motion of the earth.
So my best setup is a small easy to operate scope mounted on a simple equatoral mount. It must be operable by anyone within a few minutes. And it must be reachable from no more than a small sturdy step stool for kids sometimes no taller than 3 1/2 to 4 feet. They must be able to hold on to the tripod legs so they keep their hands off the eyepiece.
I think small is better. It's been working for me for years now. Nearly 2500 students and parents and going strong. Another 200 people in 4 sessions planned between now and the end of May.
edz
-------------------- Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
Previous
Index
Next
Flat
Re: Top 3 public demonstration telescopes
Edit
Reply
Quote
