I was at a public event last night and as I have been doing of late, I took my 12" homebuilt Dob. It is half tube/half birch mirror box and I built it heavy and large on purpose. As has been the case each time I take it out in public, people start asking about it before I can even get the tube section mated to the mirror box and then EVERYONE wants to look through it. I am overshadowed in the wow factor by the club owned 6" refractor that one of the other members has been bringing to the events, but other than that, I am usually the biggest scope on the field.
The response from the public toward my modest scope is very gratifying.
What scope do you prefer for outreach?
Started by
GilATM
, Mar 04 2012 04:21 PM
92 replies to this topic
#52
bassplayer142
-
-
- Posts: 596
- Joined: 03 Oct 2011
Viking 1
Posted 30 May 2012 - 11:22 AM
It is kind of sad that people don't understand the refractors as well as seeing a huge dob. But thats just human nature. I have not had a chance to bring my 16" out yet unfortunately, but I did bring my 8" out and people enjoyed it.
#53
Fraxture
-
-
- Posts: 157
- Joined: 09 Jul 2009
Vostok 1
Posted 01 June 2012 - 09:37 AM
I use my 6" goto Mak.
And I mount my 30x100 Go Binos on a tripod.
And I mount my 30x100 Go Binos on a tripod.
#54
DaemonGPF
-
-
- Posts: 8,214
- Joined: 22 Mar 2008
Redonkulous
Posted 01 June 2012 - 10:51 AM
During the Eclipse at Chaco Canyon, my daughter brought out her 6", 1200mm Dob and solar filter. I only had my DSLR and laptop. She by far had the biggest scope out at our group location and had an insane line of people wanting to view through it. Everyone else had 40mm-80mm scopes/cameras at best. The 8 yr old stole the show with her inexpensive and basic dob.
#55
RobbW
-
-
- Posts: 344
- Joined: 09 Feb 2010
Ranger 4
Posted 01 June 2012 - 04:41 PM
The only one I have: a Celestron C8 SCT. I also usually mount my 10x50 binos on a tripod for folks to look through.
#56
FordGalaxy
-
-
- Posts: 34
- Joined: 06 Jul 2011
Sputnik
Posted 01 June 2012 - 10:05 PM
The local astronomy club brought a variety of 6-8" dobsonians to a recent outreach that I attended with my 4 year old son. Use of RDFs,laser pointers and LER low magnification eyepieces made for any enjoyable experience for my son and me. For kids, fast acquisition, bright views and long eye relief seem to be essential.
#57
gcs111
-
-
- Posts: 160
- Joined: 01 May 2007
Vostok 1
Posted 01 June 2012 - 10:27 PM
I use an older blue tube 10" Coulter. At f-4.5 it's great for the local elementary school kids...they can just walk up to it to view, unlike my 12" f-5 dob which needs a ladder. The mirror is a very good performer and when seeing is good I can use higher pwr eyepieces, last night at a outreach event I had a 4mm Radian in it giving crisp views of Saturn. Also if a student moves it and the object gets lost, as another guy said, it's easy to bring it back into view.
#58
buddyjesus
-
-
- Posts: 2,496
- Joined: 07 Jul 2010
Vanguard
Posted 03 June 2012 - 07:49 AM
I use a 4" refractor, but I don't think it matters. I think I get more "saucer eyes" with my mouth when I give them a perspective of size in the universe.
Such as telling them the Sun is a ball of gas that contains 98% of the matter in our solar system, that there is a continuous nuclear reaction in the sun producing all the light they see during the day and that the pinpoint stars in the night sky are suns that are very far away.
The great thing about teaching people science is the amazing feeling of expanding their world paradigm. There is much more to be done as I recently read an article that 1/5th of the adult population believes the Sun goes around the Earth. See, I just blew your paradigm about the state of science literacy in this country. haha
Such as telling them the Sun is a ball of gas that contains 98% of the matter in our solar system, that there is a continuous nuclear reaction in the sun producing all the light they see during the day and that the pinpoint stars in the night sky are suns that are very far away.
The great thing about teaching people science is the amazing feeling of expanding their world paradigm. There is much more to be done as I recently read an article that 1/5th of the adult population believes the Sun goes around the Earth. See, I just blew your paradigm about the state of science literacy in this country. haha
#59
tezster
-
-
- Posts: 824
- Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Viking 1
Posted 04 June 2012 - 09:03 AM
Any scope will do for outreach - an inexpensive dob, small refractor, or even a pair of tripod-mounted binoculars, offer good examples to attendees that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a good scope. Bigger and/or more unique scopes will draw more interest and can generate further discussion about various equipment used in the hobby and other astronomy-related topics.
I brought my 10" strut-dob to an outreach event for the first time last week, and it easily got the most attention of all the scopes there. One thing I found is because it's a open tube design, it made for a great teaching tool in terms of illustrating the basic principles of how a newtonian scope works.
Most importantly, one's enthusiasm, knowledge, and willingness to share their love of the hobby with the public trumps all other factors in terms of holding a successful outreach event.
I brought my 10" strut-dob to an outreach event for the first time last week, and it easily got the most attention of all the scopes there. One thing I found is because it's a open tube design, it made for a great teaching tool in terms of illustrating the basic principles of how a newtonian scope works.
Most importantly, one's enthusiasm, knowledge, and willingness to share their love of the hobby with the public trumps all other factors in terms of holding a successful outreach event.
#60
bassplayer142
-
-
- Posts: 596
- Joined: 03 Oct 2011
Viking 1
Posted 04 June 2012 - 09:16 AM
It seems that with a variety of Scopes, the viewed objects should be split up. The refractors can handle wide views of cluster and a few galaxy/nebula. While large reflectors can give great views or globulars and other dim objects.
This way every scope is impressive in its own right. And the concept of a large dob being the best is forgotten.
This way every scope is impressive in its own right. And the concept of a large dob being the best is forgotten.
#61
killdabuddha
-
-
- Posts: 1,137
- Joined: 26 Aug 2011
Apollo
Posted 04 June 2012 - 09:31 AM
Really enjoyed this thread. Great ideas for outreach scopes and the reasons for using them. I would like to take this a little further and ask if anyone has any pics, links or plans for some fun and maybe a bit outrageous outreach scopes. ie: frankendobs, cannons, steam punk, crazy paint jobs, etc...
Oops...didn't see this when I posted. Yeah, we're kinda steampunk--purely accidental though. We wanted everyone to know that anyone can make a scope if they wanted. (What's a FrankenDob? We're probably more like that. Everythin but the aluminum for the UTA came outa the garage. The rocker box/mirror deck is a 55-gallon drum sectioned to be a linear bearing. Base a door with an interior 6-inch PVC turret and drum ring azimuth bearing. Rotating focusers/aperture rings are simply stacked lazy susan swivel bearings whose interior rings are joined by the focuser mounts and arched vane mounting struts. Ugly, smooth, strong, functional. Have since flocked it. People seem to get a kick out of it.)
Attached Thumbnails
#62
astrobeast1
-
-
- Posts: 169
- Joined: 28 Sep 2010
Vostok 1
Posted 18 June 2012 - 06:06 PM
Hey killda, now you got the hang of pic portrayal, it would be really really nice of you to post some close up shots.
By the way you didn,t need to discredit yourself by calling the scope a frankenstein , I think it,s brilliantly unique . have been waiting a good while now to see the build , and boy it was worth the wait.Am not a great lover of truss tube scopes myself but they are so versatile and compact,
one day hope to build an unusual open tube design .dan
By the way you didn,t need to discredit yourself by calling the scope a frankenstein , I think it,s brilliantly unique . have been waiting a good while now to see the build , and boy it was worth the wait.Am not a great lover of truss tube scopes myself but they are so versatile and compact,
one day hope to build an unusual open tube design .dan
#63
OriNebula
-
-
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Lift Off
Posted 18 June 2012 - 08:22 PM
I personally think the scope you love the most is the best for outreach. Your own enjoyment comes through when you are using your favorite telescope. I have a 92mm TMB and that's my favorite to use for outreach, my favorite all around scope. I find that when I'm talking about astronomy and using a scope that I LOVE, I am more engaging than I would be with a different / larger scope. I also find that the discussion is at least as important as the equipment. I find that people like to hear some of the numbers and facts about the objects such as numbers of stars in a cluster, distances etc.
You do have to pick the objects that work best in your scope though - I tend to stick to the brighter objects (M13, M81/82 etc) and let the bigger scopes show the dimmer globs etc. I love M57 in my scope, but I know the general public will just see a faint fuzzy star for the most part. I'll start with the planets early one before dark, but really the larger scopes will show Mars better than my small scope. That said, last Saturday at an outreach I got some great reactions to Saturn in my little scope!
So it's really about using the equipment that you love and talking about a subject you love
OriNebula
You do have to pick the objects that work best in your scope though - I tend to stick to the brighter objects (M13, M81/82 etc) and let the bigger scopes show the dimmer globs etc. I love M57 in my scope, but I know the general public will just see a faint fuzzy star for the most part. I'll start with the planets early one before dark, but really the larger scopes will show Mars better than my small scope. That said, last Saturday at an outreach I got some great reactions to Saturn in my little scope!
So it's really about using the equipment that you love and talking about a subject you love
OriNebula
#64
k5apl
-
-
- Posts: 1,370
- Joined: 19 May 2006
Apollo
Posted 21 June 2012 - 12:19 PM
most of our outreach in this area is to kids and adults who
are not real astronomy-savvy. Judging by their remarks and
'excitement' through the years, my outreach-scope has evolved into this package:
100mm f9 refractor- light, inexpensive, economical, good light capture. Saturn gets as many 'wow's' with it as with
my 160mm refractor previously.
Ioptron Mini-tower GoTo mount- can set it at whatever the
best height for the size of the crowd. Will do Go To which
impresses most, and let's me show objects rather than try to
find objects (usually in a well-lit area vis security lights). And, its relatively economical too. Quick and easy
to set up and tear down.
Inexpensive but good eyepieces- I prefer Sterlings because
they are good and have a wider field than other Plossls.
And, almost most importantly, a green laser to show what
and where we are looking (if the sky isn't too bright).
All this changes when I am out with an astronomy knowledgeable group at a Star Party that might have Public
Outreach for a short period.
But, it doesn't matter what we have, as long as we are doing
outreach.. Its always fun for me.
Wes
are not real astronomy-savvy. Judging by their remarks and
'excitement' through the years, my outreach-scope has evolved into this package:
100mm f9 refractor- light, inexpensive, economical, good light capture. Saturn gets as many 'wow's' with it as with
my 160mm refractor previously.
Ioptron Mini-tower GoTo mount- can set it at whatever the
best height for the size of the crowd. Will do Go To which
impresses most, and let's me show objects rather than try to
find objects (usually in a well-lit area vis security lights). And, its relatively economical too. Quick and easy
to set up and tear down.
Inexpensive but good eyepieces- I prefer Sterlings because
they are good and have a wider field than other Plossls.
And, almost most importantly, a green laser to show what
and where we are looking (if the sky isn't too bright).
All this changes when I am out with an astronomy knowledgeable group at a Star Party that might have Public
Outreach for a short period.
But, it doesn't matter what we have, as long as we are doing
outreach.. Its always fun for me.
Wes
#65
PhilCo126
-
-
- Posts: 3,858
- Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Soyuz
#66
Lightbucket12
-
-
- Posts: 247
- Joined: 01 Oct 2010
Mariner 2
Posted 30 June 2012 - 07:58 PM
Our outreach programs come in three flavors: Club star parties at the park under partial moon conditions with some ambient city light. Private outreach for my wife's social club held in the front courtyard of our home 2 to 3 times a year under new moon and minimal ambient light. Regional star parties like the Grand Canyon Star Party and last year's ALCON at Bryce Canyon - both events had dark sky's and excellent viewing conditions.
For the local public and private outreach our 6" Mak/Newt is the favored instrument with the mount set low. It works well with children, senior's and adults with no issues that can easily bend down to the eye piece. We also use a two step utility ladder with a handle. We ask the star gazer to place their hands on the handle. This provides them with stability and allows them to lower their eye to the eye piece as opposed to grabbing the eye piece and pulling the eyepiece to their eye. The Mak/Newt is a richest field view scope so it takes in a large swath of sky at a time. It's ideal for views of the moon, planets need high power, open and globular star clusters look fantastic in a flat dark field.
They say in racing you can't beat horsepower, in astronomy you can't beat aperture. In dark sky conditions a 12" mirror is better then a 6". 20 inches beats a 12" every time. There's two problems with a 20", we don't own one and it's a big tall scope requiring longer setup and take down and you need a large step ladder. The 12" works for us as it's a collapsible Skywatcher easy to setup and the eyepiece is readily accessible on the first step of our ladder even for a 5 year old. It has enough horsepower to reach out and touch some of the fainter fuzzies but is not intimidating. The moon, planets and other targets look great but not exceptional.
Bert
For the local public and private outreach our 6" Mak/Newt is the favored instrument with the mount set low. It works well with children, senior's and adults with no issues that can easily bend down to the eye piece. We also use a two step utility ladder with a handle. We ask the star gazer to place their hands on the handle. This provides them with stability and allows them to lower their eye to the eye piece as opposed to grabbing the eye piece and pulling the eyepiece to their eye. The Mak/Newt is a richest field view scope so it takes in a large swath of sky at a time. It's ideal for views of the moon, planets need high power, open and globular star clusters look fantastic in a flat dark field.
They say in racing you can't beat horsepower, in astronomy you can't beat aperture. In dark sky conditions a 12" mirror is better then a 6". 20 inches beats a 12" every time. There's two problems with a 20", we don't own one and it's a big tall scope requiring longer setup and take down and you need a large step ladder. The 12" works for us as it's a collapsible Skywatcher easy to setup and the eyepiece is readily accessible on the first step of our ladder even for a 5 year old. It has enough horsepower to reach out and touch some of the fainter fuzzies but is not intimidating. The moon, planets and other targets look great but not exceptional.
Bert
#67
SmoothJazz
-
-
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 05 Jul 2012
Lift Off
Posted 06 July 2012 - 10:55 AM
I use my 10 inch dob. It is large enough to provide stunning deep sky views, and is large enough to attract attention.
#68
Rat
-
-
- Posts: 573
- Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Viking 1
Posted 08 July 2012 - 12:16 AM
I prefer the fork mounted goto cat. Good eyepiece height for most plus the ability to find objects fast.
#69
Devon
-
-
- Posts: 42
- Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Sputnik
Posted 14 July 2012 - 09:07 PM
I mainly use an old C8 Deluxe also... easy to haul and set up, gives great views with a few old eyepieces. Once in a while, I'll drag out a AR152 refractor on a ASGT mount. Often I'll set up with a video cam to let the people see something different.
Devon
Devon
#70
ebusinesstutor
-
-
- Posts: 1,060
- Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Apollo
Posted 15 July 2012 - 11:08 AM
Our club does a lot of outreach. The ones that use telescopes fall in these types:
1. Moon/Planet viewing in a busy downtown park
2. Constellation/DSO viewing at a nearby park at a lake
3. Solar viewing at the same busy downtown park
Here are a few of the pluses of the scopes used.
1. My Orion XT8i Dob
Fast setup (I don't do the Intellescope 2 star alignment at the beginning). I am usually the first one able to show things while the GoTo people are still doing alignments. I sometimes align later after the rest of the scopes are up and running if we are at a darker site looking at fainter objects.
Great views on moon and planets and very good views on DSO's. With a properly aligned finder scope, I can nudge it back on the moon by looking through the finder scope so I don't have to interrupt the lineup to get it back on the object.
2. My 15x70 binoculars on tripod
Popular to look at the moon, but needs a step stool to accommodate kids. I stopped bringing them though as I couldn't manage lineups at both the telescope and then binoculars at once.
3. William Optics 5.5" refractor on CG6 mount
Gorgeous views of moon and planets. Great tracking so you don't have to keep realigning the scope. Less detail on DSO's. Sometimes needs step stool
4. 4.5" Celestron GoTo refractor
Good performer on the moon and planets, but some coma. Tracks nicely.
5. 12.5" Skywatcher GoTo Dob
Excellent views on everything and tracking makes it easy for outreach.
So almost any good telescope works well for outreach, but there are tradeoffs.
I have found that a couple of step stools get a lot of use when you have kids out.
We also take a signup list out for people to give us their name and email address if they want notices of our future events. We have nearly 750 on that list now.
1. Moon/Planet viewing in a busy downtown park
2. Constellation/DSO viewing at a nearby park at a lake
3. Solar viewing at the same busy downtown park
Here are a few of the pluses of the scopes used.
1. My Orion XT8i Dob
Fast setup (I don't do the Intellescope 2 star alignment at the beginning). I am usually the first one able to show things while the GoTo people are still doing alignments. I sometimes align later after the rest of the scopes are up and running if we are at a darker site looking at fainter objects.
Great views on moon and planets and very good views on DSO's. With a properly aligned finder scope, I can nudge it back on the moon by looking through the finder scope so I don't have to interrupt the lineup to get it back on the object.
2. My 15x70 binoculars on tripod
Popular to look at the moon, but needs a step stool to accommodate kids. I stopped bringing them though as I couldn't manage lineups at both the telescope and then binoculars at once.
3. William Optics 5.5" refractor on CG6 mount
Gorgeous views of moon and planets. Great tracking so you don't have to keep realigning the scope. Less detail on DSO's. Sometimes needs step stool
4. 4.5" Celestron GoTo refractor
Good performer on the moon and planets, but some coma. Tracks nicely.
5. 12.5" Skywatcher GoTo Dob
Excellent views on everything and tracking makes it easy for outreach.
So almost any good telescope works well for outreach, but there are tradeoffs.
I have found that a couple of step stools get a lot of use when you have kids out.
We also take a signup list out for people to give us their name and email address if they want notices of our future events. We have nearly 750 on that list now.
#71
tedbnh
-
-
- Posts: 946
- Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Viking 1
Posted 16 July 2012 - 02:17 PM
Garland, can I ask what software or service you use to manage the mailing list with 750 names, and what sort of communications you send them / how frequently?
Thanks!
Thanks!
#72
ebusinesstutor
-
-
- Posts: 1,060
- Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Apollo
Posted 25 July 2012 - 12:25 AM
Garland, can I ask what software or service you use to manage the mailing list with 750 names, and what sort of communications you send them / how frequently?
Thanks!
Hi Ted,
A good list management program for non-profits is Mail Chimp. It is free up to 2,000 subscribers but gets pricey after that.
Here is what I send them:
1. Notice of our monthly meetings/speakers. We have 10 monthly meetings with speakers (break for summer) and we email our list when these are happening.
2. Public observing sessions. We do public observing of the moon and planets at night and solar viewing in the day at a busy downtown park and a constellation walk/dso viewing at a local park with a lake. We try to do 1-2 of these a month.
3. Newsletter - monthly newsletter with articles, news and pictures from our social network web site at http://nanaimoastronomy.com
Overall, I think the general list gets 2-3 emails a month. We also have sublists for groups within the club like the astro photo group that gets together on its own.
This listbuilding has really revitalized our club. Hope this helps.
#73
elwaine
-
-
- Posts: 2,470
- Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Vanguard
Posted 28 July 2012 - 09:56 AM
... I used a 4" refractor to show kids the Moon. Listening to parents talking as the kids took in the view, I got the impression the smaller telescope made the idea of owning one seem more accessible.
I use a 5" refractor for similar reasons... but also because 1) I found that to many uninitiated folks (parents and kids alike) a refractor simply looks more like a "real telescope" to them, and so it draws a crowd; and 2) due to light pollution in my area, I am pretty much limited to the bright objects that can "wow" a crowd.
I tried outreach before with a 5" reflector on a manual alt/az tripod, and it was kind of a trainwreck.
That would be true with most, but not all, Alt-Az mounts. I use a T-REX for outreach with zero problems. I use it with an Argo Navis and a motorized focuser. Once I site in the object, it is a piece of cake to keep it in the center of the FOV, even while other folks look through the eyepiece, simply by keeping the coordinates on the Argo Navis zero'd out. The slow motion controls on the T-REX make that last step very easy to do. And the clutches hold the position securely, so that eager hands of children do not move the scope off target. Besides, having a motorized focuser means that the public rarely touches the telescope.
However, IMHO, nothing beats a motorized goto mount for outreach. I just do not have one at the moment.
#74
GeneT
-
-
- Posts: 16,602
- Joined: 07 Nov 2008
Ely Kid
Posted 14 August 2012 - 02:43 PM
I bring the telescope I use for my private viewing--a 12.5 inch Portaball. I bring a step stool for the kids. In my club, members just bring the same telescopes that they use for personal viewing.
#75
kfiscus
-
-
- Posts: 8,241
- Joined: 09 Jul 2012
Cosmos
Posted 27 August 2012 - 06:17 PM
XT10 on EQ platform. The public sees it as huge, I see it as my smaller, back-up scope. Sometimes I just use it with a cheap ($35) Meade electronic EP and portable TV for the moon, Saturn, or Jupiter. This lets everyone see without waiting in a line and without the bumping off target we're all used to.
CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.
Recent Topics
-
-
-
-
-
Cannot reach focus of GSO 10" Truss RC with 0.8 reducer/corrector
p088gll - May 10 2024 06:06 PM
Cats & Casses
-
M81 and M82 (Bode's and Cigar Galaxies) Imaged May 7, 8, and 9.
KurtV - May 10 2024 05:56 PM
Experienced Deep Sky Imaging
-
Suggestions for weekend targets? (8" Dobsonian)MonogonMan - May 10 2024 05:51 PM
Beginners Forum (No Astrophotography)
-
AR3664. Canon EOS R7, RF200-800mm and RF Extender x1.4
Dennis_Oz - May 10 2024 05:40 PM
Solar Observing and Imaging
-
-
