Naked-eye astronomy is more than just meteors.

On our most recent two-person "star party" at Kodachrome Basin in Utah (best dark sky I have ever seen,) we sat on our reclining beach chairs covered with an electric blanket covered with a thick sleeping bag. Electric blanket? Yep. Kodachrome has full hookups but with zero light pollution -- no streetlights, and the bathroom was a five minute walk away from us. (We really needed the electric blanket -- evening temperatures in the low 20s, with a strong north wind.) And we really do have fully reclining beach chairs -- this is a Southern California essential for napping after surfing.

LenSatic wrote:
To be fair, dtappy3353 said, "What does this have to do with RV'ing? The heavens are a wonderful privilege to add to a camping experience." So the question was asked and answered by him. ;)

ProfDan wrote:
is there a good compact telescope suitable for RV travel into the boondocks?

The best starter scope, IMHO, is the Edmund Scientific Astroscan. They're simple and so rugged that I use to carry it as carry-on luggage. "Yes it looks like a bomb, but it's not a bomb, ma'am." The new ones come with a red-dot sight as a finder scope. No tracking, but it's a rich field (wide field) low power scope, so tracking is not a problem. The go-to feature is you; it's the best way to learn the sky. I gave mine away before moving to AZ and will be getting a new one soon. (They are out of stock until the end of the year.)

I also have a 5 1/4" Meade ETX that has go-to and internal batteries. I've had it for over 3 years and still haven't learned to use it. I just point it where I want to go. You can mount a camera to it and take tracked pix, too. Even with the tripod, it doesn't take up too much room.

LS

I am looking for the Edmund Scientific Astroscan but can't seem to find it for sale anywhere has it been replaced with another model?

Thanks

Not a Clue wrote:

LenSatic wrote:
To be fair, dtappy3353 said, "What does this have to do with RV'ing? The heavens are a wonderful privilege to add to a camping experience." So the question was asked and answered by him. ;)

ProfDan wrote:
is there a good compact telescope suitable for RV travel into the boondocks?

The best starter scope, IMHO, is the Edmund Scientific Astroscan. They're simple and so rugged that I use to carry it as carry-on luggage. "Yes it looks like a bomb, but it's not a bomb, ma'am." The new ones come with a red-dot sight as a finder scope. No tracking, but it's a rich field (wide field) low power scope, so tracking is not a problem. The go-to feature is you; it's the best way to learn the sky. I gave mine away before moving to AZ and will be getting a new one soon. (They are out of stock until the end of the year.)

I also have a 5 1/4" Meade ETX that has go-to and internal batteries. I've had it for over 3 years and still haven't learned to use it. I just point it where I want to go. You can mount a camera to it and take tracked pix, too. Even with the tripod, it doesn't take up too much room.

LS

I am looking for the Edmund Scientific Astroscan but can't seem to find it for sale anywhere has it been replaced with another model?

Thanks

Not to my knowledge. They seem to be out of stock until the end of the year. It must be a popular Christmas gift item.

LS

hi from AZ. . . Enjoyable thread, thanks to all. We too enjoy 'sky-watching' and think it's just another plus for getting away from the city. I appreciate the tips / apps / equipment suggestions too. AZ State Parks have star parties, but they're getting a little too popular :C We really enjoy Utah red rock country as well.. . .regards, Craig

profdant139 wrote:
On our most recent two-person "star party" at Kodachrome Basin in Utah (best dark sky I have ever seen,) we sat on our reclining beach chairs covered with an electric blanket covered with a thick sleeping bag. Electric blanket? Yep. Kodachrome has full hookups but with zero light pollution -- no streetlights, and the bathroom was a five minute walk away from us. (We really needed the electric blanket -- evening temperatures in the low 20s, with a strong north wind.) And we really do have fully reclining beach chairs -- this is a Southern California essential for napping after surfing.

Sounds like I need to visit Utah in the winter. I was out there for two weeks in the Spring 2010 and was sorely disappointed by the night sky. The sky was much darker and clearer here in Michigan. I didn't make it that far south... visiting Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef.

GordonThree wrote:
Sounds like I need to visit Utah in the winter. I was out there for two weeks in the Spring 2010 and was sorely disappointed by the night sky. The sky was much darker and clearer here in Michigan. I didn't make it that far south... visiting Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef.

You might want to also try the Central Oregon outback for spectacular night skies. ;)

Gordon -- yes, if you like stars, southern Utah is stunning. There is no other word for it. In an effort to illustrate what I mean, check out this shot of Orion coming up over some hills. It is not particularly noteworthy, and that is exactly the point!

In this shot, I tried my best to replicate what the night sky at Kodachrome Basin actually looks like to the unaided eye -- a dense mass of glittering stars spread over a deep black sky. (This was taken at our campsite.) There are so many stars that familiar bright constellations, such as Orion (at the bottom center) or the Pleiades (at the top center), are harder to find than they would be from a location with some light pollution, just because they are surrounded by thick clusters of usually-invisible stars:



(I hope that the posted version of this shot looks ok -- I had to reduce the file size to meet the forum's formatting requirement.) In any event, and despite my best efforts, the shot is not even close to perfect -- there is a slight glow in the sky that would not be visible to an observer on the spot. That glow is not from a town -- my best guess is that it is water vapor lit up by starlight.

Under these conditions, the stars are so bright that you can clearly see your shadow on the ground, even though there is no light other than the stars. (I don't understand how this is possible -- unlike the sun or the moon, the stars do not provide a point source of light, so how can such a diffuse source cast a shadow?)

UPDATE ON MY TELESCOPE RECOMMENDATIONS!

I've been looking into the Astroscan shortage and it seems that they are made in China now, not the US, and QC may be inconsistent. I've contacted Edmund's and am waiting for a response.

LS

I talked to them -- they have stopped making them because they were unhappy with the quality of the Chinese optics -- they are working with another manufacturer and hope to have new units by mid-2015. After shopping around, that is the one I want -- there are other small "go to" computerized reflectors around, but they are not as foolproof as the Astroscan. I can wait!

profdant139 wrote:
I talked to them -- they have stopped making them because they were unhappy with the quality of the Chinese optics -- they are working with another manufacturer and hope to have new units by mid-2015. After shopping around, that is the one I want -- there are other small "go to" computerized reflectors around, but they are not as foolproof as the Astroscan. I can wait!

Thanks, Dan. I'm glad you didn't order one on my recommendation, but checked it out first. I'm glad that they are working to fix the problem! I should have double-checked before posting.

Pat