The Old Pro

SOLITUDE OR GROUP ACTIVITY?

I have wondered what percentage of amateur astronomers enjoy astronomy as a private pursuit, versus a hobby enjoyed in the company of others. I don't mean to imply that every amateur is in one camp or the other; certainly, many of us enjoy activities at both extremes, and might be hard pressed to say whether we are "loners" or "groupies".

In "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide", the authors state that some half a million people in North America are amateur astronomers. A publication such as Astronomay Magazine reports selling about 180,000 copies of their monthly magazine. Sky Telescope probably sells about the same, many of the copies going to the same readers of Astronomy, I would assume. Given that not every amateur subscribes or even picks up a copy at the newstand, I would guess that the 500,000 estimate is probably a reality. I am sure that those 500,000 run the gamut of intensity of interest, knowledge, and degree of participation.

Of those 500,000 amatuers, how many are loners? I would venture to guess that the vast majority are. Membership and participation in a local astronomy club is the most common means of group participation in the hobby. If there are, let's say, 250 astronomy clubs in North America (not an unreasonable guess), membership per club would average 2,000 people. The average club membership roll is probably under 100 people, though there are larger clubs in excess of 300. Just looking at the numbers, one realizes that the vast majority of people who call themselves amateur astronomers likely pursue it as "loners", searching the heavens or literature in search of enjoyment, relaxation, wonderment, and answers.

I have been at both extremes. When I started as a youth, I was a complete loner. I didn't know a single person ..... kid or adult ..... who shared my interest. In retrospect, this seriously hampered my development in the hobby. If any young "loners" are reading this, and you are feeling at all humbled or stymied by any aspect of this hobby, I can't emphasize enough that you make contact with other amateurs who can help you out. Working with a mentor via the internet is one step, but nothing else works quite as well as getting side by side with someone at a telescope. If you aren't lucky enough to know someone that shares your interest, a local astronomy club is worth a visit or two.

Once I developed a base of knowledge, I sought to share my interest with others, as well as learn from those more advanced than myself. I was fortunate enough to live in Miami at the time, with access to membership in a top-notch amateur astronomy club, the Southern Cross Astronomical Society. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with SCAS. It gave me my first exposure to public observing nights, where I volunteered my time and telescope, sharing the night sky with the general public. It also put me in the company of other astronomers at a dark sky site, something that I found to be thoroughly enjoyable, and a much different experience than being alone in a secluded, unsecured observing area. I was also single at the time, and in a period of "astronomical nirvana", with tons of time and money to spend against the hobby. It was a thoroughly enjoyable period, during which I learned a tremendous amount about the hobby.

A job transfer from Miami to Tampa in the late 80's took me away from S.C.A.S., and into membership of a small, fledgling club associated with the Museum of Science and Industry. My experience with M.A.R.S. was entirely different than my time with S.C.A.S. A club of only a couple dozen members, versus 300, provides a totally different feel. My experience with M.A.R.S. was very good. I was one of the more experienced members, as I recall, and during my short time there I hope I made a contribution to the membership.

After remarrying in 1989, and after my two sons were born in 1992 and 1994, I found myself without the luxury of time it takes to be an active member of a club. There are a lot of things I miss about that part of the amateur experience. I miss the public observing nights (the closest I now come to that experience is when the neighbors wander over while I have the scope out). I miss the members-only outings at dark sky sites ( I have been to two dark sky sites in the past 12 months.... dreadful)

So what I suggest to everyone is that there is great value in trying out an astronomy club, at least once in your lifetime. You may always have periods, like I do now, when you can't be an active member of a club. But I think that every amateur astronomer stands to benefit from learning what the astronomy club experience is like. At the very least, when you return to your telescope in solitude, you will know that you really aren't alone.

APERTURE FEVER

You know the feeling.

You look forward to browsing the ads in Sky Telescope (even if they never change from month to month). You read the magazine from front to back, simply because that is where the ads are concentrated. You lust over other astronomers' light buckets. You keeping checking the line of credit on your MasterCard, hoping it will get bumped up into Astro-Physics territory. Your scope simply doesn't get the job done for you.... or so you think.

Aperture fever has got to be one of the biggest distractions this hobby holds. I suspect that it has even been the undoing of some amateur astronomers, as they reach a level of dissatisfaction with their own telescope.

I gave in to aperture fever one time in my life. After about 6 years of owning a Celestron Super C8 +, I buckled under the pressure of the very first Orion ad for their new line of Dobsonians. I had my VISA card out of my wallet quicker than you can say "Did you see that fireball?!" . My rationale? After 6 years of dedicated use of my C8, there wasn't much more I could milk out of...... or so I thought. And what better way to take a huge step up in aperture (I ordered the 12.5") for such a modest cost.

I was told by Orion Telescope that I was among the very first people who ordered the 12.5" model. Delivery was promised in 6 weeks. Which turned into 8. Which turned into 4 months. In the meantime, Meade rolled out its line of Dobs, and it didn't take me long to cancel the Orion order, and place an order with Astronomics for a 12.5" Meade Dob (BTW, this was and has remained the only time I had a bad experience with Orion. As a result, however, I have never ordered a big ticket item from them. Instead, a few years later, I ordered my CG-11 from Astronomics).

After about 8 weeks, I received the Meade Dob. I salivated about the thought of getting it under dark skies. There was only one problem: during the process of making my aperture fever driven purchase decision, I had forgotten that my lifestyle and observing needs had totally changed. Now, married and with a one year old, and a career that was demanding more time and travel than it had during the early days of my C8 ownership, I didn't have the luxury of taking the Dob out on a long trip to a dark sky site! My observing life had transformed from one of monthly expeditions to savor deep sky splendors, to short weekly trips out into the back yard, under light polluted skies.

But not to fret. I rationalized that the extra 4.5" of aperture and smaller central obstruction would be of benefit for planetary observing, which was now where I was spending more of my eyepiece time. This led me to discover the vital necessity for excellent collimation of Newts, particularly with fast f ratios. Frankly, I was not prepared to spend the time required to learn a new trick .... not when I had worked hard to master the nuances of my venerable C8. There wasn't a single night that I ever got better planetary performance out of the 12.5" than I did out of the 8". Not because it wasn't possible, mind you. Simply becasue I was not prepared to work hard enough to achieve it.

Aperture fever, combined with impulse, had led me down the wrong path. What did I learn from this experience? That one of the joys of astronomy is developing a bond of sorts with your own window into the universe. There is a great deal of pride and satisfaction to be gained from developing an intimate understanding of the potential and limitations of your instrument. Now, I'm not saying that you only have to have one instrument. But what you do have to possess is the time and energy to become proficient with more than one instrument, should you choose to own more than one.

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience, and now certify myself as being free of aperture fever. Now mind you, I did move up to a CG-11 three years ago, but this came after almost ten years with a C8. I made the move for reasons that were much more well thought out than my impulse purchase of the Dob a few years before. As a result, it is a purchase decision that I have been satisfied with over the long term.

Parting Thoughts..................

Well, it's time to wrap up this page. In fact, since this is the final page of the final section of the AstroLair, you can consider this my closing thoughts for this undertaking.

And what an undertaking it has been.

When I embarked upon creating the AstroLair, I never quite imagined that it would turn into a resource this large ... or to date (August, 1999), this popular. Since creating the Astro Lair in September of 1997, I have had over 6,100 visitors to the main page. Though I never established an expectation up front, this has exceeded any projection I would have ever put in place.

My original goal was to keep the AstroLair a fairly fluid site, containing monthly updates and features that would reward those who stopped back over time. My vision was greater than the time I have to allocate to it, however, and I have resigned myself to the fact that it will remain a fairly static resource. I hope to keep it up to date in regards to new developments on the equipment front, and to cycle in new and better astro photos that I might take in the future. But beyond that, it will likely remain in its current form for the near future.

My hope is that the work and effort put behind these pages have been worth it. And judging from the mail and follow up questions I receive from visitors, I would say that I appear to have struck a chord with many readers, and have already helped a good number of people enter into the hobby in just a little bit smoother fashion. And that, of course, makes all the effort worth it.

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