[Lvas] My Rant

[Rob]

LVAS Discussion Group Members,

I'm going to jump in on this one. 

First of all, Fred; I have the utmost respect for astronomers like you 
and Roger.  I know it's taken years and maybe even decades for you to 
develop the observing skills you now have.  I can appreciate the details 
you include in your observation notes, because I struggled the first 
time I tried to put on paper the things I was seeing in the eyepiece.  
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Second; I hope I haven't (but I'm afraid I have) contributed to you 
feeling isolated.  My exuberance over my Mallincam experience has 
probably added to your feeling of isolation.  I consider video-assisted 
observing a cross between visual observing and astro-photography.  
Because of the various treatments I've had for cancer, my eyesight isn't 
what it used to be and my ability to discern detail in faint fuzzies is 
continually diminishing.  I don't have the patience for true CCD 
imaging.  I won't spend hours to capture one image like 
astro-photographers do.  But I'm thrilled by the fact that I can see 
galaxies and dark nebula with my Mallincam that I would never be able to 
see otherwise. 

As for our observing project, I have used yours and Roger's descriptions 
of the Crab Nebula to further enhance my video-assisted viewing of this 
object and hope to do the same with the future objects we jointly 
study.  Without them I would not have known to look for an "S" shaped 
pattern.  I think what we have in this group effort is exactly what this 
hobby needs - a cross-fertilization of techniques and skills beneficial 
to all that participate.

I'm sorry that any have been offended by the recent exchange of emails 
and I hope that no further retaliatory exchanges occur.  Our joint 
observing project is too valuable to all of us to have it tainted by 
some less than careful choices of words.

Your friend and fellow observer (although video-assisted),

Rob Lambert



Fred Rayworth wrote:
>
> All,
>
>  
>
> I guess I upset a few people. That wasn't really my intent, but it 
> came out that way, and kind of snobbish to boot. However, I don't take 
> back anything I said as I am stating facts as I've seen them in the 
> field, at meetings, and NOT just here in Las Vegas.....
>
>  
>
> The only thing that makes you a serious hobbyist, is your dedication 
> to astronomy, whether with a camera or an eyepiece, or both. It isn't 
> defined by which model so and so you have, which eyepiece, or which 
> discipline. I certainly didn't want to imply otherwise. At times, I 
> just feel kind of isolated, as do many other observers I know. 
>
>  
>
> For any of you astro-imagers out there that don't hate me for life, 
> I'd love to see an image of those 9 galaxies in Markarian's Chain that 
> I did such a crummy drawing of. That would be a hoot.
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
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