Same as in the first article of the “In Galileo’s Shadow” column (last year), I STILL love telescopes. Ever since I read about Galileo in grade school, using one he made to see Jupiter and it’s orbiting moons, I’ve wanted one.
I was limited on money back then (obviously), so I had to settle with going to see planetarium shows at Muskegon Community College (in Michigan where I grew up).
I later got to see a near solar eclipse in 3rd grade with one (with a Solarsafe filter so I wouldn’t char my eye retinas). Next time I looked in one was in 2000 at the Cranbrook Institute in metro-Detroit. It was much bigger, and large enough to allow me to see a binary star system consisting of a larger red and smaller blue star orbiting each other (possibly Albireo in Cygnus if I can remember right. I was actually on a date at the time, so I was thinking more about the girl than the star names LOL).
I finally bought a Meade scope from a garage sale in Utah before moving to Denver to work at United Launch Alliance (on the Delta IV rocket program). With it, I finally got to see what Galileo likely saw, namely see Jupiter close enough where I could see the gas cloud bands faintly, and see the moons Io, Ganymede, and Europa orbiting.
By this point, my desire for the best telescope I could possibly get (with respect to a budget of course) was set in stone . . . and is to this day. By chance, I went to Celestron.com to look at the ones they have. Lot’s of fanfare at that time about the impending Great Eclipse of 2017 (here in the US). I found out that the company has annual telescope sweepstakes. This year, the Grand Prize us a Celestron VX 9.5 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope.
Like last year, I’d love to get something like this! I have talked with my wife, daughters, and son about putting a shed in the backyard with a telescope tower and dome big enough to accommodate a larger scope such as this Celestron. Some ideas such as these . . .
With our growing group of trees still going in though, I may have to settle for a tripod but that’s OK. Either way, I’m hoping to see a fantastic view of Jupiter with a telescope like the VX 9.5 that looks like the following on a very clear evening:
What matters is that I can get back to one of the things that drew me to working in the Space Industry and many other flying vehicles. The wonder, the sense of awe, the adventure and beckoning to a frontier we’ve just begun to dip our foot in. Yes, you see plenty of nighttime stars in movies and shows like Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, and others. You also see plenty of images from Hubble Space Telescope’s feed and Kepler, but direct, first-person observation is the only way to get the true sense of amazement and wonder.
It’s something I want to pass on to my kids, my nieces and nephews, and my future grandkids. I’d like everyone that reads this to have that experience too.
So here it is. If you want to beat me and everyone else to this telescope, enter the contest HERE. If neither you nor I win, that’s no reason to stop shopping for a good telescope. If you’re more budget-bound, check out Craig’s List, Nextdoor, and so forth for deals. You can also look up stargaze apps to help you locate certain nighttime stars and constellations if you’re not star-map literate yet (SECRET: I’m that way, but want to change that LOL ).
One good example is Sky Guide, a mobile smartphone app that I wrote about almost a year ago here on “The Gimmick”. It’s a great way to be able to locate the major planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, and the others.
Have fun. Also, send me your comments on any great star-gazing experiences you’ve had. Make sure you include info on the gear (e.g. scopes, cameras, apps, etc) you used too so that other Great Galactic Space Gimmick subscribers can also get the run down.
What matters is that you HAVE a telescope. But if Galileo had the Celestron telescope I’m shooting to get, he would probably see Jupiter and the other planets look like this . . .
Almost like being in orbit! 🙂
For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m the Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski. ??
© Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, 2018, authorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
DISCLAIMER: The images used in here came from Celestron’s website and are used here specifically in the promotion of their ongoing contest and to support their telescope products. Other images utilized are strictly for educational purposes and promotion of astronomy. No royalties were collected or sought for this article, and this article is free to the public. It is believed that this constitutes fair use.