It'a been two days since the pallets arrived. You can't believe how tough it's been to not just rip everything out of the box and start playing. The only thing stopping me is that Jim is the owner of a 6" Meade telescope that was knocked over on a tripod after only a few nights of use and we don't need repeat of that event. This new scope is so large and heavy I would never consider mounting it on a tripod. I have used this analogy with a few people, in my eyes it's like balancing a 10 grand bottle of wine on a ski pole. (The 6" Meade that took the fall is being repaired by Meade and will be back in 6 weeks and used for star parties.)
Jim has increased the size of the observatory's library considerably and I believe this will shorten up our learning curve so we can make the most of our good clear night Skies.
The list of books.
1. Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky.
2. The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets: Monthly Guide for CCD Imaging with Amateur Telescope.
3. Digital SLR Astrophotography.
4. Astrophotography for the Amateur.
5. CCD Astrophotography: High-Quality Imaging from the Suburbs.
6. Digital Astrophotography: A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos.
7. Deep Sky Observer's Guide.
8. Handbook of CCD Astronomy, 2nd Edition. (Cambridge Observing Handbook for Research Astronomers)
I'm sure that Jim is on Amazon's Christmas card list after this order. And, after reading the titles, I'm thinking there is a CCD camera in the observatory's future. I'm also finishing the book Don't Know Much About The Universe on my IPOD which I found to be a greatI title, because I don't know much at all. It also has the best Quote I've seen in years, "Education is not the Filling of a Pail, it's the Lighting of a Fire" W.B. Yeats. I intend to paint this on the observatory's wall.
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