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jsweitzer6
Mar 7, 20247 min read
Fetching the Deep Sky: Hestia —Comments Pt. 2
This blog entry is to report on my first real successes chasing deep sky images with my Hestia (a.k.a. Canis Minor) last night. I’m far...
375 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Mar 1, 20246 min read
Think of it like a New Puppy: Hestia Reflections Part 1
Canine Comparisons I like to tell people my smart telescopes are like good hunting dogs. They identify, track and find the faint traces...
263 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Feb 22, 20246 min read
Train Hard for the Big Eclipse! — Time to get in Shape with Your Smart Scope
Introduction — April 8 is Coming! I’m detecting a fair amount of anxiety and — frankly — some whining, about the upcoming North American...
126 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Nov 16, 20237 min read
Follow "The Way of St. James to the Field of Stars" with your Smart Telescope
I’m finally back online after a number of weeks of work on presentations about smart scopes as well as a couple on the JWST. I’m also now...
415 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Oct 11, 20233 min read
Objects in the mirror are not closer than than they appear — How to gauge the objects in our images
I will first confess that I have more elaborate blog postings in the works, but I just haven’t been able to finish them this past month....
165 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Sep 10, 20233 min read
Warp Drive Observing: Completing the Kessel Run in just 90 minutes!
I’m keen on using my smart telescopes for star parties. This coming Friday there will be a picnic at the “darkest” site in Cook County. I...
152 views2 comments
jsweitzer6
Aug 29, 20236 min read
Heavy Clouds Above a Star-Scape: Imaging the Original “Dark Matter” and “Black Holes”
J.M.W. Turner, Heavy Clouds Above a Landscape INTRODUCTION: OBSERVING “NOTHING” This week’s blog entry is about “nothing” seen against a...
128 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
Aug 19, 20239 min read
To See or not to See … That is the Resolution Question
Three Image Quality Constraints Every Smart Telescope Owner Needs to Know INTRODUCTION This blog entry is about astronomical image...
712 views4 comments
jsweitzer6
Aug 1, 20235 min read
Cluster Cluster Burning Bright.... How to Determine your Limiting Magnitude
Pretty soon I’m going to be making my yearly observation of Pluto. It’s not situated well along my horizon yet, so I’m getting ready. I...
242 views1 comment
jsweitzer6
Jul 27, 20236 min read
The Upgrade Paradox: To buy or not to buy?
I often get asked, What happens when my smart telescopes’ tech goes obsolete? Or what if a better model pops on the market? What about...
143 views1 comment
jsweitzer6
Jul 13, 20237 min read
Out Out Damn Spots! .... Swatting at Celestial Gnats, Part 2
Maybe you don’t feel guilty about your astro imaging post processing (PP) the way Lady MacBeth did for her crime, but sometimes I do. I...
123 views5 comments
jsweitzer6
Jul 6, 20238 min read
Count your Lucky Stars: Swatting at Celestial Gnats, Part 1
I often see comments from smart telescope users who want to drastically shrink or even eliminate (!) foreground stars in their images of...
224 views1 comment
jsweitzer6
Jun 1, 20237 min read
The GOT Filter — A Super-Cheap DIY Filter to Dramatically Improve your Galaxy Imaging
Now that I’ve calmed down about the supernova in M101 and galaxy season will be giving way to summer nebulae soon, I keep thinking about...
971 views0 comments
jsweitzer6
May 4, 20234 min read
Why can't I image planets well?
After all, I spent so much on my smart telescopes, why don’t they really have great planetary imaging capability? Well, actually we can...
477 views6 comments
jsweitzer6
May 2, 20232 min read
How long should I keep stacking images?
One of the most frequent areas where I think people might get confused using a smart telescope is how long might they enhance or record....
386 views8 comments
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