I have scores of fond memories of Astro experiences. It was tough to limit
my "best" list to only five.
Observing with Richard Berry through my 12-1/2" f/5 ultralight while
discussing telescope design at RTMC 2000. The RTMC judges evaluated the
scope during the day. Richard, who was one of the judges, came by that night
to see how the scope performed. As a relative newbie to telescope making, I
greatly appreciated spending time with one of the ATM legends. Our
discussion, rather than winning the Merit Award that year, is what I value
the most.
Not being able to see the constellation Orion because the skies were so
dark. In good dark skies, the keystone of Hercules is often difficult to see
because of the density of fainter stars that are visible. In contrast, I
never had a problem seeing the bright stars in Orion. During our visit to
Sedona, AZ during January 2002, the skies were so dark even Orion was
difficult to make out. And the view of the Orion Nebula through a telescope
has never been equaled.
While out on an after dinner walk, explaining to my wife that those large,
bright clouds in the sky are nearby galaxies - the Large and Small
Magellenic Clouds. We were on Heron Island at the time. Heron Island is a
bird sanctuary within the Great Barrier Reef 50 miles off the eastern coast
of Australia. I had timed our stay on the island to coincide with New Moon.
There were no lights and the sky was clear to the horizon and DARK. Later, I
stretched out on the helicopter pad along the beach and studied the
unfamiliar sky with my binoculars and Karkoshka.
"Discovering" the Perseus Cluster on my birthday at CalStar 2000. While
looking for the galaxy NGC1275, I was shocked to see at least 9 galaxies
within a relatively high power field. I've been hooked on galaxy clusters
ever since.
While talking to a friend at work one day about 14 years ago, he revealed
that he recently purchased a telescope. A childhood interest, long
forgotten, was suddenly remembered. As a kid, I somehow developed an
interest in astronomy. I don't know how or why, because I don't remember
having any opportunities to pursue that interest. I certainly couldn't
afford a telescope and the skies of Detroit even at the time revealed few
stars. That conversation with a co-worker triggered a chain of events
beginning with the realization - I can now afford a telescope! So began my
pursuit of amateur astronomy.
Thanks for stimulating the stroll down memory lane.
Albert