tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028287563520537999.post3397490890360072472..comments2023-12-27T05:22:24.378-05:00Comments on Simostronomy: Visual vs CCD ObservingBig Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08315391586724045202noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028287563520537999.post-48180269112953900492010-03-27T12:45:32.723-04:002010-03-27T12:45:32.723-04:00In my case I think my shift to 100% CCD work occu...In my case I think my shift to 100% CCD work occurred because of a loss of dark skies and an interest in computers/electronics. The suburban area I live in has grown dramatically in the last 10 years, and the Milky Way is now a very rare sight. My enjoyment of the night sky is much less now that it's been reduced to just dozens of brighter stars, instead of hundreds scattered along with the hazy band of the Milky Way. I enjoy working with computers and electronics in general so putting together a CCD system, optimizing it, and then processing the resulting images is enjoyable. I can certainly imagine, though, that if this wasn't the case I would find the amount of work required tedious.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14424332103830549053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028287563520537999.post-52200340790346214602010-03-22T11:24:24.339-04:002010-03-22T11:24:24.339-04:00There's no greater joy than being under a dark...There's no greater joy than being under a dark (or even moderately light polluted) sky and witnessing the majesty of the heavens above, the tranquil and sweeping motion of the stars across the sky. It doesn't matter if you use your eyes or a CCD camera, as long as your enthusiasm and passion for astronomy is felt in your heart!Sakibhttp://www.starsurfin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1028287563520537999.post-62716967402224709852010-03-19T12:37:39.864-04:002010-03-19T12:37:39.864-04:00I find data analysis to be a lot like cleaning the...I find data analysis to be a lot like cleaning the house or doing yard work: horribly tedious, but when done right, the results make it worthwhile (hopefully).<br /><br />But I think that CCDs don't have to take the fun out of observing. Some of my favorite observing experiences are when something unexpected pops into view. Once our field happened to include a comet (known, but it was fun to figure that out!), another time I was tiling the field around a star cluster and an NGC galaxy popped into the field. And when I do time series work, those few exposures with exquisite seeing let all sorts of faint galaxies pop into view. <br /><br />I suspect you'd easily find some project, like searching for new variables or exoplanet, that a CCD makes possible. Sure, maybe it is just another RR Lyrae or hot Jupiter, but it is <i>yours</i>. I personally get quite a charge out of that sense of ownership.<br /><br />But I agree, nothing beats kicking back and using your own eyeball. After all these years, I still find Alberio one of my favorite things in the sky, even if it is just another wide binary.Professor Astronomyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05295911342339870253noreply@blogger.com