--- Dale Hooper <Dale.Hooper@sdl.usu.edu> wrote:
I also find it a bit amusing that this kind of thing always seems to go one way. I hear purists decry use of goto scopes, but I never seem to hear people with goto scopes complain about purists that spend an hour or two to find one object - or that complain when a purist comes over to look through the finder of a goto scope to get some ideas about where to look for something.
Dale, I have never known anyone to take an hour to find an object. In that case I'd advise a larger telescope, better knowledge of the sky, or perhaps a GoTo mount if their budget will allow. Anyone who knows the sky well will not need a GoTo database for observing suggestions. Perhaps some of those putting-down GoTo just can't afford it. Understand that (most) folks who don't see the need for a GoTo aren't against technology for it's own sake. We know the joys of knowing the sky, and are trying to tell people that there is a more interesting, more fun, more meaningful way to find objects besides instant gratification. Something they can use when the GoTo isn't available, or the batteries die, or the darned thing just stops firing-up one day. We want folks to be able to continue down the road using the bicycle in the trunk, instead of just sitting by the side of the road waiting for the tow-truck when the car breaks down. I see the analogy as similar to teaching a new pilot to use the autopilot before he learns how to fly using the stick. Why put all of your observing "eggs" in one high-tech basket? An astronomer is someone who knows how to use telescopes to study the sky. A person who can only see objects that the telescope finds for him or her is a GoTo mount operator, a spectator more than a participant. And please don't take this as an insult, for it is not intended as such. I'm not saying "GoTo is without merit", I"m saying "the GoTo user is missing out on a big part of the payoff if it's their only instrument." Someone pointed out that GPS & GoTo have merits that I hadn't even thought of initially, namely daytime alignment & tacking. This alone would make it worth the money if someone did a lot of solar work from various locations. C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/