Tag Archives: Equipment

Podcast #7: Interview with Niel Viljoen of Telescope Shop

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Hi and welcome to the 7th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast! This episode was dropped in the middle of the Easter weekend, so in deference to the season we’ve got a brief segment based on one of Urban Astronomer’s religiously themed articles: How is astronomy used to calculate the dates of religious festivals? And our feature item is another interview! This time around, I managed to get a hold of Neil Viljoen, who owns Telescope Shop, one of the … Continue reading →

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Podcast #6: Building telescopes

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Welcome to the 6th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. This is the second part of our interview with Chris Stewart, one of the names behind the Amateur Telescope Making class in Johannesburg, one of the organisers of the annual ScopeX telescope and astronomy expo, and director of the Astronomical Society of South Africa’s Instrumentation section. In this part, he talks about the pros and cons of different telescope designs, how to make them, how to select an eyepiece, and … Continue reading →

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Podcast #4: Interview with Chris Stewart

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Welcome to the 4th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast!  This episode features news about the discovery of an intermediate mass black hole, and the next in our series of interviews with prominent figures in South African amateur astronomy.  This weeks guest: Chris Stewart. … Continue reading →

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Podcast #3: Astrophotography for Mensa

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Welcome to the Urban Astronomer podcast.  For the third time in a row, you’re getting a show in a totally different format from before:  This time, it’s a recording of one of my public lectures on astrophotography. In this case, it’s a talk I gave to the local chapter of Mensa, the world-famous high IQ society.  I had gotten to know one of their officers a few years back when we were on the same pub-quiz team, and she contacted … Continue reading →

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Repairing a Lens

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One of my favourite tools for astrophotography is the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens which I use for wide field deep sky images. It’s the single cheapest lens on the market, as evidenced by its all-plastic construction and the scratchy grinding noise made by its autofocus motor. But it’s also fast, small and light, and it performs way above its price range. It’s the perfect accessory for an astronomer on a budget, like me. Unfortunately, kids and photography gear don’t … Continue reading →