Tag Archives: Equipment

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 →

Using the Moon as a telescope

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Scientists from the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand have published a novel method to improve the resolution of our view of the universe:  analyse diffraction lines created by the light of a distant object passing the edge of the Moon during a lunar occultation. The problem they’re trying to solve is one of angular resolution:  There’s a limit to how small an object we can see at any particular distance.  A healthy human eye can resolve down to slightly … Continue reading →