To astronomy majors, taking a telescope with them to college may be required or encouraged by college faculty. It would make sense, right? After all, they study the night skies frequently, and it wouldn't be complete without a telescope. To a creative writing major, myself included, that's a different story entirely.
If the creative writing major were to emphasize their writing -- fiction or non-fiction -- on the subjects of astronomy and/or
telescopes, then the creative writing major might consider bringing a telescope along. Being a science fiction writer emphasizing the subjects of space travel and the colonization of space and other planets, I have considered purchasing a telescope and bringing it along to
Susquehanna University. It certainly would provide the needed inspiration to write science fiction pieces.
Before purchasing a telescope and bringing it along to college, various factors must be considered: the size of the scope, the value, viable targets, and manual or go-to scopes.
Size -- Will a telescope fit in the dorm?
Remember, college dorms are not spacious enough to hold a mammoth telescope.
The typical dorm has only enough room to hold two beds, desks, computers, and dressers, one mini-fridge, printer, etc. Naturally these
restrictive living quarters allow room for storing other essential belongings, though not enough for items necessary for various extracurricular activities, that includes astronomy.
During my first two semesters at Susquehanna University, there was only enough of room to store a camera, tripod, and a few flying discs (or frisbees)
safely. The tight living quarters wasn't appropriate for storing a good-sized telescope, 10" or greater. However, there was enough room for a small dobsonian (8"), refractor (4"), or reflector.
Value -- How much money to risk if the telescope is damaged or stolen?
Even in the college environment, there is the possibility of property being damaged or stolen. Both concerns are, without a doubt, extremely serious to the astronomer.
Who would want to observe through a telescope with an observable scratch in the field-of-view? To me, and other astronomers, the answer is simple: it would be one annoying distraction! Damaging a telescope isn't rocket science. Even a slight bump against a mount or optical tube can knock one over, depending on its size and weight. In college environments, rooms within a dorm are compact, leaving very little space to walk around and higher risks of a telescope being knocked over. Additionally, if the astronomer doesn't properly cover up the optics of their scope, roommates, neighbors, and visitors could potentially scratch the optics. Scratching optics doesn't require much effort; even a shirt sleeve can scratch the lens of an eyepiece or the mirror of a telescope. With those thoughts in consideration, it would be best to keep a telescope in a corner of the room, preferably in a corner that cannot be seen easily.
When at college and storing expensive pieces of equipment -- including computers, cameras, telescopes, etc -- in your room, always assume that someone's going to want to steal your property. Telescopes are not cheap; most people are aware that telescopes are not at all cheap.
Deciding based on previous concerns:
Combing the issues relating to a telescope's size and value, this is where some astronomers, myself included, would stop and speculate over. One way of seeing these thoughts suggests that a large telescope would work best -- the larger the scope, the more difficult it would be for someone to steal it. However, a larger scope would require space that would otherwise be unavailable, due to the presence of furniture, computers and accessories, etc. In addition, the mammoth size of larger scopes would prove difficult to set up for college astronomers, mostly due to the increased weight of the scope.
Although smaller telescopes are at the disadvantage of being stolen, the advantages can outweigh that concern. A small telescope can easily fit into a tight dorm room without overlapping the various objects that may already occupy the room. The decreased size also assists the college astronomer in the initial setup, due to its decreased weight.
What do I suggest? To college students, I suggest small telescopes -- nothing bigger than a 4" refractor to say the least.
Viable Targets -- What can be seen from campus, and how much telescope is needed to see them?
The first question any astronomer must ask: what am I interested in observing?
This factor can alter which telescope the college astronomer may settle for. Not all telescopes are designed to see the same distances. For example, a 4" refractor is typically designed for observing close objects, such as the planets, the moon, and the
brightest of stars. Schmidt-cassegrains are designed for observing the planets, the moon, the stars,
nebulas,
globular clusters,
galaxies, and more. Dobsonians are designed for observing distant objects, such as nebulas, globular clusters, galaxies (near and far), and more.
Among the options above, I am stuck between refractors and dobsonians. Although I have observed the planets of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn time and again, the Solar System doesn't have what I'm searching for. Personally, my interests in astronomy direct me toward objects beyond the Solar System -- the
Andromeda Galaxy being my favorite night sky object.
Another important question to ask: what can I see from here?
As I had mentioned in a previous blog,
light pollution can drastically affect an astronomer's ability to observe the night skies. The more artificial lighting surrounding the astronomer, fewer stars will be observable to the naked eye or through a telescope. Compare the city of Philadelphia with Susquehanna University and
Cherry Springs State Park:
- Philadelphia -- the night sky is illuminated by reflecting lights from skyscrapers, houses, supermarkets, cars, etc. Only a few bright stars and the planets can be seen.
- Susquehanna University -- though the skies are illuminated toward the east by residential communities, by strip malls to the north, and throughout the campus by streetlights and buildings, the skies toward the west provide some degree of relief. The planets and several constellations can be seen.
- Cherry Springs State Park -- little to no light pollution affects the skies here, resulting in night skies filled with thousands of observable stars, and many other objects (planets, galaxies, globular clusters, nebulas, etc.)
Given the conditions of the night skies surrounding Susquehanna University, it is my belief a refractor would be a suitable telescope to bring along.
Manual vs. Go-To -- Should I learn the sky or go for quick looks?
Oh, decisions, decisions! Manual or Go-To scope -- that is the question.
A manually operated telescope requires the astronomer to manually align his/her scope to whatever object they wish to observe. Such a scope is ideal for astronomers who have the desire to learn the skies through hands-on experience. Unlike the Go-To models, however, most manually operated telescopes today do not have tracking devices, resulting in objects drifting out of the field-of-view. If it's desired to track the object, the astronomer is therefore required to manually track the object -- a difficult task, yes, but not impossible.
Go-To telescopes, unlike the manually operated counterparts, require astronomers to utilize a controller to move the optical tube around. There are various ways an astronomer can point to an object with this type of telescope, the simplest way being the use of directional keys to move the optical tube.
Another method is to key in a certain object. The astronomer is required to know what the object's numerical identification is before keying it into the controller. One example of an object and its numerical identification is the Orion Nebula, which is alternatively identified as M42. Once an input is keyed into the controller, and after commanding the scope to align with the object, the scope will automatically go to the desired object. A few minor adjustments may be required afterward; even the most accurate of Go-To scopes are not 100% accurate. If this method of observing the skies is used, the telescope must first be aligned, using three stars in different portions of the sky.
Although the Go-To telescopes are primarily designed to operate with computerized controls, gears, etc., some Go-To scopes are also designed to operate manually. However, manual operations of these Go-To scopes share the same disadvantage as manually operated scopes -- tracking objects would require the astronomer to manually move the optical tube.
Personally, I had the desire for a manual scope that could track objects automatically, yet such telescopes are becoming rare. It was my intention to learn the night skies while being able to stick to one particular object for an extended duration of time. Under that circumstance, I am considering a Go-To telescope.
Final Decisions:
Combining the numerous thoughts and concerns, I'm looking into taking a small Go-To refractor or reflector to Susquehanna University. In time, if the small refractor or reflector expand my interest in astronomy, I may consider getting a small
solar telescope and observe the Sun....
