[Lvas] My Rant

[Fred Rayworth]

All,
 
I guess I upset a few people. That wasn't really my intent, but it came out that way, and kind of snobbish to boot. However, I don't take back anything I said as I am stating facts as I've seen them in the field, at meetings, and NOT just here in Las Vegas.
 
I voiced something most of my compadres don't want to say because they don't want to kick the sacred cow (astro-photography), so to speak.
 
I just feel overwhelmed with all the astro-photography talk. It's as if in amateur astronomy, there are two kinds of people. They are either astro-photographers, or they just haven't bought their camera yet! I'm being facetious here, but there still seems to be a spark of truth to it.
 
However, now I must clarify that I in no way am condemning astro-photography, or looking down my nose at you all. In fact, I have great respect for those of you that have succeeded in taking some killer shots, the Ring Nebula, notwithstanding. I also know enough about astro-imaging to know that it is just not my thing. I know about maximum entropy deconvolution, the fog limit, color exposure balancing to get true color, blank cancelling images. I've seen some real works of art. I've been able to spend quality time with not only Jason Ware, but Jack Newton. In fact, Jack is the one that inadvertently convinced me that I had no real interest in AP, especially after I saw what he went through just to get a photo (considering the technology of the mid 90's). Wow!
 
Then there is Jason Ware who used to use film. I'm not sure if he still does, but Meade sure loves his photos and the ones he showed us at the Okie-Tex were awesome.
 
I guess being a strictly visual observer, I just get a bit jaded over all the astro-imaging talk, and Saturday night, I'd had my fill.
 
In reality, I'd venture to guess that there are about 20% of us that are visual observers by choice, and not by budget limitations. It may be old school, but I know that we very much appreciate what we're squinting at. As for you hard core astro-imagers, I know you appreciate what you do because of all the trouble and expense you have to go through to get those images.
 
As for taking notes, for the first ten years or so, it never even dawned on me to take notes. Then one day, I just woke up to the idea and have been doing it ever since. It doesn't make me any better than other observers, and it doesn't make me more "serious." I just enjoy doing it. It helps me keep track of what I've seen and whether it looks the same the next time I see it. As I said about the Ring Nebula, despite seeing it a thousand times, I still see something different. I eventually started drawing the objects, which began when I did the Messier list for my Astronomical League pin. It just kind of grew from that into the Herschels, and even double stars.
 
The only thing that makes you a serious hobbyist, is your dedication to astronomy, whether with a camera or an eyepiece, or both. It isn't defined by which model so and so you have, which eyepiece, or which discipline. I certainly didn't want to imply otherwise. At times, I just feel kind of isolated, as do many other observers I know. 
 
For any of you astro-imagers out there that don't hate me for life, I'd love to see an image of those 9 galaxies in Markarian's Chain that I did such a crummy drawing of. That would be a hoot.
 
 
 
 

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