[AZ-Observing] Goto Scopes 100yrs from now
- From: "Tom Mozdzen" <tjmozdzen@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 23:38:11 -0700
100yrs from now this discussion will seem quite quaint.
.
.
.
IDA will have lost the battle for the dark skies as too many amateur
astronomer confused them with a potato company that made french fries which
were bad for people. Locating objects visually will become impossible.
But fear not!
There will still be star parties. Everyone will have a goto scope with
adaptive optics. Not only that, the scopes will talk to each other to
collectively accumulate more light and resolution than ever. Groups will be
able to team up to focus their scopes on various objects. Or the outing may
have a main session with a set agenda of objects that several scopes will be
visiting in unison, displayed upon a large 10' x 10' screen emitting no
stray light.
Yes, the CCD sensors will be able to display well over 10 billion pixels,
and graininess will be a word without meaning. The display panels will be
indistinguishable from a live eyepiece view. For some of those trying to
replicate the "old days", some of the flat panel displays will be accessable
through a 1.25" hole to look through.
.
.
.
Spin the clock another 100yrs forward. Star parties will become less
socialble. All amateurs will mount their telescopes outside in the backyard
constantly and be driven remotely. The data collected will be organized on
the internet, and the scopes coordinated to bring groups of them into
alignment to make the best use of aperature. No need to go into a dark
field, you will be connected to this network everywhere you go. All you will
have to do is suggest to look at an object over the web, and you will get a
handful of people who will agree to remotely point their scopes to the
object. You will all then be able to view the object with a collective scope
far exceeding the hubble space telescope.
Time to call it a Friday,
Tom
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