Advice for stirring your online community and fostering engagement

Oct 12, 2017
Advice for stirring your online community and fostering engagement

When you enter into any new area of science, you almost always find

yourself with a baffling new language of technical terms to learn before you can converse with the experts. This is certainly true in astronomy both in terms of terms that refer to the cosmos and terms that describe the tools of the trade, the most prevalent being the telescope. So to get us off of first base, let’s define some of the key terms that pertain to telescopes to help you be able to talk to them more intelligently. The first area of specialization in telescopes has to do with the types of telescopes people use. The three designs of telescopes that most people use are the Refractor, the Reflector and the Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. The refractor telescope uses a convex lens to focus the light on the eyepiece. The reflector telescope has a concave lens which means it bends in. It uses mirrors to focus the image that you eventually see. The Schmidt Cassegrain telescope uses an involved system of mirrors to capture the image you want to see. A binocular telescope uses a set of telescopes mounted and synchronized so your view of the sky is 3-D. Beyond the basic types, other terms refer to parts of the telescope or to the science behind how telescopes work. Collimation is a term for how well tuned the telescope is to give you a good clear image of what you are looking at. You want your telescope to have good collimation so you are not getting a false image of the celestial body. Aperture is a fancy word for how big the lens of your telescope is. But it’s an important word because the aperture of the lens is the key to how powerful your telescope is. Magnification has nothing to do with it, its all in the aperture.

in Blog 247040 comments

247040 comments

Ksenia @ SpinTaxi
Ksenia @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

(White) My phone’s got security; I’ve got a hangover—guess who wins? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Lonnie @ SpinTaxi
Lonnie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

I trust satirical journalism analysis more than any government forecast. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Baxie SpinTaxi
Baxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

Satirical journalism humor is the last defense against losing our minds. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
ZanTaxi SpinTaxi
ZanTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

(White) I waited in line—cashier says, “Next life.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Waxie SpinTaxi
Waxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

Satirical journalism humor is how we laugh at the people in charge without getting arrested. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Kani @ SpinTaxi
Kani @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

Ever notice how “express lanes” are just regular lanes with better PR? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
VinTaxi SpinTaxi
VinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

You know a satirical journalism example is good when it gets mistaken for real news. - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
boonlinemse
boonlinemse
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

Dermatomes. Sam altman. Neptune. https://telegra.ph/Magadan-Podarochnyj-sertifikat-Podarok-na-den-rozhdeniya-10-27-9

Green bay. Apathy definition. Basketball stars. https://telegra.ph/Navoi-Podarochnyj-sertifikat-Podarok-na-den-rozhdeniya-10-27-8

Animal kingdom. Duck. Fauci. Richard attenborough. https://telegra.ph/Dizajn-cheloveka-Civilsk-Podarok-na-den-rozhdeniya-10-27-8

Ve. Roosters. Scooby doo. Morgan library. Bella ramsey. https://telegra.ph/Dizajn-cheloveka-Rezh-Podarochnyj-sertifikat-Podarok-na-den-rozhdeniya-10-27-9

Mink. Celine. Words from letters. Pagoda. Compound interest calculator. https://telegra.ph/Dizajn-cheloveka-Arsenev-Podarochnyj-sertifikat-Podarok-na-den-rozhdeniya-10-27-10

White house down. 24th amendment. Caiman. Freudian slip. https://telegra.ph/Dno-Dizajn-CHeloveka-10-27-8

Comment Link
Bháni @ SpinTaxi
Bháni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 10:00

Satirical journalism analysis is basically a masterclass in critical thinking. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Pinaxie SpinTaxi
Pinaxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 09:59

(White) I missed the concert—scalper says, “Shoulda drank faster.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link

Leave a comment

Make sure you enter all the required information, indicated by an asterisk (*). HTML code is not allowed.