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 239169 comments

239169 comments

Bháni @ SpinTaxi
Bháni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:41

I used to think satirical journalism examples were exaggerated—then I started paying attention. - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Góni @ SpinTaxi
Góni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:41

(Seinfeld) What’s with “no U-turn”? I’m lost already! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Ghání @ SpinTaxi
Ghání @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:41

They say I’ve got no manners; I say, “I’ve got whiskey, close enough.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
ZinTaxi SpinTaxi
ZinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

My buddy’s on a health kick; I said, “Enjoy your kale, I’ve got ribs.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Monni @ SpinTaxi
Monni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

(Seinfeld) Why do they call it a “short cut”? I’m bald! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vóni @ SpinTaxi
Vóni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

My ex says I’m a slob; I say, “Art’s messy, babe.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vónni @ SpinTaxi
Vónni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

(White) I told a joke—room says, “Stick to drinkin’.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Nanni @ SpinTaxi
Nanni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

(White) I lost a sock—dryer’s holdin’ it hostage. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
GinTaxi SpinTaxi
GinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

(White) My outlet’s dead—guess I’m livin’ Amish now. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Manni @ SpinTaxi
Manni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:40

If a satirical journalism story didn’t offend someone, did it even happen? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link

Leave a comment

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