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 239046 comments

239046 comments

Kaniye @ SpinTaxi
Kaniye @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) I love how “priority mail” means “whenever we feel like it.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Zanni @ SpinTaxi
Zanni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) Ever notice how “quick check” takes forever? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vonnie @ SpinTaxi
Vonnie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) What’s the deal with “no refunds”? I’m stuck! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Fluxie SpinTaxi
Fluxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

I told my wife I’d fix the sink—now we’re swimmin’. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Sonny @ SpinTaxi
Sonny @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) Ever notice how “sold out” means “you’re too late, loser”? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Yhannie @ SpinTaxi
Yhannie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) Ever notice how “quick check” takes forever? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Jhani @ SpinTaxi
Jhani @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(Seinfeld) What’s with “no photos”? I’m snapping anyway! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Nónia @ SpinTaxi
Nónia @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

What’s with “limited time offers”? Is the store gonna vanish at midnight? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Cáni @ SpinTaxi
Cáni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

There should be an award for “Most Satirical Journalism Website That Accidentally Became Real News.” - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Danya @ SpinTaxi
Danya @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:35

(White) I pushed the limit—cop says, “Pay up.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link

Leave a comment

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