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.
239170 comments
Manni @ SpinTaxi
If a satirical journalism story didn’t offend someone, did it even happen? -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkVónni @ SpinTaxi
Why do they call it “instant coffee”? I’m still stirring! -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkGrimTaxi SpinTaxi
I went to a fancy dinner—left with a bill and a napkin I stole. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkLinaxie SpinTaxi
(White) Store’s out of bourbon—guess I’m riotin’ tonight. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkBóna @ SpinTaxi
(White) My flashlight’s out—guess I’m trippin’ in the dark. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkDonnie @ SpinTaxi
Satirical journalism analysis is what happens when comedians start writing PhD papers. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkMhonnie @ SpinTaxi
I don’t get why they call it “rush hour”—nobody’s rushing, we’re just losing the will to live. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkZhonnie @ SpinTaxi
If I had to choose between real news and satirical journalism humor, I’d pick the latter. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkPáni @ SpinTaxi
Why do they call it a “remote control” when I still can’t find it? -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkRóni @ SpinTaxi
Satirical journalism websites should come with a warning: “Reality may be closer than it appears.” - spintaxi.com
Comment Link