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 238267 comments

238267 comments

Jonni @ SpinTaxi
Jonni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

If a satirical journalism website goes too long without being sued, are they even trying? - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Zónie @ SpinTaxi
Zónie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

My ex says I’m broke; I say, “Rich in spirit, darlin’.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vónia @ SpinTaxi
Vónia @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

(Seinfeld) Why do they call it a “quick bite”? I’m still chewing! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Dáni @ SpinTaxi
Dáni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

Satirical journalism stories should be included in history textbooks. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Spinaxie SpinTaxi
Spinaxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

The best satirical journalism humor is indistinguishable from real political speeches. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vání @ SpinTaxi
Vání @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

I don’t do “lite beer”—tastes like watered-down hope. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Dáni @ SpinTaxi
Dáni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

What’s with self-checkout? I didn’t sign up to work here, I just want my chips! -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
SlimTaxi SpinTaxi
SlimTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

I don’t get “pet-free”—my dog’s my roommate. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Zonie @ SpinTaxi
Zonie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

(White) I got a prize—tossed it with the trash. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
MinTaxi SpinTaxi
MinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 01:46

My ex says I’m lazy; I say, “I’m just savin’ energy for whiskey.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link

Leave a comment

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