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 238867 comments

238867 comments

Vonnie @ SpinTaxi
Vonnie @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

Ever try to use a coupon that expired yesterday? It’s like money mocking you. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Sonia @ SpinTaxi
Sonia @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

Satirical journalism is a necessary evil… emphasis on necessary. - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
MinTaxi SpinTaxi
MinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

My neighbor’s mad I grill at dawn; I say, “Smell the freedom.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
DrinTaxi SpinTaxi
DrinTaxi SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

If a satirical journalism website made the laws, we might actually be better off. - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Zaxie SpinTaxi
Zaxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

Ever notice how “low battery” warnings are the most judgmental part of your smoke detector? -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Kani @ SpinTaxi
Kani @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

I got a noise complaint—told the cop, “My dog’s the DJ.” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Vónni @ SpinTaxi
Vónni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

I love how “auto-save” waits until I’ve deleted everything to kick in. -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Bhanni @ SpinTaxi
Bhanni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:23

Satirical Journalism Blogs - spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Djoni @ SpinTaxi
Djoni @ SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:22

My doctor says cut the salt; I say, “Then why’s life so bland?” -- spintaxi.com

Comment Link
Luxie SpinTaxi
Luxie SpinTaxi
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 02:22

The best thing about satirical journalism today? It’s the only place where the truth is funny. - spintaxi.com

Comment Link

Leave a comment

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