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.
237057 comments
Lóni @ SpinTaxi
(Seinfeld) Ever notice how “quick stop” drags on? -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkKoni @ SpinTaxi
Why do they call it a “soft close”? The door’s loud! -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkGranTaxi SpinTaxi
A great satirical journalism example is any headline that makes Florida look normal. - spintaxi.com
Comment LinkSáni @ SpinTaxi
I love how “password hints” are just riddles I wrote to torture myself later. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkYhannie @ SpinTaxi
(White) I ditched my phone—now I’m lost and lovin’ it. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkPixie SpinTaxi
Every satirical journalism story starts as a joke and ends as breaking news. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkSanni @ SpinTaxi
I don’t do “sugar-free”—tastes like someone lied to my pie. -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkBhonnie @ SpinTaxi
If a satirical journalism website doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you’re not paying attention. - spintaxi.com
Comment LinkKónia @ SpinTaxi
Why do they call it a “quick snack”? I’m still eating an hour later! -- spintaxi.com
Comment LinkKóni @ SpinTaxi
(Seinfeld) What’s the deal with “no shows”? My socks vanished! -- spintaxi.com
Comment Link