It's OCD in it's own way, worrying about how others discuss their equipment. I'm sure there are folks who are OCD but I think it's easy to misinterpret the gear talk and such as something more serious. This is the mystery that's at the heart of every amateur. Just why is it that I am driven to spend cold windy sleepless nights just to look through the eyepiece at some distant bit of light that can be barely seen. Just what is the experience of being a fisherman that drives them?įor us, as amateur astronomers, the experience, this shared experience, it's really the thing that binds us together but it's something only a few of dare to broach. Why they're out there day after day, when it's hot, when it's blowing, when they haven't caught a fish in a week. Go to the coffee shop where the fisherman gather and they'll talk about their gear and their techniques and the fish they catch but they won't often talk about what's really important. This is Cloudy Nights, it's the coffee shop where stargazers shoot the breeze. Like discussing gear, these are technical discussions, more worthwhile in some ways than gear discussion's but both do not delve into the depths of the spirit, to the things that are most important. I do pay close attention to ergonomic issues because these affect the enjoyment of the observing sessions more than the quality of the optics.Īs far as discussing observations, imaging. I use the same eyepieces for planetary that I use for deep space. I like having good equipment and a good set of eyepieces but I don't obsess over having the best possible eyepiece for every type of observing. In these past few years that I have been keeping records, thats amounted to about 180 nights per year with sessions of at least an hour. I can't really say about the other members or sneak into the hidden recesses of their souls, I can say my primary interest is getting out under the night sky every chance I get.

Can you imagine what CN would look like if more people were as obsessive about getting out under the night sky, making observations, imaging, etc.

We all sang tickey tack