Dr. Jerome Klingaman, Friday, 5-24-13 May 24, 2013
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: advanced astronomical imagery, astronomy, astrophotography, atmospheric interference, Bubble Nebula, CCD cameras, Dark Skies, digital SLR (DSLR) astronomical photography, Dr. Jerome Klingaman, Lake View Garden Observatory., large telescopes, light pollution, long focal length, M5 Galaxy, Milk Way, reflector telescopes, refractor telescope, telescope mirrors, telescope mounts, telescopes, The Wizard Nebula, visual astronomy
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Dr. Jerome Klingaman, Friday, 5-24-13
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/2015-BWB-2013-05-24.mp3
Guest: Dr. Jerome (Jerry) Klingaman. Topics: Astrophotography, astronomy, and advanced imagery work. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information.
We welcomed Dr. Jerome (Jerry) Klingaman to the program to talk about astrophotography, how to do it, the needed equipment, what to expect, astronomy, and why it is so rewarding to engage in this field. During the first segment of our 1 hour 34 minute program, Jerry told us how he got his interest in astronomy and astrophotography. It’s a great story stemming from his Air Force flight days. After the experience he described to us, he started reading about astronomy, he bought a basic refractor telescope, and over time that evolved into a system for astrophotography geared to taking pictures of nebulae. Jerry described his system for us with technical detail and he explained the importance of the components in the system. He talked about starting out looking at the M5 star cluster, working with the right kind of mount that does the tracking, and the CCD camera. A listener asked if he could visibly see the items in the sky and he said no. Focusing in on a target was by trial and error which he explained in detail later in our discussion. We also talked about exposure time, light filters, and stacking. He mentioned other star clusters, M86, M87, and The Wizard. Jerry was asked about light pollution and he had much to say on this topic and the need for dark skies. I asked him about atmospheric interference, another topic he had much to say about, even with a CCD camera.
In our second segment, we talked about visual astronomy and astronomy with a digital camera. He told us how to focus on the image and this is where our guest went into detail on the trial and error method of focusing. I asked our guest about image quality, specifically the quality we see in popular astronomy magazines. He had interesting observations about having his and other astrophotography pictures published in these magazines. I learned for example that typically one does not do any touchup work on these photos. I thought otherwise. I’m sure you will find this discussion highly interesting. We also talked telescope size, focal length size and the cost of systems, including a system like Jerry’s. This led to a listener asking about buying good equipment used. Jerry supported this and told us about a website for this purpose. As we were getting near the end of the show, we talked about reflector as compared to refractor. This is also an interesting discussion. Our caller near the end of the program talked about digital SLR basic photography, even using iPhones and getting excellent pictures. In fact, if you are interested in astrophotography, you will be most interested in this discussion as its an inexpensive way to test it out before buying more costly gear. At the end, listener Dave asked Jerry to tell us the name of his observatory which is the Lake View Garden Observatory. You will understand the name when you hear Jerry’s description of it. At the end, Jerry said he would send listeners a few of his photos so if this interests you, please send your request to me and I will forward it to Jerry.
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog.
Open Lines, Tuesday, 9-4-12 September 5, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: " microbial life, " SpaceX, "Open Air" by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, "Question Answered, Art Association of Philadelphia, Atlas 5, Boeing CST 100, Cis-lunar tug., Commercial Crew, Dark Skies, Dragon, Dream Chaser, ET life, Europa, Falcon 9. , ion propulsion, life outside the solar system, light pollution, NewSpace, Open Lines, Philadelphia public art project, Republican Party Platform space policy, solar system oceans, U.S. economy & NASA
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Open Lines, Tuesday, 9-4-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1848-BWB-2012-09-04.mp3
Guest: Open Lines with Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Life outside the solar system, Philadelphia light pollution, ion propulsion, U.S. economy, NASA, space program funding. You are invited to comment, ask questions, & discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, & any discussion must be relevant & applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. As Open Lines started, I put two discussion topics on the table. These two topics focused on the Republican party platform & its space policy plus the reaction to it by various sectors of the space community, specifically NewSpace. The second topic I mentioned was the state of the U.S. economy & how it impacts NASA & space funding. My theory was & is that it does impact the state of NASA funding & what happens in the private sector but I asked others who have economic experience & knowledge to tell me why so many talk space policy without factoring in our domestic as well as economic condition. When I opened up the phone line, the first caller was Wade Hobbs who talked about life having developed elsewhere in the solar system, mainly in the oceans of Europa. He said his theory offered statistical proof of life in Jupiter’s moon Europa & he pointed us toward his Kindle book, “Question Answered.” If you purchase his book using this URL, Amazon will donate to The Space Show/OGLF: www.amazon.com/Question-Answered-ebook/dp/B008ZFZ05W/ref=onegiantlea20. He explained his theory & invited comments & questions. His email address is w_hobbs@mail.com. Our second caller was Ed Murray who called our attention to a light pollution public art project scheduled soon for Philadelphia. The project, Open Air” by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer of Canada & approved by the Art Association of Philadelphia is described here: www.knightarts.org/community/philadelphia/preparing-for-open-air-in-philadelphia. Many in the astronomy & Dark Skies fields are objecting to the project which will last nearly two months & probably blot out most of the Philadelphia night sky. Ed & others are seeking ideas & help to minimize the project or cancel it. They have sought help from the International Dark Skies organization & others. If this project interests you, follow up on the suggestions offered on the blog by Ed & others which detail their concerns about the project.
In our second segment, John from Atlanta called in to discuss ion propulsion & fuel plus he wanted to address the economic issues I raised in the introduction to tonight’s program. Regarding the economic issues, John suggested we were still not so bad where the economy would start to impact NASA funding but if thing worsen, it is likely that NASA & all space funding will be impacted. John & I went back & forth for several minutes discussing the economic situation, the national debt, space & more, both from the U.S. domestic perspective as well as the global perspective. We talked about the total budget going to NASA being so small as a factor. John & I talked about the Republican platform suggestion that despite the language, commercial crew to the ISS would continue. John suggested an early down select to SpaceX but I advocated for at least another round of competition with Sierra Nevada & Boeing, possibly others too. Our final call was from Tim who talked about ion propulsion & space nuclear propulsion. He introduced the idea of carbon nano tubes for use in rocket materials & I suggested that was way out in the future. Tim also suggested the private sector bypass NASA & do its “own thing.”
Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. If you want to email any of the callers, send your note to me & I will forward it.
David Fuller, Sunday, 4-8-12 April 9, 2012
Posted by The Space Show in Uncategorized.Tags: amateur astronomy, astronomy, Dark Skies, David Fuller, Dobsonian telescope, exit pupil, Eyes On The Sky, International Dark Skies Association, ISS, light pollution, light pollution filters, light pollution health issues., NASA budget, Pinterest, space education, stargazing, telescopes
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David Fuller, Sunday, 4-8-12
http://archived.thespaceshow.com/shows/1747-BWB-2012-04-08.mp3
Guest: David Fuller. Topics: Dark Skies, light pollution, telescopes, astronomy. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed David Fuller to the program. Please follow along with us on his website, www.eyesonthesky.com. Our program started off with David talking with us about his interest in astronomy and light pollution issues, followed by the founding of his website Eyes On The Sky, and the weekly educational videos he makes regarding astronomical events. We talked about his videos which can also be found on YouTube, the purpose of them as well as the themes for this form of astronomy education. Later during this segment, listeners told us how they at least partially combated light pollution in their area using UV camera filters for their SLR cameras with telephoto lenses. We also talked about his blog and his current article dealing with the Mayan calendar issue due to take place later this year. David also told us about his networking through Facebook and the photographic website, Pinterest. To find links to these Eye On The Sky networking pages, scroll down on the home page as they are all listed. In the second segment, David explained more about the site Pinterest which he said was still in beta format but when you go to his Pinterest page, you will see his invitation for all to join and participate. In this longer second segment, we talked about international dark skies efforts and starting a local chapter. Our topics then switched to astronomy outreach, Tim called in with technical telescope questions which led to me asking about a Dobsonian telescope. Listeners asked about Hollywood and the night sky, taking liberty to change the sky around without regard to reality at the time of the event depicted in the movie, or more likely, to simply be ignorant of night sky issues. The movie Titanic was brought up as an example. Another listener asked our guest about any relationship between astrology and astronomy. We talked about NASA budget cuts for planetary exploration and other science missions. As our program was ending, we zeroed in on more issues regarding light pollution, not just for space and stargazing, but for overall health issues as well. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog URL above. you can email our guest at dave@eyesonthesky.com.
