On Facebook, there's a page I follow for Dobsonian users. One member apparently is suffering a crisis of enthusiasm:
Do you guys ever go through periods of time where you don’t want to observe and consider selling off your gear? I’ve been doing this for a few years and this is the worst one I’ve been through. I was up early this morning for no reason and kind of forced myself to go out and observe Jupiter since the seeing was above average. The view was pretty good, but I still wasn’t interested. Took everything back inside about 10 minutes later. I have a nice dark place for DSOs and haven’t even bothered to go the last couple of new moons. I have a big dob, the best EPs and filters you can get, do solar, sketch at the eyepiece, and take notes when observing DSOs. I feel like I’ve seen it all and am just not interested. I almost just want to sell it off and get back into saltwater reef tanks. The only thing I’m really even looking forward to at this point is the 36% solar eclipse in October and the 100% solar eclipse in 2024, which I’m in the path of 100% totality for.
I have to admit that my passion has cooled somewhat since that first summer with the scope. That year, if I woke up at my notorious 2:30am, I would quietly scoot my scope outside and explore the skies until twilight. Our cats would sit at the sliding patio door watching me through the glass, maybe wanting to explore the dark landscape. "No way Jose" to that, since a great horned owl roosts a stone's throw away and he has swooped over my head on occasion.
This year, I've made only two early morning sessions outside and both were for meteor showers. Although during the Perseids I had the Dob out with me and did some incidental exploring: M42 and 31, Saturn and the occultation of Ganymede behind Jupiter. But I have been battling 2:30am insomnia for over a decade, and I've made inroads against this and getting serious sleep at night. So that has taken priority.
Evenings after dinner since May have been a challenge (as I stated in a previous post). Monsoon 2023 brings beautiful sunrises, warm-to-hot middays, and cloudy evenings mixed with the occasional thunderstorm. Storms in Arizona don't follow the west-to-east patterns of my beloved Midwest. They do what they want when they want. And the heat, my God the heat! June and July saw temps still above 100 at sundown. I would open the back door only to be smote by intense thermal radiation. So I look outside in the evening and frown with disapproval at the weather.
"The heat, my God the heat!"
Still, none of this explains a cooling ardor. Which I would say coincides almost exactly with the purchase of my Dob. But as I'm writing this down I wonder if it is more a change in my objective rather than a loss of intense interest. Those first years were filled with a discovery of what's out there along with a need to know procedures. I've downloaded and printed all kinds of charts, encasing them in transparencies and locking them in a binder. My equipment has advanced to the point where there's very little that some extra cash can get me to satisfy my skill set. So I have two very decent scopes, several ways to document my finds with pictures, guides and almanacs to point the ways.
But I would say the Dob scope has initiated a more analytical or even academic pursuit of this hobby. Instead of hopping around and going "Wow! That's cool! Now what's over there?" for hours, I could work on the goals set by the Astronomical League. Or complete my challenges. There's lots to do besides "playing" with the scope. Again, instead of cramming as many objects as possible, try to observe a few for an extended time.
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Part II of this post concerns a new tool called Astrohopper. It's an open-source web app which uses a mobile device's directional sense to help guide your scope. You mount it on your scope however you can, align the app and then it can be used as a Star-Sense type guide to help you point your scope towards objects in the night sky. You'll find in depth information about Astrohopper here.
For the reasons stated above I haven't had a chance to try this out. I have a mobile device salvaged from a junk pile that can be used only for this, and effective ways to mount it. This week promises a waxing moon so my objective is to get out the planet cam, get a good focus on the moon and then try to capture Saturn since we're at opposition. After the full moon - weather permitting - we'll take the hopper out for a spin.
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| Astrohopper |
Last night a 4-inch riser for the Telrad arrived, one of the few items available to upgrade. My wife teased me saying "More toys". I started to object, but what do we adults call these things we use in our interests off the clock? The musical instrument? Hunting or fishing gear? The off-road vehicle or power boat? None of these things contribute to World Peace or the end of a famine. But we get something from these things which help us in some way. The musician becomes one with the instrument creating a melody. The outdoorsman escapes the noise and turmoil of urban life for a few hours of peace with nature. The ATV or power boat can unite friends and family with excitement.
For me, the scope is a mentally challenging activity which rewards me with a sense of discovery and accomplishment. So either "toys" is an oversimplification, or maybe a re-evaluation of the word is in order. I'm not kidding myself, it's very unlikely I will make an observation that will change the world. But this feels different from plastic dinosaurs or Creepy Crawlers.
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