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The Purpose:
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Astro.Geekjoy is on a mission from the Night Sky!
(Thought I was going to say "god" didn't you?)
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There are hundreds of amateur astronomy websites on the Internet.
Much of valuable information, encouragement, insight, advice and
inspiration regarding things astronomical is freely available.
You are here because you know this. But you are also here because
you are searching for something special. A place to call home,
a place to call your own... We here at Astro.Geekjoy wish you well
in your quest. And should you decide that Astro.Geekjoy is the
place for you - we also welcome you aboard!
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The Plan
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Like most worthwhile ventures, a glorious consummation awaits.
Heck if Astro.Geekjoy knows what it is!
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Astro.Geekjoy is a work in progress. Like most living things,
it moves and grows. And its motion, its growth, depends on a great
many factors. But in the main, the needs and aspirations of its many parts.
Yet, somewhere out there is an end that Astro.Geekjoy grows towards.
Even as our own Sun and its retinue of planets moves forward in the Great
Dance about the core of the Milky Way Galaxy...
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The Steps
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There is more to Amateur Astronomy than poking a scope at the sky!
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Sure amateur astronomy is "just a hobby". Of course, you do it to "get away"
from the pressures of living in a competitive world. And certainly, when you
stand beneath coelum nocturnis your perception expands and the little
things of this world dissolve beneath your feet. That's a good start. But
there is so much more! Things like learning how real science is done.
(Hint: It all begins with careful observation and accurate description.)
And things like intellectually grasping the body of knowledge which all
astronomers share in common (Perhaps not mathematically, but at least descriptively.)
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Step One:
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Read and Study!
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Thousands of books are available on all aspects of astronomy - both practical
and theoretical. If you haven't read at least a dozen, astronomy could easily
be a passing fancy. If you've read more than a hundred without ever looking
through a scope or standing in wonder beneath the night sky you are in danger
of missing the point entirely!
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Step Two:
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Learn to find your way around the Night Sky.
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Challenge yourself! Identify from memory at least a dozen constellations in
the night sky. Even the most advanced amateurs might have trouble
distinguishing Serpens Cauda from Serpens Caput, but they all know how to
"figure stuff out" for themselves!
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Step Three:
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Get a good pair of binoculars!
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Early on you will use those binoculars to reveal the fact that there
are many more stars in the heavens than Horatio ever dreamt of in
his philosophy. Later, as an advanced amateur, you will use them to
track down astronomical studies hanging just above the southern horizon.
Meanwhile, a good pair of binoculars is a must to really enjoy that
unique and wonderous planet on which you live!
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Step Five:
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Go to several, well-equipped, but lightly attended star parties!
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Circulate around amongst all the scopes. Spend quality time with one
astronomical delight after another until you feel and know what
kind of observing suits you best. After all, astronomy covers everything
in the universe. And what you like to observe will determine what kind
of equipment best suits your needs!
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Step Six:
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Get a properly mounted scope!
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Once you know what you want to observe, you should be able to clearly
articulate your need to others. The information required to make a wise
choice should then be available to you. So, for instance, say
you decide to specialize in "Quasars" - then that $10K 30 inch dobsonian-mounted
short focus newtonian should be just the ticket! The Moon and planets?
A 4K$ 120mm F8 apochromatic refractor on a clock driven equatorial is the scope of choice here! Tight on funds - but like globular clusters? You can buy a 10 inch dobsonian
mounted short focus newtonian reflector for substantally less than 1K$. It's all
in what you prefer to observe!
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Step Seven:
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Do it!
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Once you get that scope, observe regularly. Come to understand the
potencies and limitations of your equipment and the sky through
which you observe. Keep getting experience. Write up what you see.
Keep good notes, and when you come to discover you have something
worth sharing with other amateurs. then post your observations on the
internet. AND if you also come to discover that you know how to tell
a good story as well, submit it to Astro.Geekjoy. You never
know, we might even publish it!
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Astro.Geekjoy
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Where to Start?
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So, you're still here. Great! May we suggest a good place to start?
(Yes, it was pretty smart of you to drop by "About Astro.Geekjoy" but
you could just as easily have "browsed" the site as well...)
OK, like most visitors to Astro.Geekjoy, you like a good "Scope Review".
So why not start out with the two of the most popular articles on the
entire site! If you are into something relatively brief, check out
Otto Piechowski's: Owner's Review of the MK67 / Argonaut 150 MCT.
But if you have plenty of time on your hands, cut yourself a slice
of gouda cheese and fill a goblet with fine wine and ease into
Jeff Barbour's "Scope Comparison: Argo, the Pup & the World".
When you're done with either of these head on over to the
Astro.Geekjoy All Things Telescope Page. Sure that section
of the site is pretty lean... But you could "fatten it up" by submitting
a report of your own! (Email
Astro.Geekjoy!) No guarantee we'll publish it, but ya never know...
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Astro.Geekjoy
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Where Next?
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If you are like many amateurs, you probably had a small scope as
as a kid. (You know, the one Santa Claus gave you for Christmas.)
Later, of course, you discovered sports or the opposite sex and
drifted onto other things. But now you are a bit older.
Most sports have been found to exceed the design limitations of
your more "mature" body. Meanwhile, your sex-life no longer demands
constant cultivation...
Well that's how Astro.Geekjoy's main contributor (Jeff Barbour)
returned to observing. He had had enough of sex and sports! You
can follow jeff's "Journey of Astronomical Rediscovery" beginning at
Early Lights.
Be sure to bookmark your spot! There are more than 200 reports.
Each report is in sequence and is part of an unfolding narrative.
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Astro.Geekjoy
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A Couple More Maybe?
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In one form or another, Astro.Geekjoy has been online since before
the Millenia Change proper. In fact, on the night of 31 December 2000,
jeff took scope in hatchback and went off for a special night of observing.
Follow that adventure at
A Peak Experience. Like scope review's, other seasoned amateur's have
contributed "obs reports" to Astro.Geekjoy. Among them "theAstronomer" who
observes out of rural "darksky" Ohio. Check out "T's"
"Rolling on the River"!
Finally, if you've ever wondered what things really look like through a
telescope, or wanted a list of deepsky studies to consult on an ongoing basis,
drop bye Deepsky Studies by Optimal Aperture
. As you peruse the list, click on any hyperlinked deepsky designation
("M31", NGC2841 etc.). You will then get a popup of an eyepiece impression - sourced
either from Astro.Geekjoy or from some other fine astro-site in cyberspace.
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Are You Feeling Philanthropic?
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Contribute!
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Astro.Geekjoy is one of the most content-intensive amateur astronomy web-presences
in cyberspace. It is also incredibly expansive in its range of interests. This
website covers just about every aspect of observational astronomy - from aberration
to zenith, Moon to quasars. But you know what? Most folks are more prone to
getting without giving. So if you would like to help change this "pattern in the ethers"
and have a resource (monetary or otherwise) to contribute to this website please
email the webmaster. No idea is too crazy - as an idea. And no ideal is more
laudable than pitching in and helping out...
Email Astro.Geekjoy and let's talk about it!
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The Night Sky
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It's for Everyone...
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Yes, we are stardust. We are marvelously constructed of those transmuted elements
borne within the fiery athanors of long dead Super Suns. But the Garden of Eden is
not found on Earth. It lies in the Coelum Nocturnis above our heads.
Carpe Noctem!
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