Astrofest

Earlier this month, I went to the exhibition at Astrofest, the European show and conference about all things astronomical.  There were big telescopes for sale (very pricey!), and computer controllers, observation domes, and cameras of many types.

I was bowled over.  And almost tempted to buy the new Dwarf 3 astronomical camera (you point it, using technology pre-sets that include a reasonably large star atlas, and off it goes).  That would be a relatively easy way to get some very good images, and is less expensive than a telescope.  Although a telescope would probably deliver better images overall.

But that got me thinking.  What is it that attracts about astronomy?  There is a certain pleasure in setting up the telescope, fiddling and fettling, adjusting it to point in the right place and focusing on your target.  That is all lost, to varyig degrees, by the servomotors that point at the object of your choice, and keep it in scope.    And by the use of cameras rather than the naked eye.  When we went to the Kielder observatory in 2019 there was a real thrill in seeing the Andromeda galaxy through an eyepiece.  Not in imaging it.

So I don't know.  

It is tempting, though...