In every astronomer's life there is a defining moment when the spark of enthusiasm is ignited and a lifelong passion comes into being. For me, it was March 13, 1960 in Anchorage, Alaska. The residents of Friendly Street gathered in the evening to witness a rare total lunar eclipse, and monitor the progress of the event through my new Gilbert 2.5-inch reflector telescope, a gift received the previous Christmas morning. This was "first light" for the telescope, and the view of the moon as it entered totality was nothing less than spectacular, and the spark was transformed into a raging blaze!
The Gilbert was but a toy (some now consider them collectable antiques), but I carried that treasured instrument with me through high school, braving the cold of Alaska winter nights to observe, only to lose it when I left home to attend college.
After fourty years of other diversions (marriage, family, travel, life), I now find myself with new more powerful telescopes, and seriously pursuing an avocation through star parties, club activities and individual studies.
My primary scope is a Celestron C10-NGT 10-inch Newtonian on a computerized CG-5 ASGT equatorial mount. Equipped with a GPS location device, a collection of quality eyepieces, and an extensive database, I'm ready for the star party season.
My next investment was a smaller Celestron C4-R 4-inch refractor on a motorized CG-4 equatorial mount. While the C10 is primarily for deep sky observing (nebulae, galaxies, etc.), the C4 is intended for planetary and solar observing, when fitted with an appropriate solar filter.
Recently I also added Apogee 20x80 astronomical binoculars with a heavy-duty Manfroto camera tripod for support.
They say all things move in circles, that you eventually end up where you started. True to this philosophy, my latest acquisition from eBay is another Gilbert 80-power reflector telescope, and a journey back to where it all began fifty years ago!
The Gilbert was but a toy (some now consider them collectable antiques), but I carried that treasured instrument with me through high school, braving the cold of Alaska winter nights to observe, only to lose it when I left home to attend college.
After fourty years of other diversions (marriage, family, travel, life), I now find myself with new more powerful telescopes, and seriously pursuing an avocation through star parties, club activities and individual studies.
My primary scope is a Celestron C10-NGT 10-inch Newtonian on a computerized CG-5 ASGT equatorial mount. Equipped with a GPS location device, a collection of quality eyepieces, and an extensive database, I'm ready for the star party season.
My next investment was a smaller Celestron C4-R 4-inch refractor on a motorized CG-4 equatorial mount. While the C10 is primarily for deep sky observing (nebulae, galaxies, etc.), the C4 is intended for planetary and solar observing, when fitted with an appropriate solar filter.
Recently I also added Apogee 20x80 astronomical binoculars with a heavy-duty Manfroto camera tripod for support.
They say all things move in circles, that you eventually end up where you started. True to this philosophy, my latest acquisition from eBay is another Gilbert 80-power reflector telescope, and a journey back to where it all began fifty years ago!
A new Celestron C10-NGT telescope is made ready for an evening's observing.
My Celestron C4-R refractor telescope on a motorized CG-4 mount. This scope is used primarily for planetary and solar observing, and as a mobile instrument to take on frequent business trips out of town.
Gilbert 80 power reflector telescope purchased on eBay 2008: $10
Memories of my first telescope received on Christmas 1959, that inspired a lifelong interest in astronomy: PRICELESS!
Memories of my first telescope received on Christmas 1959, that inspired a lifelong interest in astronomy: PRICELESS!
"Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men.
"Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute."
"Know thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute."
-- Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892)
Tavita (aka David Duncan) is an Amateur Astronomer in Beaverton, Oregon, and a member of the Rose City Astronomers.
A Certified Electronics Technician (CET), his resumé includes diverse experiences as:
A Certified Electronics Technician (CET), his resumé includes diverse experiences as:
- Biomedical Technician in a major hospital system in Oregon;
- Photographer and Graphic Artist with a publisher of popular books about nature and Native American lore;
- Technical Service Manager for an international distributor of reprographics equipment, with offices and staff in Samoa, Fiji and Togo;
- Systems Engineer who designed and built high-speed automated manufacturing stations for calibrating advanced electronic test equipment;
- Founder and Principal Engineer of PhotoElectronics, manufacturer of state-of-the-art photographic darkroom process monitors and electronic timers.
- World Traveler who has visited or lived in such remote areas as Panama, New Zealand, Fiji, Alaska and elsewhere;
- Author for electronics hobby magazines and other publications;
- Website Designer, and more.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
About Tavita