Meditations on an Inland Sea

The Med! We've transited the Suez Canal--leaving behind the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Gulfs of Oman, Aden and assorted Persians--and now sail the choppy waters of the Mediterranean Sea. After spending Summer in the Middle-Eastern "Sandbox" I find the cool November breezes and haze-free skies immensely refreshing. Of all the bodies of water I have sailed in nearly forty years of seafaring, THIS is my favorite, with its even, pleasant climate and the fascination of millennia of history hidden beneath its swell.

My first six naval deployments (beginning in 1981) were to the Med, and I've explored and sampled the cultures of many of the lands that border this ancient sea; Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Monaco, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Israel, Greece, the Balearic Islands, Romania, and the states of the former Yugoslavia. I well know that in fact I've only scratched the surface--there is SO much to see, to learn!

And perhaps to teach; in my small way I have always worked to dispel the popular image of the American Sailor or Mariner in-port as drunken, loud and crude--heading straight to the bars and houses of ill-repute and of course to 'McDonalds'; to break the stereotype of the Ugly American. I've had some success in this effort, but there is much to be done.

 

And that's okay, for I know that I'll continue to explore these waterways, countries and islands--and I'll have many, many more opportunities to interact with the wonderful peoples that I chance to meet along the way. And THAT is why a life at sea has held me in thrall since I was a teenager; my chosen career gives me the opportunity to explore strange, new lands, the worlds of fascinating people and cultures, and the deep, deep history that lies as foundation for all we know. And it gives me the chance to explore something else; myself in the context of all of these things.

 

This is the Mediterranean Sea, and this is what it means to one particular Mariner.

Amateur Astronomy: Back To Basics

I've come to a decision, one I would like to share with you.  For a long time I've labored to learn a set of star-gazing skills and techniques strange to me in hopes that their mastery would improve my ability to successfully utilize a sub-set of my telescope collection and thus enhance my enjoyment of the night skies.  Over nearly two decades I've spent a considerable sum of money and many, many hours of precious observing time struggling with recalcitrant equipment and the arcane technological spells that promise to make astronomy easier but seem instead to simply complicate and render my observing opportunities both tedious and frustrating.

 

So now I've come to the end.  I give up. Perhaps it's a simple case of prolonged operator error, or even a subconscious desire to rebel against a trend in amateur astronomy with which I've never been entirely comfortable, but as of today I'm calling a halt.  No more. No. More.

GO-TO, you are now dead to me.  Begone!

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Go-To technology appeared on the amateur front over twenty years ago; it consists of telescope mountings and in some cases entire telescopes that incorporate sophisticated computers and software that actually control the instument.  It's impressive stuff, really, requiring only a few simple inputs from the observer to allow the mount to orient ("align") itself to the sky; after this point the astronomer need only press the appropriate buttons to begin an automatic tour of the heavens (in some cases, complete with "narration"!).

In principle, I have long had reservations on the subject of these systems.

 

Firstly, any telescope you buy with a computer system incorporates naturally the price of the go-to into the cost of the scope--and this means that less of its expense is for quality optics. With big scopes this is less of a problem; the computer represents a small fraction of the $$ paid for the telescope. Less pricey go-to scopes seem to be more about the technology and less about the optics--to the point that you are probably paying less than half of the sticker price for the actual telescope.

 

My first reservation is just that--a matter of economics and getting the most optical “bang” for your buck—but my second is purely subjective. In my metaphorical heart-of-hearts I believe that exploring the night sky is a learning experience; that an amateur astronomer misses out on part of the grand adventure of stargazing if he doesn't take the time to learn his way around the neighborhood and get to know the neighborhood and neighbors therein. Go-to telescopes skip several steps; a beginning amateur doesn't NEED to learn the constellations, or how the ecliptic serves as the highway for Sun, planets and Moon, or even how to find the Northern Star, in order to observe galaxies and quasars. Those "baby steps" just aren't required in this newly computerized hobby.

 

In my experience this is a real problem in amateur astronomy these days; I can recall a gentleman coming to one of my group's Star Parties, setting-up an impressive PAIR of 11-inch reflectors linked to a state-of-the-art control and a powerful imaging system (all of which probably cost him more than my car when new), and commencing to take digital photos of a galaxy in Canes Venatici. I was quite impressed--at least until he turned to me and asked which star was Vega. At that point I was just embarrassed for him. He had an observing setup which any professional observatory of forty years ago would have been proud, but had never troubled himself to invest any time in actually LOOKING at the starry sky or learning its fascinating "geography". Think for a moment...imagine all the wonders he'd missed out on!

 

I’ve long believed that these telescopes are having a deleterious effect on the avocation of amateur astronomy as a whole, and on the introduction of new observers to the fold in particular. For the past twenty years, newcomers to the hobby have been bombarded with GOTO telescopes from most of the major producers and importers, promised extraordinary telescopic views and rousing observing experiences without the apparent down-side of actually having to LEARN anything about the sky, such as how to locate stars, constellations, planets, and deep-sky objects.

 

Over the years I’ve watched as new astronomers have purchased these telescope packages, used them a few times, and then put them up for sale. I’ve not only seen but actually experienced myself the anguish of having a recalcitrant computer refuse to operate as advertised, which leads sometimes to entire wasted observing sessions while I argue with a machine.

 

And that is the straw that has broken this particular camel’s back; I simply don’t get enough opportunities to get out, under the heavens. My work and travel keep me away from the eyepiece for much of the year, and I simply refuse to allow balky electronics to limit further my “quality” observing time. This ends now. I plan to spend the rest of my observing life using basic telescopes with a minimum of gadgetry and cabling. Call me old-fashioned, call me over-the-hill, but when you see me at the next star party I’ll be the guy with the plain, simple observing rig—and  I’ll spend a LOT more time at the eyepiece,  which is after all the point of the exercise!

 

Anyone want to buy a very slightly-used GO-TO scope?

f-stop: Enter The 'Dragon'

Ship's Motto: "We Yield But To St George"



HMS Dragon (D35) on the approach...




Bow-Art: a rare sight at sea



Royal Navy "Wildcat" helo on deck

'Dragon', back on patrol

 

I Married The Doctor

 


Lucy's costume for VLM's Night of the Living Museum



Stars Over The Gulf III

The 3rd 'Laramie' Star Party was held last night on the flight deck with the ship moored in the lovely port of Muscat, Oman. I decided to keep things simple and user-friendly as I am in the process of recovering from a nasty ankle sprain two days ago, and so only set-up the Astroscan for a little Moon-gazing.

A half-dozen Shipmates came out to observe Luna, including Captain Donnelly, Chief Mate Lawson, ship's medical maven Nicole "Doc" Shounder and budding astronomer Africa Foster (pictured meeting the Astroscan).

Along with the first-quarter Moon, the International Space Station put in a dazzling appearance. The ISS passed almost directly overhead, Venus-bright--its track neatly bisecting the twilit sky from northwest to southeast. Beautiful!

Good friends, a bright moon, and a Visitor From Space; a pleasant way to spend a warm pierside evening before we head back to sea. I'm glad I started these little ship-board gatherings last month--I do so enjoy spreading the word about the stars and what you can see and experience if only you...

"Watch the skies. Keep watching the skies!"

Astronomical Book Review: 'Objects in the Heavens' by Peter Birren

 

When it comes to observing equipment and resources, my watchword has always been portability. Most of my star-gazing, after all, is done either aboard ship using a rich-field telescope or ashore with a grab-and-go Mak. I try to extend this ethos as well to the paraphernalia of observing; when I tote the Astroscan on deck or the 90mm into my backyard I don't care to be burdened-down by large, un-wieldy Star Atlases or heavy reference books.

What I've needed, and sought, for nearly fifty years was an inclusive, powerful guide-book to the northern-hemisphere sky; a single, portable volume that combines the features of a lightweight atlas and descriptive guide to the planets, stars, constellations and deep-sky objects to be observed from my home and from most of the ports I am likely to visit in the course of my long deployments.

It's been a long, hard slog through the years, as I've purchased, tried, and then abandoned many examples of astronomical writing and even software. Either the resource in question was too bulky, too tech-ie, or insufficiently versatile to meet my standard. After all, the book or program in question had to be able to support my observing activities for up to a year, far, far away from my home astronomical library. Essentially, it had to become that library during frequent long sea voyages.

'Objects in the Heavens', referred to hereafter as OITH, is in my opinion that portable, user-friendly resource.

OITH is the product of Peter Birren, a graphic designer based in Illinois. A dedicated amateur astronomer, he started building the database that would become OITH 'way back in the mid-1990s.

He put a lot of thought into the content and layout of this little volume, and it shows.

 

The book is 8.5" by 5.5", spiral-bound and 132 pages--just the right size for a knapsack pocket or eyepiece case--and printed on tough, water-resistant paper (my copy has survived the worst of Virginia's dewiest nights, requiring only a drying-out and pressing between a pair of heavier volumes to restore it to "almost new" condition).

As for what lies between the covers...

The constellation and object maps are the centerpiece of the effort, and display their subjects clearly and concisely. As in many such books I have tried over the years, they feature facing pages with the map to the right and details on the objects displayed to the left. Larger or "busier" constellations tend to occupy two pages while smaller or "less interesting" members of the sky bestiary are given the "thumbnail" treatment.

The amount of information is pretty impressive, and fine-tuned to the binocular or small-to-medium-sized telescope. As noted previously the maps cover constellations and celestial gems down to -45 degrees Declination, and objects to magnitude ten.

But there is much more to be found in this little book. Sections include introductions to star- and constellation-hopping, celestial coordinate systems, Moon information and "thumbnail" daily lunar highlights for a full lunation (above), seasonal constellation maps, information on major meteor showers, a fairly exhaustive listing of website resources, and a handy summary of solar system information (below).

As noted above, I find this book to be pretty-darn perfect for use in my own "minimalist" approach to observing; I've owned a copy of Edition 5 for two years and now have Ed. 6--and every time I go out under the stars I appreciate Mr. Birren's labors that much more. The back-cover "blurb" that OITH is "Informative for the beginner" and "Detailed for the advanced" observer says it all, I think.

OITH is a field book for use at the eyepiece, and I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to go out under the stars and explore those "Objects in the Heavens".

Keep looking up!






Features:
• 132 pages, lay-flat spiral-binding, soft cover,
 digest size: 5.5" x 8.5"
• 739 objects to magnitude 10
• 259 non-Messier or NGC objects, 28 of which are binocular-class
• 191 "city" objects to magnitude 7 are specially highlighted
• 171 double stars and multiple stars
• 215 binocular-class objects with separate symbol
• 125 visual associate connections
•   90 objects from mag 10.1 to 10.5
•   80 single and red/carbon stars
•   75 maps: constellational, seasonal, insets and groupings
•   61 observable northern constellations, arranged alphabetically
•   38 astronomy catalogs are referenced
•   24 photographs by Naoyuki Kurita
• Grouping stories present larger chunks of the sky to learn more constellations
• 7 pages featuring the Lunar 100 (and then some) with photos and locations showing when and where to look
• Encyclopedic data on planets, stars, meteors
• Common names list
• Modern Messier list of 110 objects with Marathon constellation order
• Complete object number cross-reference and mapping
• Cross referenced to page numbers in PSA and SA2K



Birren Design's website: http://www.birrendesign.com/astro.html

 

f-stop: New Kid On The Gulf

ITS Federico Martinengo makes ready to come alongside

Connection complete. Commence pumping!

A shiny-new frigate...