Astronomy

Most people assume that Astronomy is a pastime out of reach of the disabled but until recently I thought the Same.Last September I taped together a 3x Zoom and a 1 1/2x zoom lens and conected them to my Sony Handicam which already had a 60x Optical zoom . I pointed it at Jupiter and as shown below this is what I recorded.


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I took these stills from the Videos I took from inside my bedroom.This year I bought a Skywatcher 114mm Reflector telescope and see a lot clearer views which unfortunatley  I cant take pictures of.


A Reflector telescope was my chosen type for a few reasons which I refer to in the picture above.
With a Reflector the eyepiece you see through is located high up on the telescope which means you can raise the Tripod it is mounted on so that you dont have to bend.You do have to look through the Red dot finder or the viewfinder to locate the star or planet you want to look at.

A Finderscope is a small low power telescope which allows you to find the target you want to look at through the main telescope.Very simply a Red Dot Finder is a piece of glass with a red dot projected on it, you look through it and when the red dot is over what you want you look at you look  through the telescope.

With a Refractor telescope you look through the bottom of the telescope , you have the option of a diagonal converter to make viewing easier on the back . The diagonal converter doesnt work with a Refractor, I couldnt use a refractor as you would have to bend down which I cant do.If You are in a Wheelchair a refractor may be better but for me its the Reflector.
 

Astronomy dates in 2012

  • March 3 - Mars at Opposition. it will be at its closest approach to Earth and will be fully illuminated by the Sun making it the best time to see it.

  • March 14 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. They will be within 3 degrees of each other in the night sky.

  • April 15 - Saturn at Opposition. It will be at its closest approach to Earth and fully illuminated by the Sun. This will be the best time to see it and its rings.

    Dont worry if you miss these by a few days you will still see them .


    •  heres a few links

    http://www.disabled-world.com/entertainment/hobby/astronomy/

    http://stargazerslounge.com/primers-tutorials/57066-practical-astronomy-disabled.html

    Stockport Binocular and Telescope Centre is where I bought mine for just over £100. They are very helpfull even if you are not buying anything.
    http://www.telescopesandbinoculars.co.uk/acatalog/NEW_BRANCH.html