Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb
Always cracked me up how people can get so agro over such trivial things. Got a $70k scope and performance issues? Buy a goat. Get over it. Spent 10s of thousands over a period of time in buying and reselling gear and feel the need for perfection? Buy a bicycle and get out more.
It's a hobby. Meant to be enjoyed. Chilling out under the stars is the ultimate cool thing to do, whether you image and take something home to play with later on, or just want to have a look at it for hours.
Remember the first time you stuck your eye into an eye piece? Many of you seem to have forgotten.
There is enough sh|t going on in the real world to bring it in astro "competitions", who's got the biggest one, who's right and wrong, who wants to be the best, who wants to be first, yadiyadiya...
Relax and enjoy. Here's your new year's resolution right here. Deep breath. You'll live longer. Have a good one.  |
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The issue of science value has been raised in the discussion and I think that there is some science value in what we do. It is rarely direct (eg like Mike or Trevor or BOSS), but nonetheless valuable. In trying to understand what we image, we often greatly increase our own knowledge of the underlying physics and then, when we talk to others (formally or otherwise), some of that understanding will get a wider audience. Like any form of education, the impact can be unpredictable and occasionally far reaching - this is an exciting aspect of what we do. Respecting and understanding the light is inherent in increasing our own understanding - nothing to do with competitions of course, but competitions can force us to confront issues that we might otherwise gloss over, so they have a place.