I had a thought!!
Yes I know it is right up there with the improbability drive
, but it was a thought none the less.
I was looking at some Astro mags from the sixties/seventies and even the early nineties, and I was looking at the images and equipment used and advertised to get them. What a quantum leap when comparing to today’s results.
So I then thought – what are the top inventions/gadgets that have influenced amateur astronomy in the last 40 years? This is indeed thought provoking pondering, so I came up with my own list
. it is by no means accurate or complete, but if you so wish add your own.
Film stock - -- >Hypered film ----> modded DSLR/CCD’s
Mass produced SCT’s -----> current crop of ACF’s and RC scopes
Small refractors 40/60mm -----> current affordable large APO refractors over 120mm
manually tracking stars ----> cheap guiding with a toucam or CCD video
Dobsonian designed Scopes – cheap and very large light buckets we have today
setting circles --------->Computerised pointing (ArgoNavis)
0.996” eyepieces -----> 2” wide angled EP’s
Basic EQ/alt az mount-----> fully computerized PEC digital mounts
Focusing aids
News stand Magazines --------> the internet and web sites Like IIS/cloudy nights etc
These are just the start – there is a heap of things out there that changed our hobby for the better (and a heap that were and are just flops). What do you think?
