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SPECTRUM by Peter Tyson


Do It Yourself


IN AMATEUR ASTRONOMY, we often think of DIY as synonymous
with ATM — amateur telescope making. But it’s far broader than
that. As this issue of S&T demonstrates, our community undertakes
a wide range of individual pursuits to make the most of our hobby.
Observing is our top do-it-yourself activity, of course. What’s
more DIY than crouching at the eyepiece in the dark of night? That’s why we
cover everything from naked-eye and binocular viewing to deep-sky observing,
plus fl eeting events such as Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2, page 48).
Imaging can be even more DIY than observing, as it usually involves both
crouching outdoors and processing indoors. In our cover story, astrophotogra-
pher Babak Tafreshi, one of the best in the business, describes how to do what
he calls “deepscape” photography (page 26). At the other end of the light-pol-
lution spectrum, urban astronomer Ken Pilon gives tips on imaging from his
9th-fl oor, big-city balcony (page 84).
Sketching, as many S&T readers know, can help
observers discern details they might otherwise miss.
Howard Banich takes it a step further. In his impres-
sive collection of sketches depicting Hubble’s Vari-
able Nebula, Banich shows how drawing can reveal
changes in objects that no one — amateur or profes-
sional — has ever documented before (page 20).
Crafting is an honored tradition among amateurs,
but it’s not limited to building telescopes. Want to try
your hand at spectrography? Jerry Oltion describes two
nifty spectrographs that amateurs can make themselves (page 32).
Collecting is like breathing for amateurs, at least when it comes to photons.
But Ted Kinsman explains how we can also collect actual bits of the solar sys-
tem that regularly shower down onto Earth’s surface (page 14).
Learning is intrinsic to our hobby. In this issue, brush up on two curious
types of celestial objects: contact binaries (page 34) and dwarf carbon stars
(page 58). Into the history of astronomy? See our piece on Johannes Kepler’s
little-known 17th-century book on spacefl ight (page 62).
Traveling is key to the hobby for many amateurs. From star parties to astron-
omy expos to eclipse tours, our people like to get out there (page 81).
And that brings up sharing, which every issue of S&T is entirely about. It’s in
our mission statement and that of our parent, the American Astronomical Soci-
ety: to enhance and share humanity’s scientifi c understanding of the universe. And as
we’re reminded every time we attend a star party, members
of our community are as much into sharing the wonders of
the heavens with others as we are.
So do it yourself. We’ll do it with you.
Editor in Chief

The Essential Guide to Astronomy
Founded in 1941 by Charles A. Federer, Jr.
and Helen Spence Federer
EDITORIAL
Editor in Chief Peter Tyson
Senior Editors J. Kelly Beatty, Alan M. MacRobert
Science Editor Camille M. Carlisle
News Editor Monica Young
Associate Editor Sean Walker
Observing Editor Diana Hannikainen
Editorial Assistant Sabrina Garvin
Senior Contributing Editors
Dennis di Cicco, Robert Naeye, Roger W. Sinnott
Contributing Editors
Howard Banich, Jim Bell, Trudy Bell, John E. Bortle,
Greg Bryant, Thomas A. Dobbins, Alan Dyer,
Tom Field, Tony Flanders, Ted Forte, Sue French,
Steve Gottlieb, David Grinspoon, Shannon Hall,
Ken Hewitt-White, Johnny Horne, Bob King,
Emily Lakdawalla, Rod Mollise, James Mullaney,
Donald W. Olson, Jerry Oltion, Joe Rao, Dean Regas,
Fred Schaaf, Govert Schilling, William Sheehan,
Mike Simmons, Mathew Wedel, Alan Whitman,
Charles A. Wood
Contributing Photographers
P. K. Chen, Akira Fujii, Robert Gendler,
Babak Tafreshi
ART, DESIGN & DIGITAL
Art Director Terri Dubé
Illustration Director Gregg Dinderman
Illustrator Leah Tiscione
Webmaster Scilla Bennett
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AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL
SOCIETY
Executive Offi cer / CEO, AAS Sky Publishing, LLC
Kevin B. Marvel
President Megan Donahue, Michigan State University
President Elect Paula Szkody, University of Washington
Senior Vice-President Michael Strauss, Princeton
University
Second Vice-President Joan Schmelz, Universities
Space Research Association
Third Vice-President Geoffrey C. Clayton, Louisiana
State University
Treasurer Nancy D. Morrison, University of Toledo (ret.)
Secretary Alice K. B. Monet, U.S. Naval Observatory (ret.)

4 FEBRUARY 2020 • SKY & TELESCOPE


TED KINSMAN

DIYer: Ted Kinsman col-
lecting micrometeorites
Free download pdf