Australian Sky & Telescope - May 2018

THE ASTRONOMY SCENE

62 Astrophotography
Recognising what goes into an
outstanding image can help to
improve your own work.
By Sean Walker

66 Test report
Sky-Watcher’s Stargate 18-inch
Dobsonian put to the test.
By Dennis di Cicco

72 Astronomer’s workbench
How to build a clever zoom finder
that’s perfect for suburban skies.
By Jerry Oltion

74 NightLife and Astro Calendar
Lots of events and activities for
astronomy enthusiasts.

75 Gallery
Latest images from our readers.

80 Marketplace

81 Indextoadvertisers

82 Focal Point
My observatory is my spaceship
By Richard S. Wright, Jr

ON THE COVER

Astronomers are looking back through
time to the era when the irst stars and
galaxies began to shine. Turn to page 18.

P.

A homebuilt
zoom finder

SHORLTY BEFORE this issue went to press, all hell broke loose in the

media in the wake of cricket’s latest ball-tampering scandal. Apart from

all the other implications, some people expressed concern about the effect

the loss of confidence in Australia’s cricketing ‘heroes’ would have on the

many kids who are mad about the sport. I happen to think they’ll be smart

enough to process it and carry on. For me, though, it raises the question of

what constitutes a ‘hero’. Personally, I couldn’t care less about cricket, so I

don’t consider any members of the Australian team (nor any other team)

to be my heroes. A hero, surely, is someone who saves lives or property, or

fights oppression for some ideal, selflessly and with little regard to their

own safety. So for me at least, heroes generally are not to be found on the

sporting field.

But there are many people who aren’t heroes yet who certainly deserve

our admiration, whether that’s for their skill, perseverance, courage,

achievements and so on. By that definition, Stephen Hawking was certainly

a person to be greatly admired and respected, not only for his contributions

to science, but also for his never-say-die attitude, as well as his wit andhis

ability to connect with the public. Dubbed the most famous scientist since

Einstein, his contributions will long remain in our consciousness, and

generations to come will learn of the great man with the electric voice.

A person to

be admired

Jonathan Nally,Editor

[email protected]

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