Credit: Firecrown Media
On November 20, Astronomy magazine hosted a live event featuring nine speakers, all standouts in the world of amateur astronomy. The event was sponsored by Celestron, the world’s leading telescope manufacturer. Hundreds of people from all over the world tuned in as the presenters walked them through the wonderful possibilities offered by amateur astronomy.
Hosted by Astronomy’s Content Writer, Brooks Mendenhall, the event was a multi-hour master class in observing.
The talks began with “Telescope Overview” by Lance Lucero, Product Manager for Celestron’s Astronomy Division. You can view it here.
Next up was “The New Generation of Smart Telescopes” by Robert Reeves, a world-renowned lunar imager. You can view it here.
Astrophysicist and Astronomy columnist Molly Wakeling was next up with “Choosing Eyepieces, Filters, and Accessories.” You can view it here.
Somehow, they also let me in with this fine crowd, and I presented “Choosing a Good Observing Site.” You can view it here.
Viewers then took a little break and enjoyed “A Tour of the Clarence T. Jones Observatory in Chattanooga, Tennessee.” You can view it here.
Then Robert Reeves did his second talk, “What Can Telescopes Show You — The Moon.” You can view it here.
Astronomy’s Editor Emeritus, David Eicher, then presented “What Can Telescopes Show You — Deep-Sky Objects.” You can view it here.
Then came Pranvera Hyseni, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her talk was “What Can Telescopes Show You — Planets.” You can view it here.
Finally, astronomy educator and Astronomy magazine contributing editor Raymond Shubinski ended the session with “Learn the Sky — Star Atlases.” You can view it here.
If you’re just starting your soon-to-be lifelong obsession with viewing the sky, or if you’d like a brief refresher of any aspect of amateur astronomy, tune in to one or more of these talks.
