telescopic thoughts

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Telescopic Thoughts There are plenty of excellently engineered and crafted telescopes in the world – various choices particularly for Amateur Astronomers with very different budgets. A lot of good things happened during 400 years of telescope history since Gallilei’s first telescopic glimpse at the sky. Normally there would perhaps be no need to construct a new type of telescope for amateurs or schools. But we may have to concern perhaps more and more about achieving better observing conditions what will naturally raise the question: Can we make them somehow more portable and mobile so that we can go to some darker and better seeing places to stay away from street lights and clouds even when we have not a spacy car and weight lifter athletes capabilities. The world is changing quickly due to a vast acceleration of economic (& 'electrical') growth in quite some places on earth and hence faster than ever expanding cities and suburbs are showing more and more artificial lights at night. Many Astronomers have to cope with ‘Light Pollution’ or other optical disturbing atmospheric influences (some greatly reduces the contrast and visibility of deep sky objects). Normally there is not really much you can do about it – unless you can escape far out to the countryside or even further away - when possible equiped with a good telescope of course! When you are living in a city or even in a big metropolis, you can’t ever expect a dark clear starry night sky when you look up at all. The difference between the night sky seeing conditions in unpopulated areas and in cities is indeed amazing. Many even don’t know how significant this difference can show unless they see it with their own eyes e.g. on a trip in the mountains or in the desert or so... Getting a smaller telescope into the holiday luggage is certainly an option to make some nice observations in dark skies abroad when you also have the time and need not to sleep at night for appearing fit at work next day. Some excellent lower aperture instruments available on the market allow even astrophotography using computerized mounts and they fit often nicely still into the travel luggage even or come with neat seperate cases or suitable hard shell backpack cases. But so far, there seem not to appear a real travel telescope with a bigger aperture than 8” or so what fits in your suitcase like some camping equipment or sporting goods. We all know that the size matters in terms of observing quality – especially when we want to enjoy the visual deep sky potential of a top class seeing night. The most of us would wish to have the big scope at hand right now here in holidays and not at home standing around in the garage catching dust. So far, this was indeed just a dream for the vast majority of observers. Some skilled individual telescope makers have realised their own visions to get their big selfmade ATM telescope into a suitcase. There are some very clever and functionally created amateur telescopes for travelling with 10”, 12” or even 14” or more described in the internet which certainly could have served as an inspiration to the industry to create such a transport friendly and shock resistant product for the market. We see now indeed more market attempts in the direction of more portability of equipments in these last years but the real backpacker or suitcase telescope with a serious aperture was not yet in sight so far. Bulky heavy boxes still to carry. Perhaps better to go by car with them as to check them in at the airport. The big telescope in a suitcase - maybe together with clothes and shoes - was simply beyond from thought to be possible… “Smart Design” is not only a question of fashion. It means to save resources and energy. It also means more living comfort and better time management or better input/output ratio in general terms. We may have to think about the telescope what we want to purchase also not only in terms of its handling practicality:.. Can we use it frequently or will any stargazing happen just occasionally in the yard or garden? How much money to spend for my Hobby at all? Does it make sense perhaps to share a purchase together with friends or so? Will an ultra lightweight “Holiday-Telescope" be the right choice or better to invest into a classic equatorial system or in a 'Dobsonian light catcher' ? How to get the most joy from the telescope observing experiences - rather observing alone or sharing the experience with others? Is it just for visual stargazing or is it rather astro photography purpose of the telescope I would like to go for? We presume that many people indeed are ready and interested to see the stars with a good telescope but in many or most cases it simply just can’t happen! In many regions it is often the weather and the night temperatures or you have to sleep for appearing fit at work next day. In most big international cities and suburb areas we have the light and smog problem in addition but in less developed countries with lower infrastructures (which are normally rather dark at night), a telescope is about the last thing what counts to survive in the daily rat race of life... A simple well working telescope combined with astronomy lessons is a first inspiring "window" to see the amazing reality out there for younger people and hence a first little clue about real proportions and meaning of existence of life and it's complexity in this context also here on earth - at least on earth! We celebrated the international UN year of Astronomy 2009, the IYA 2009 and some of us might think in these days about how to get eyes and minds of this planet's mankind looking up to the skies where - with no doubt - our true origin & future is located. We need to see more and we need to appreciate more from up there as also like from down here. We would like to contribute with this “NEWCambridge LiteScope”, the ‘little big’ Newtonian telescope from the town of Sir Isaac Newton in Great Britain. The NCLT (New Cambridge Lightweight Telescope) would not exist without the kind support of the University of Cambridge and the generous support of Prof. Simon Maddrell, Prof. Charlie Ellington and Neil Parker and the incredible kind support of staff members of the Department of Zoology. The NEWCambridge LiteScope has been kindly commented from leading or formerly leading members of the Cambridge Astronomical Association, the British Astronomical Association, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the Royal Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa and from the IYA 2009 Secretariat of the European Southern Observatory and the European Space Agency
Copyright:2010 NEW Cambridge LiteScope. All rights reserved. Revised: July, 2009 . Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or trademark holders.

There are plenty of excellently engineered and crafted telescopes in the world – various choices particularly for
Amateur Astronomers with very different budgets. A lot of good things happened during 400 years of telescope history
since Gallilei’s first telescopic glimpse at the sky.

Normally there would perhaps be no need to construct a new type of telescope for amateurs or schools.
But we may have to concern perhaps more and more about achieving better observing conditions what will naturally
raise the question: Can we make them somehow more portable and mobile so that we can go to some darker and
better seeing places to stay away from street lights and clouds even when we have not a spacy car and weight lifter
athletes capabilities.

The world is changing quickly due to a vast acceleration of economic (& 'electrical') growth in quite some places on earth and hence faster than ever expanding cities and suburbs are showing more and more artificial lights at night.
Many Astronomers have to cope with ‘Light Pollution’ or other optical disturbing atmospheric influences (some greatly reduces the contrast and visibility of deep sky objects).

Normally there is not really much you can do about it – unless you can escape far out to the countryside or even further away - when possible equiped with a good telescope of course!

When you are living in a city or even in a big metropolis, you can’t ever expect a dark clear starry night sky when you look
up at all. The difference between the night sky seeing conditions in unpopulated areas and in cities is indeed amazing.

Many even don’t know how significant this difference can show unless they see it with their own eyes e.g. on a trip in the
mountains or in the desert or so...

Getting a smaller telescope into the holiday luggage is certainly an option to make some nice observations in dark skies
abroad when you also have the time and need not to sleep at night for appearing fit at work next day.

Some excellent lower aperture instruments available on the market allow even astrophotography using computerized
mounts and they fit often nicely still into the travel luggage even or come with neat seperate cases or suitable hard shell
backpack cases.

But so far, there seem not to appear a real travel telescope with a bigger aperture than 8” or so what fits in your suitcase
like some camping equipment or sporting goods.

We all know that the size matters in terms of observing quality – especially when we want to enjoy the visual deep sky
potential of a top class seeing night. The most of us would wish to have the big scope at hand right now here in holidays
and not at home standing around in the garage catching dust.

Some skilled individual telescope makers have realised their own visions to get their big selfmade ATM telescope
into a suitcase. There are some very clever and functionally created amateur telescopes for travelling with 10”, 12” or even
14” or more described in the internet which certainly could have served as an inspiration to the industry to create such a transport
friendly and shock resistant product for the market.

We see now indeed more market attempts in the direction of more portability of equipments in these last years but the
real backpacker or suitcase telescope with a serious aperture was not yet in sight so far.

Bulky heavy boxes still to carry. Perhaps better to go by car with them as to check them in at the airport.

The big telescope in a suitcase - maybe together with clothes and shoes - was simply beyond from thought to be possible…

“Smart Design” is not only a question of fashion. It means to save resources and energy. It also means more living
comfort and better time management or better input/output ratio in general terms.

We may have to think about the telescope what we want to purchase also not only in terms of its handling practicality:..

We presume that many people indeed are ready and interested to see the stars with a good telescope but in many
or most cases it simply just can’t happen!

In many regions it is often the weather and the night temperatures or you have to sleep for appearing fit at work next day.

In most big international cities and suburb areas we have the light and smog problem in addition but in less developed
countries with lower infrastructures (which are normally rather dark at night), a telescope is about the last thing what counts
to survive in the daily rat race of life...

A simple well working telescope combined with astronomy lessons is a first inspiring "window" to see the amazing reality
out there for younger people and hence a first little clue about real proportions and meaning of existence of life and it's
complexity in this context also here on earth - at least on earth!

We celebrated the international UN year of Astronomy 2009, the IYA 2009 and some of us might think in these days
about how to get eyes and minds of this planet's mankind looking up to the skies where - with no doubt - our true origin
& future is located.

We need to see more and we need to appreciate more from up there as also like from down here.

We would like to contribute with this “NEWCambridge LiteScope”, the ‘little big’ Newtonian telescope from the town of
Sir Isaac Newton in Great Britain.

The NCLT (New Cambridge Lightweight Telescope) would not exist without the kind support of the University of Cambridge
and the generous support of Prof. Simon Maddrell, Prof. Charlie Ellington and Neil Parker and the incredible kind support
of staff members of the Department of Zoology.

The NEWCambridge LiteScope has been kindly commented from leading or formerly leading members of the