Ergo Telescopy

Posted on by scott

Westerfeld’s Law #1: When you live around the corner from the best Thai food in Sydney, you eat a lot of Thai food.

Westerfeld’s Law #2: When that food is next to a telescope store, you stare longingly into that telescope store frequently.

Westerfeld’s Law #3: When you stare longingly into a telescope store frequently, you eventually BUY A TELESCOPE!

The laws in graphic format:

Or to put it another way, I have bought a telescope . . .


iPod for scale

My little Celestron is very cool. It’s quite small and indestructible, as you can see, perfect for taking camping (or, say, to boutique hotels out in the country). It takes up zero room in the house, and swivels around quite pleasingly on its little base. The fact that I don’t have to set up a tripod means that I will actually use it, rather than it gathering dust.

But one thing I will say is, it’s really a stupid idea to have telescope stores open during the day. Like, what are you supposed to do for the hours between purchase and sunset? Well, I briefly watched this couple breaking up on the veranda of a nearby apartment complex, but one really shouldn’t do that sort of thing.

So mostly I looked at Centrepoint Tower, and experimented with putting my digital camera right up to the eyepiece:

Cool, huh?

But mostly I was waiting for friggin’ Mars to rise! Celestial dance, my ass. It took forever!

Finally, though, the splendorous red planet arose. And was really hard to find. That’s what I always forget about telescopes, all that looking through a narrow tube for a little dot. How did Gallileo and those guys ever manage to, like, discover stuff?

But finally I found Mars, and it was pearly and beautimous and red. I can’t wait for Jupiter to return to the southern night skies, and for the moon to reappear. I love my telescope. (And must now purchase a more expensive one.)

Also, I have vowed never again to use my telescopic powers for evil, even to find out what happened with that couple who broke up. I will only look at the moon and stars, and possibly Centrepoint Tower when bored during the day.

PS For comparison, this is what Centrepoint Tower non-telescopically looks like from my window:

I’ll see if I can take some lunar pictures, once the moon comes back. Stupid new moon.

17 thoughts on “Ergo Telescopy”

  1. Sweet
    My little brother has one of those dinky little telescopes that cost like, ten bucks and you can’t really see anything out of. Oh well. I don’t think I’d ever really use one anyway.

  3. When I was little, my father would take me outside, and I would use my little dinky ten dollar telescope, and he would use his real one.
    I see now that he was being selfish.

  6. That means you tell your elders “Happy New Year” and they have to pay you… Doesn’t it… My vietnamese friend says she does that just like Koreans do… Sounds pretty sweet…

  8. You are sooo lucky! i have always wanted one. i love astronomy, but ever since i moved to CA i cant see very many stars… 🙁 . only like orion (the constellation- did i spell that right?) and the big dipper (if you dont know what that one is- well.. thats sad)

  11. Mars is very small compared to the moon or, say, Centrepoint Tower. My photographic technique (stick a camera lens up to the eyepiece) does not result in picture of small things. Plus, no equatorial mount, so no long exposures.

    But I’ll try Venus. You never know, the god of love may smile on me.

  12. An amazing antenna farm growing on that tower right in the middle of the city. I kinda wish my tomatoes would grow half as well.

    In this modern age, it is a given that you are under observation most of the time. Satellites can read the number plate on the back of a car, so most folks operate on the theory that if they can’t see you, you don’t exist and therefore there is no cause for worry. You’ll get to see a lot of pretty (and not-so-pretty) sheilas in the city that way. Enjoy.

  13. I have to go get a telescope now! I want to spy on my negihbors, because they leave and come back all the time. I want to see what they’re up to >.>,

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