[Educators] Educators Digest, Vol 26, Issue 1

Thu Jun 27 19:47:49 EDT 2013

Jose

I refer you to my two articles 
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1995 
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2437 

videos I made for IYA 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SllwYzfPQAs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2CbPVV9NUU 

and podcast series

http://radiotom.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/global-astronomy-month-april/ 
http://radiotom.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/international-year-of-astronomy-2009/ 

As mentioned earlier, the telescope is but one tool. Maps to find things are also important. A telescope needs some sort of zenith view capability and a study mount. I proposed for binoculars the hanging mount system, which works well with an instrument of <20X
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=516 

The key thing with visual astronomy is that dark sky naked eye astronomy is what the Universe really looks like to a human. Even an astronaut gets no better view through portholes and space suit visors. And travel to a galaxy in sci-fi is a joke - we live in a galaxy! The centre of our galaxy passes right over my city balcony and I can't see it at all. 

So it's misleading nonsense to equate space travel with astronomy viewing. Nor is Hubble of any value as these are all time exposures. Stars are pinpoints, not blobs. The bigger the scope the smaller the airy disk artefacts and narrower its view. 

Once kids learn this they can see that their views of the Universe are as good as anyone else's and no amount of money will change that. A dark sky, map, and binoculars are hard to beat.

Tom Benjamin 

-----Original Message-----
From: educators-bounces at lists.laptop.org [mailto:educators-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On Behalf Of José Raeiro
Sent: Friday, 28 June 2013 3:43 AM
To: educators at lists.laptop.org
Subject: Re: [Educators] Educators Digest, Vol 26, Issue 1

Furthermore, just to finish, a good enough telescope can serve an entire village. It perfectly possible to give some telescopes to communities and not one per each children, although the last would be the nicest option.

Kind Regards,

José Raeiro

Technical Translator
joseraeiro at gmail.com
+351 917 286 237

On 27 June 2013 18:39, José Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com> wrote:
> Also, the $20 dollar telescope, although I never tested one, I believe 
> they are probably not worth the investment.
>
> I believe the main goal, about the telescope, would be have a fair 
> enough quality. If they are sold at $20 at amazon, that means we could 
> get near that price but with a incomparable better telescope. If we 
> could produce it mass, China would probably provide us a very low cost 
> price.
>
> It goes without saying that the laptop could serve as a tripod and the 
> possibility of using the telescope + webcam open a wide array of
> possibilities: astrophotography, etc. There is a photoshop plugin 
> names FITS (http://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/fits_liberator/)
> that enables astrophotography training, namely tweaking all the 
> imagery of separated hubble photo in RGB. It would be ravishing to 
> have kids all over the world producing photos from that software or 
> other similar software.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> José Raeiro
>
> Technical Translator
> joseraeiro at gmail.com
> +351 917 286 237
>
>
> On 27 June 2013 18:30, José Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear Benjamin,
>>
>> I have a project to make a simple brochure, IKEA-style (more images 
>> than words), to serve as a simple guide to the sky. Short, to the 
>> point, including the "funniest" facts about the sky and a small tour 
>> to the main constellations. Maybe we would have to adapt it latitude 
>> wise, but it's worth giving a shot, even using constellations that 
>> are well visible in both hemispheres.
>>
>> The main idea would be: a simple brochure just to give a small 
>> introduction to observation. After that we could develop new 
>> brochures regarding observation and astronomy.
>>
>> Using interactive modes we could prepare some observing exercises.
>> Even drawing the observation would be great for kids. Before 
>> photography that's how astronomy was done, pen and paper.
>>
>> Kind Regards,
>>
>> José Raeiro
>>
>> Technical Translator
>> joseraeiro at gmail.com
>> +351 917 286 237
>>
>>
>> On 27 June 2013 17:00,  <educators-request at lists.laptop.org> wrote:
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>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific 
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>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>>    1. OLPC and astronomy (Jos? Raeiro)
>>>    2. Re: OLPC and astronomy (Bastien)
>>>    3. Re: OLPC and astronomy (Benjamin, Thomas)
>>>
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 21:23:13 +0100
>>> From: Jos? Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com>
>>> To: educators at lists.laptop.org
>>> Subject: [Educators] OLPC and astronomy
>>> Message-ID:
>>>         
>>> <CAOaV8ynCy2k+V0Art6GuoGkMTztP5QCY81L8VsWEs1TQkX63bg at mail.gmail.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I studied astrophysics and I would like to help with whatever I can.
>>> I'm also a science educator and gave several talks, courses, etc. I 
>>> taught a 5-years course at the Popular University of Porto.
>>>
>>> Is there any astronomy tool in the standard software pack that comes with OLCP?
>>>
>>> I can help on the creation of content or I can work together with 
>>> coders to produce an astronomic software tool.
>>>
>>> I believe a planetarium would be essential to this project, since 
>>> most of the target-public live in dark skies.
>>>
>>> I would also like to discuss the creation of a $20 telescope in the 
>>> same philosophy of OLPC.
>>>
>>> Kind Regards,
>>>
>>> Jos? Raeiro
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 2
>>> Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 23:26:47 +0200
>>> From: Bastien <bzg at laptop.org>
>>> To: Jos? Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: educators at lists.laptop.org
>>> Subject: Re: [Educators] OLPC and astronomy
>>> Message-ID: <87ip10woko.fsf at bzg.ath.cx>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>>>
>>> Hi Jos?,
>>>
>>> Jos? Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Is there any astronomy tool in the standard software pack that 
>>>> comes with OLCP?
>>>
>>> Your best starting point is here:
>>>   http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Moon
>>>
>>> You also have the Telescope activity:
>>>   http://activities.sugarlabs.org//en-US/sugar/addon/4481
>>>
>>> And Alex Kleider demonstrating the telescope device designed by La
>>>   Main ? la P?te (the "Hands On Science" foundation in France):
>>>
>>>   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAKK9tUIiY
>>>   http://www.fondation-lamap.org/node/17992
>>>
>>>> I can help on the creation of content or I can work together with 
>>>> coders to produce an astronomic software tool.
>>>
>>> You can take this PDF and maybe explore possible adaptations, 
>>> translations and/or enhancements:
>>>
>>>   
>>> http://olpc-france.org/docs/Seminaire_edifolco_LAMAP-OLPC_dec2009-GB
>>> .pdf
>>>
>>>> I would also like to discuss the creation of a $20 telescope in the 
>>>> same philosophy of OLPC.
>>>
>>> This is exactly what La Main ? la P?te has been trying to do.
>>> The design is here, they are only looking for massive commands to 
>>> start the production -- AFAIK discussions are pending, but not 
>>> conclusive so far.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps!
>>>
>>> --
>>>  Bastien
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 3
>>> Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 22:57:08 +0000
>>> From: "Benjamin, Thomas" <THOMAS.BENJAMIN at det.nsw.edu.au>
>>> To: Educators and OLPC <educators at lists.laptop.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Educators] OLPC and astronomy
>>> Message-ID:
>>>         
>>> <08AB3421931A814A97FABC925FCFA1A11F88D353 at WPEXCHMBSL1022.central.det
>>> .win>
>>>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>>>
>>> Surplus Shed has deals on optics to make simple telescopes. The Galileoscope project produced some inexpensive ones. But the key thing in astronomy is a star map. Without an old-fashioned star wheel and atlas it is hard for a beginner to find anything. I would bet that a novice armed with Olcott's 1930 Fieldbook of the Sky and a vintage star wheel would easily outperform a novice armed with digital gear in finding anything worth viewing in the sky.
>>>
>>> Tom Benjamin
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: educators-bounces at lists.laptop.org 
>>> [mailto:educators-bounces at lists.laptop.org] On Behalf Of Bastien
>>> Sent: Thursday, 27 June 2013 7:27 AM
>>> To: Jos? Raeiro
>>> Cc: educators at lists.laptop.org
>>> Subject: Re: [Educators] OLPC and astronomy
>>>
>>> Hi Jos?,
>>>
>>> Jos? Raeiro <zeraeiro at gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Is there any astronomy tool in the standard software pack that 
>>>> comes with OLCP?
>>>
>>> Your best starting point is here:
>>>   http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Activities/Moon
>>>
>>> You also have the Telescope activity:
>>>   http://activities.sugarlabs.org//en-US/sugar/addon/4481
>>>
>>> And Alex Kleider demonstrating the telescope device designed by La
>>>   Main ? la P?te (the "Hands On Science" foundation in France):
>>>
>>>   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqAKK9tUIiY
>>>   http://www.fondation-lamap.org/node/17992
>>>
>>>> I can help on the creation of content or I can work together with 
>>>> coders to produce an astronomic software tool.
>>>
>>> You can take this PDF and maybe explore possible adaptations, translations and/or enhancements:
>>>
>>>   
>>> http://olpc-france.org/docs/Seminaire_edifolco_LAMAP-OLPC_dec2009-GB
>>> .pdf
>>>
>>>> I would also like to discuss the creation of a $20 telescope in the 
>>>> same philosophy of OLPC.
>>>
>>> This is exactly what La Main ? la P?te has been trying to do.
>>> The design is here, they are only looking for massive commands to start the production -- AFAIK discussions are pending, but not conclusive so far.
>>>
>>> Hope this helps!
>>>
>>> --
>>>  Bastien
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> End of Educators Digest, Vol 26, Issue 1
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