Star Parties turned me on to astronomy in the last few years. Though I don't have a laser, I percieve them to be very beneficial in showing a group of people around the night sky. Gary T. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chuck Hards" <chuckhards@yahoo.com> To: <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2005 9:58 AM Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Re: When lasers are outlawed, etc...
Kim, respectfully, you can't see the connection because you like using the laser and showing the sky to others. Not a bad thing at all, in fact rather noble and praiseworthy, but not an arguement in favor of laser pointers from my perspective. The long-term benefit is yours because you are doing something you enjoy. The teaching value in terms of retention is very questionable (at best) for the general public. Of the thousands of people who have ever attended a star party, how many actually continued to pursue the interest and/or join the club? A pitifully small percentage, even in the abscence of hard data, judging from the SLAS roster.
Why do so many people fight traditional, proven teaching methods in favor of instant gratification, where most of the teaching effort is wasted in the long run?
I would rather spend an hour working with one truly interested, committed beginner, than a hundred all-nighters with the general public whom will mostly never look up in wonder again.
I would also disagree that having folks look through the "finder" (not exactly what I suggested, but close enough) isn't too time-consuming since they are lined-up at the main eyepiece anyway. Might add what, five or ten more seconds? It's not a race, it's not a contest. The night is long enough for all to have a look. There is time to stop and smell the Rosette...
We do agree 100% on the "five-cell flashlight", keep those suckers in the trunk for tire-changes, and off the observing field.
Finally, if one sees the lasers being used at "private" star parties, where it is assumed that most or all of the attendees are veterans, there is the proof that it's more of a toy than legitimate tool. I would prefer to keep the lasers under the planetarium dome, but then I'm a firm believer in the KISS principle and low-tech approaches whenever practical. Richard Proenneke is my hero.
That's about a dime's worth, man am I getting long-winded in my old age...
From: "Kim Hyatt" <kimharch@msn.com> To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 19:42:03 -0700 Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Re: When lasers are outlawed etc...
I can't see any connection between the use of a laser and how well one learns or does not learn the nighttime sky.
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