Celsius David Moore is an active amateur living in Phoenix, Arizona. For starters, video is a great tool for showing groups the view through your telescope. Perhaps the image was out of focus, or maybe the person didn't get his or her eye positioned correctly over the eyepiece, or maybe the scope got bumped and the object of interest wasn't even in the field. These are moot issues with video. Furthermore, it's easy to point out specific features of interest when everyone is looking at the same image on a monitor.
Video recordings are a way to relive exciting events in the comfort of one's own home.
For more advanced observers, individual video frames obtained during moments of excellent astronomical seeing can be combined to make extremely high-resolution views, as Ron Dantowitz explained in this magazine's August 1998 issue, page 48. I certainly agree with those who find the aesthetics of a direct view through the eyepiece second to none. But I believe that it is possible to accumulate more and better data sitting leisurely in front of a monitor examining planetary images with the comfort of both eyes. Sky Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Please read our copyright and permissions policy .