In today’s modern hi-tech world, we are able to converse with people half way around the world with a click of the computer mouse. The Internet has opened up a whole new world of information and communication. Well, the field of astronomy is no exception and has ushered in a new way of viewing the heavens – through an online telescope.
Online telescope viewing is relatively new, but can be a real benefit to those who do not own a telescope, or a telescope with photographic capabilities, and have a real interest in stargazing. Through the comforts of our own homes, we can now capture, view and study images that are obtained through observatories of celestial bodies throughout the cosmos. The Internet has provided us the opportunity to view new worlds beyond our own by accessing an online telescope.
How Does an Online Telescope Work?
The process of using an online telescope for viewing the stars and planets is relatively easy once you understand what information is required. You first will need to coordinate the viewing times and dates. Participating observatories will coordinate your request, generally initiated through an email from you, and schedule the event. You should receive an email back from the observatory confirming the subject sighting, date and time.
The online telescope camera will record the viewing of the requested location or object and post them at a particular website address. You will be notified via email of the location to view your pictures. Usually, you can just simply click on the imbedded link in the email and you will be sent to the viewing page for detailed photos provided by the camera of the online telescope.
Just having access to some of the top observatories’ telescopes for your own personal stargazing needs is incredible. The only thing better than viewing the universe through the online telescope images would be to have your own live online telescope. Unfortunately, this option would cost millions of dollars and, for most of us, exceed our stargazing budgets.
Different Online Telescope Viewing Options
When you make your request to the observatory, you can ask that the online telescope be utilized in a few different ways:
– Specify Certain Astronomical Coordinates
The first viewing method will be specific to certain coordinates. The coordinates may correspond to the position of a specific star, planet, solar system, etc. If you are confused about the specific coordinates to provide the online telescope observatory, catalogs are available of the celestial bodies and their respective locations.
– Request a Specific Planet, Star, or System
Another method that might be slightly easier is to request a specific star or planet be photographed by the online telescope. The observatory can also provide a more general image of larger areas of space. In addition, the participating observatory may grant requests for the use of different colored filters for your images.
If you are an amateur astronomer and want to experience the power and quality of a multi-million dollar piece of astronomy equipment, go to the Internet and search for ‘online telescope’ or ‘camera online telescope’. There you will find participating observatories that are willing to open up the universe to you through their telescope’s exceptional images of the cosmos!
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