Dear ATS: Why not have a strong web-streaming ATS-Telescope?

Hello everybody!
Hello dear owners!

I am struggling to put some money aside to get myself a 14" Telescope sometime in the distant future.

I hear telescope sales are booming but the average person is not really allowed to lay hands on a strong performing telescope to observe and research due to cost.

Taking this into account i guess putting up a video stream of the proposed
"ATS Telescope" tracking the moon for example might not be a bad idea at all.

The more i think of it the more i tend to think its worth it even if ATS members have to sponsor the initial set up cost.

Imagine:

1. One piece of equipment
   
2. Quite automated
   
3. Minimal maintenance
   
4. Cost effective
   
5. Plenty of eyes observing
   
6. + Many many more.
   

SITE OWNERS: I hope i am not bringing you in any bad position with this suggestion.

MEMBERS: What's your insight?

the aim of any such telescope, if in control of ATSers, would get jerked around more than an NY City cab fare. Imagine all the chaos on deciding where to focus such a thing.

Great idea! I would be willing to donate.

Maybe you could rent out telescope time with points?

I think that's a great Idea. I know I would check it out a ton. I was going to suggest sky feeds as well from different locations (aka mod / member houses that volunteer, with their own equipment as it where since we have members from all over the planet.)

I hope the mods don't ban me for that idea

reply to post by Aggie Man


Could add telescope usage queues and limited time.

P.S. I would donate to this cause.

[edit on 6-5-2009 by DaMod]

Originally posted by Aggie Man
the aim of any such telescope, if in control of ATSers, would get jerked around more than an NY City cab fare. Imagine all the chaos on deciding where to focus such a thing.

Absolutely.

Myself and a small group of members tried to set up something similar including a new web-site but not directly linked to ATS....our efforts were thwarted by management who refused to give us permission to recruit help and finances within ATS.

Can't see this working.

Those who help financially would expect preferential access and decision rights as to where to aim the thing. Other members would get jelous and a "clique" would evolve.

The only way I can see it working is from private funding outside ATS but with links from ATS to a seperate site.

Good luck squinters.

I think its a wonderful idea, however not a likely one like it was mentioned above it would be crazy everyone arguing over where to point it and so on ... but nevertheless a great Idea!!!

Originally posted by bringthelight
Maybe you could rent out telescope time with points?

Great idea.

OP, I think you are on to something

Why just stop at a telescope though? Being the crypto nut I am, maybe we have some members that live in 'hotspots' of strange activity that could place streaming webcams?

I mean people that might live next to supposedly Bigfoot inhabited woods, or in Jersey near the supposed home of the Devil etc etc.

I'm so taking this idea too far aren't I? Hmph. Anyway, the telescope idea is cool.

I wholeheartedly support this idea but do you really think ATS will go through with this? Money. Money. Money....I could only hope.

I think it would be a good idea so we wouldn't have to depend on NASA for really good high quality images plus we could look wherever we want

Lets try the moon for starters!

I like the idea of pointing it towards the moon or Mars and leaving it there (then we're not dealing to monopolies, jealousy over renting time with points, etc.). If people want to check in and keep and eye on what's going on, it would be a simple as looking up your local webcam. I have no idea how expensive/time consuming it would be to implement this "watered-down" version of the plan originally proposed but it might make for an interesting experiment if ATS were to try this out for a fixed period of time. We would require more than one telescope of course (to maintain a live image 24/7) so it's not like we could just put one person in charge of the whole thing and call it good. At the very least, it's worth considering.

Originally posted by nerbot
Myself and a small group of members tried to set up something similar...our efforts were thwarted by management.

Can't see this working.

Yes, another group of people here (maybe you were involved?) purposed the same idea and did research into making it a reality. ATS was supposedly going to spend quite a bit of money on it and I believe some sort of partnership between ATS and ABC (yeah the news network) was supposed to bring in some bucks, too. Can't back that up, but it's what I heard.

I was told about it on the low-low by a net-friend of mine that was working on it at the time. He wanted my opinions on water/freeze-proofing a scope housing, as the scope was allegedly going to be placed on ATS property somewhere in Montana.

However, this individual dropped off the face of the Earth suddenly and I later learned after joining this site myself that he had been banned. Dunno what the major meltdown was, but I'm guessing there was some sort of spat between those working on it.

I think it would be a fascinating feature to have here, or anywhere for that matter. Maybe some people will get together and make it happen one day.

I know it seems like a good idea but a few things to considder are.

Once you have done the usual rounds of the night sky nothing ever changes as it is allways constant.
Things don't just appear for our viewing pleasure and all the super photos of nebula and other exotic things are not seen in real time as they require long exposures and image stacking ect.

The best object to observe is the moon as this is the one with most datail and you may see something crossing in front of it if you are lucky.
You can see the other planets but you might as well go online for some far superior shots than we will ever see from down here.

I have a mead ETX 125 and you can get some lovely views of the moon with it and because it is so bright astro photography is real easy to do.
Buying your own scope seems a better option to me as you can go hands on and learn far more as well.
Scopes are fairly cheap now and so are digital cameras.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Thanks for the feedback!

Concerning the ATS Telescope field of view i originally thought it would be best if focused at maximum usable magnification at some interesting part of the moon. Videos have shown that the result is breathtaking and certainly more reliable than the old NASA photos. It would be a real time view that could be decided over debate or voting.

Personally i think that public access control is not a good idea nor advisable.

Additionally i am pro web cam streams pointed at interesting sights that have a large probability of capturing something new.

I guess that the absence of ATS comments on this is a reflection of bad existing experience or just something that has not been discussed over or even something management is not interested in right now.

I went ahead with the suggestion thinking that such an implementation would further develop the ATS phenomenon with obvious benefits.

Actually i am surprised that there is precedence on this and even more that members were banned over this. Puzzling.
I hope it doesn't get me in trouble... I have no bad intentions.

[edit on 7/5/2009 by GEORGETHEGREEK]