Geometric Universe

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Large reflectors with dobsonian mounts: cheap for the size, good image quality, but no tracking. Their large sizes allow observation of dimmer objects.

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Eyepieces: a set of high, medium, and low power eyepiece for each scope is the minimum. Quality is important for high power eyepieces, while good wide field low power eyepieces are also quite expensive. There are many good and low cost medium power eyepiece. Some company sells a set of eyepieces which could be a low cost way to start with. Neutral density moon filter.

Binoculars are low cost, very useful, and can be given to students no using the telescopes. Note: DO NOT distribute binoculars for solar/day time sections!

Solar projection screen. FRONT solar filter.

Cooled CCD cameras with high quality optical and tracking systems can take the best DSO (deep sky objects) pictures, but are very expensive. Some cheap CCD/CMOS based webcams are very good for taking videos of planets for stacking, as well as class demonstration. Digital cameras with proper adaptors can take good stack-and-track images for planets and bright DSO.

In recent years, binoviewers have become very cost effective. Experience has show that their views are very effective for attracting the attention of the untrained eyes. Recommended if budget allows.

Slide 52

Q: Can you give us some references?

NASA. The NASA site contain many useful information and images.

Wikipedia. Note: The Wikipedia is probably the quickest way to find information. However, because it can be edited by anyone, one should not trust the information without checking independent sources or risk getting wrong or misleading (intentional or not) information.

HKU Physics Department, Nature of the Universe web site http://www.physics.hku.hk/~nature/

J. M. Pasachoff, Astronomy: From the Earth to the Universe (1998).

E. Chaisson and S. McMillan, Astronomy Today (2005).

M. A. Hoskin, Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy (2000).

J. Evans, The History & Practice of Ancient Astronomy (1998).

蔡國昌 和 葉賜權 , 恆星 (2000).

葉賜權 , 星‧移‧物‧換 (2003).

香港太空館小學天文敎材套 (2000).

A: Here are some of them:

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Q: Are there any useful classroom teaching kits available?

A: Here are some of them.

Cosmic Voyage DVD is a good film to introduce the powers of ten approach to study the structure of the universe.

Models of celestial sphere. Ideally, one can use a big one to teach (but it costs about HK$4,000) and use a few small ones (that can be brought a few hundred dollars each) for students to play in class.