Astronomical Cybersketching: Observational Drawing with PDAs and Tablet PCs

Description

You love sky watching and are excited by what you see through your telescope. You want to keep a record of what you see. You want others to see it. These are all good reasons to put down your pencil and pad and get started cybersketching! What is cybersketching? It is using a small computer, such as a laptop or a PDA, to make a sketch of what you see through your telescope or even with your naked eye. Particularly good subjects are the Moon and the brighter planets, but even deep space has much to offer a cybersketcher. Why cybersketch? Sketching what you see is a fantastic way not only to record what you see but to share it with others. Before imaging, sketching was the only way people had of sharing their discoveries. With all the fancy new imaging devices around, sketching has become something of a lost art. But it shouldn’t be! Not only is it an inexpensive and quick way to record and share what you see. It also helps you to hone your observational skills. Using a computer gives you a variety of exciting and fun tools to use and ways to make your sketches almost professional, so you can show them off and display them. In this book, Peter Grego outlines the evolution of cybersketching, with a brief review of the history of computers, hardware and software, and how to use the tools that are now available to astronomy buffs. If you are not sketching because you think it is old-fashioned, or if you are sketching using only a pencil and paper, read this book and see why you are missing out on some terrific new technologies that are easy to use and affordable to nearly everyone. Become an astronomical cybersketcher, and you will find that the time you spend exploring the night sky is even more rewarding than you ever imagined. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 From Carefully Tooled Gears to Totally Cool Gear....Pages 3-24 Computers Get Personal....Pages 25-69 The Power of the Portable....Pages 71-84 Handheld Cyberware....Pages 85-95 Portable Data Storage....Pages 97-107 Front Matter....Pages 109-109 Electronic Skies....Pages 111-133 In Graphic Realms....Pages 135-166 Cybersketching Challenges....Pages 167-203 Back Matter....Pages 205-219