Neat Astronomy Idea

In amateur astronomy, star parties are popular social gatherings. One or more owners of telescopes will pick a good observing spot and invite other amateurs to join them-- to make observations with a telescope, to learn more about the hobby, to trade information and techniques, or simply to socialize. A few annual star parties have grown to be regional or national in scope, and feature well known speakers.

Well, the good people at Astronomy magazine are looking at bringing star parties to the Internet. Technical issues still need to be worked out, but the basic idea is to have a telescope that would be operated by computer, and allow people to log on to a website. There, a user could control the telescope from home, or view the image the telescope was taking, or view an archive of data, or interact with other people logged on to the site. Astronomy staffers are calling the idea an "iStar Party."

Many print publications and television outlets and programs are searching for ways to extend into the Internet and interact with their publics. Astronomy magazine, for example, already has an excellent website. Adding an iStar Party website may be the logical next step.