ASTRONOMERS POLISH THEIR LENSES : PHOTO BUFFS READY FOR HALE-BOPP VISIT.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer As the Hale-Bopp comet be-bops toward Earth, professional and amateur astrophotographers polished their snapshot skills Saturday to prepare for what could be the biggest comet sighting of the century. Nearly 200 stargazers swarmed to Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. for the Astrophoto XII Seminar, an event sponsored once every two years by the Ventura County Astronomical Society There are numerous groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. See, for example:
Astrophotography as·tro·pho·tog·ra·phy n. Astronomical photography. as  tro·pho·tog is the art of capturing galaxies, comets and star clusters on film. The specialized hobby appeals to those who relish the beauty of heavenly bodies, said Hal Jandorf of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , astronomy instructor at Moorpark College and president of the Ventura County Astronomical Society. ``It's pure aesthetic photography. It's a way people can appreciate the heavens,'' said Jandorf, who gave a lecture on beginning astrophotography at the seminar Saturday. ``These types of pictures are beautiful - the colors, the shapes. These are pictures of the real universe and what you'd see in space.'' The daylong event featured lectures by some prominent astrophotographers, including Carl Weber and Garry Goodman. Among topics were video astrophotography and faint-nebula imaging. Dozens of color pictures on display depicted many great sightings, such as the Andromeda Galaxy, Hale-Bopp, the Veil Nebula and Comet Hyakutake. Seminar participants learned about advances in telescopes, cameras and high-power lenses. Others fed their curiosity about the unknown world of space. The Astronomical Society is a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. whose members share a common interest in astronomy and related fields. Members attend monthly meetings and star parties, and they take field trips to Charles Temple, Mount Wilson and Big Bear observatories. Gigi Hasson of Simi Valley said she'd rather observe the sky than photograph it. ``I get my thrill from taking out my telescope and looking through the eyepiece Eyepiece A lens or optical system which offers to the eye the image originating from another system (the objective), at a suitable viewing distance. The image can be virtual. ,'' said Hasson, an Astronomical Society member since 1989. ``I like seeing what's out there. There's so much we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. about our universe. Looking out there is humbling.'' The public is invited to join the Ventura County Astronomical Society at 5:30 p.m. today for comet-watching at the Moorpark College observatory, 7075 Campus Park Drive. A 92 percent eclipse of the moon later this evening will enhance the visibility of Hale-Bopp. Telescopes will be available to those attending. A $1 donation will be requested at the free gathering. For more information about tonight's event, consult the Web Page at http://www.serve.net/vcas.html or call Starline at 529-7813. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Astronomy buffs learn about special techniques necessary to make photographs of heavenly bodies, such as this picture of a nebula nebula (nĕb`y  lə) [Lat.,=mist], in astronomy, observed manifestation of a collection of highly rarefied gas and dust in interstellar space. . Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News |
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