I spent Day 2 at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS) mostly talking. I talked to manufacturers about new products, I talked to amateur astronomers about our magazine , I chatted with astroimagers about their photography, and I interacted with some of the event's keynote speakers. Everyone thought Day 1 of PATS was a success. About 800 paid admission tickets sold, and people milled about through the whole day. Jen Winter, president...

Today, I'm at the Pacific Astronomy and Telescope Show (PATS). Because this is the first time PATS has occurred, I really didn't know what to expect. Wow! There are a lot more dealers here than I thought would attend. Big ones like Celestron, Meade, Orion, Santa Barbara Instrument Group, Tele Vue, and Vixen. Small ones like, well, in many cases I hadn't heard of them. It's nice to attend a show and be surprised. I've already seen...

Astrodon Filters supplies precision imaging filters to astrophotographers worldwide. Here, founder Don Goldman explains a new product to a NEAF attendee. Michael E. Bakich Today is Saturday, the first day of the 2008 Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF). I’ve been looking forward to seeing the many manufacturers registered for this year’s NEAF. Here, at the largest annual astronomy expo, you can expect some surprises, and this year was no exception. The...

Today is Friday, the second day of the 2008 Northeast Astro Imaging Conference (NEAIC) at Rockland Community College , in Suffern, New York. Because the college’s classes are still in session, NEAIC annually asks one of the participants to lecture to one or two classes about an astronomical subject. This year, conference organizers asked Astronomy Contributing Editor Mike D. Reynolds to give one of the lectures. And what a great choice it was! In...

Today, I’m blogging from Suffern, New York, site of the 2008 Northeast Astro Imaging Conference (NEAIC). More than 100 of the world’s best astrophotographers have gathered here to renew old friendships, share techniques, and see the latest hardware. NEAIC is an outgrowth of the Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF), which will begin on Saturday. I’m happy to be here because I’ve already run into several long-time image contributors to Astronomy I’d never...