RESCHEDULED TO FEB. 22
Due to inclement weather, power outages and safety concerns the RCA General Meeting has been postponed. Please stay safe and warm! We are thinking of you!
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How 3D Printing Changed the Way I Observe
Our speaker this month will be long-time club member Rob Brown. Rob found a great way to optimize and enhance his observing experience -- 3D printing. On Monday, he'll share some of his experiences and his enthusiasm for this wonderful technique. Here is how he describes what we'll hear.
"I have been an optics nut since I was a kid. Long story there but I did my share of burning ants in the sun and playing with prisms. I got my first telescope when I was 9 years old, a mead 60 mm, and I still have it. I studied optics and physics in college and became an optical engineer back in 1988. I have worked primarily in head up display and augmented reality technologies for over 30 years."
"I was hired by RCA member Bob Wood in 1990 and soon he convinced me to make my first telescope. It was an 8" F9. Since then I have made an 8" F5 and a 12.5" F5, rebuilding all three at least twice over the years. When Bob was given a 3D printer for Christmas in 2016 he started bugging me to get one for myself. I resisted his lunch time temptations because I thought I was too busy to deal with a 3D printer. Now I wonder how I ever got along without one."
"When my youngest son Quinn started showing a serious interest in astronomy about 5 years ago we did a father-son project to rebuild the 8-in F5. He won a young astronomer's award for it. He later came up with a series of problems that needed to be solved, and this talk will show how his innovative ideas came together with the 3D printer to revolutionize my astronomy experiences."
About Rob Brown
Rob Brown is an optical engineer who works with head-up displays, augmented reality devces, and multiband cameras. He has been a member of RCA since 1990. He is also a juggler and unicyclist but doesn't promise that he will be doing either of these things during his presentation.