Patreon and GoFundMe coming soon . . .
If you also believe that astronomy is for everyone, please consider supporting Lost in Space NYC.
What would your money support?
Transportation. I can get to a few observing sites on foot, hauling my equipment on a custom-made cart. To reach more people in more locations, I need to travel by taxi ($50 round trip average), or to drive and pay for parking ($30 average).
Replacing damaged equipment. Eyepieces can slip and hit the pavement. People can bump into equipment in the dark and knock things over. It doesn’t happen often, and it’s never a big deal in the moment. But it would be great to have help replacing broken items. (Typical replacement costs: $50 to $300.)
Capital projects. These are big, long-term goals.
- Street Astronomy Field Guide. Most people who look through my telescope don’t know much about astronomy, but they’d like to know more. I’m working on a field guide that will help people understand what they’re looking at and what details to look for. It will also include fun facts about typical urban telescope targets, drawn from the questions I’m most frequently asked. $500 will allow me to print the field guide and offer it for free to interested people.
- Astrophotography. Everyone wants photos of the targets they see in the telescope, but it’s very difficult to get a photo with a smartphone camera held to the eyepiece. I’m researching a camera system that would allow people to connect their smartphone to a wi-fi network in the field, and download photos coming live from the telescope. Estimated cost: $1200
- Solar astronomy. For every 1 night with clear skies and good targets in view, there are 50 days with clear skies and a single amazing target: our Sun. With a hydrogen alpha filter system, I could do much more outreach, and show off the Sun in its full glory. These systems start around $4000.
Here is what the Sun looks like with a hydrogen alpha filter on a telescope like mine:
